POSTED TODAY over at The UK Peter Cushing Appreciation Society Facebook Fan PagePeter Cushing and a gathering of other film and tv stars, who came together to help Save Hammer Films Bray studios in
1990. Cushing was actually helicoptered to the site, from his home in Whitstable, Kent to Bray studios on the day and landed on the green, just at the side of the Thames river! I put out the question of, how many of those four other faces did everyone recognise?? A question that proves that PCASUK is an international society and that there are certainly more followers and fans of Peter Cushing at the PCASUK sites from the US and Europe than there are from the UK! It was a tough question, with only a few correct suggestions! Can YOU name those faces? I will post the answer here tomorrow!
#WATCHWITHCUSHING! There are some clips of #PeterCushing,
which I really enjoy and make me smile. Here are two of them. The first
is a raw UK TV studio interview. Here PC is very much 'Johnny On The
Spot' Charming and relaxed. Quite the gent, wit style and having fun.
The second, is a clip of more raw footage, that some of you may have
seen here before. It's Peter Cushing's Surprise 80th Birthday Party!
Here of course he is older, but still able to have a lot of fun and is
quite genuinely surprised and happy to see everyone. This always make me
smile. I hope you smile and enjoy this too! Stay safe everyone and look
after yourselves 😊 You'll find the clip at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE HERE!!
PETER CUSHING AT HOME and on the beach. GALLERY Part TWO: Wednesday
December 1st 1971. ON SEEING these rare and unpublished photographs for
the first time, it maybe isn't obvious at first glance, who the man in the pics
actually could be. A neat and trim moustache, the absence of a hair
piece and several pounds of body weight along with clothing that wasn't
the usual attire familiar to the thousands of cinema goers, who had
watched him on the big screen and over the past three decades.1971, this year had been a year that changed Peter Cushing's life forever. The loss of his wife, #HelenCushing in #January
after many years of fighting her illness, set Cushing on a path of
work, that would have psychically and emotionally exhausted many others . .
THE GRIEF AND LOSS effected everything in Cushing's life, except as he
saw, his one distraction away from the loneliness and pain. Work. These
unpublished stills were taken in December 1971, as part of a #RadioTimes magazine feature, promoting a BBC radio programme Peter had recorded earlier on July 27th -29th July 1971 at his home in #Whitstable.
The programme 'Nature Spectacular' focused on the wildlife and birds of
which Peter was very familiar and loved around his beach front home. I
am sure you have seen the many watercolour's and sketches that Peter
produced over the years, here on PCASUK. He was a lover of all nature.
Wildlife, birds, flowers, sea life . . .
THIS LOOK INTO Peter's home study, gives us a peep into the things that
surrounded his day, the photo portrate of his late wife, the paperwork,
the delicate bird figures he made and his desk. Just a few weeks before
these photographs were taken, Cushing had began his journey, in 'keeping
busy' in March until April, he returned in his first film just weeks
after Helen passed, #Hammerfilms 'Twins of Evil'. September he filmed his award winning performance as Arthur Grimsdyke in Amicus films, '#TalesfromtheCrypt' at #Sheppertonstudios, work on Hammer's #DraculaAD1972' as Van Helsing with #ChristopherLee as the Count, kept him busy from September 27th until November 5th
along with several radio appearances from September 30th until early
November.
ABOVE: THE PHOTOGRAPHS in this feature were a series of snaps taken by a photographer from the BBC RADIO TIMES listings magazine, to provide a photo illustration to support and promote the above BBC RADIO programme. Sounds Natural was a weekly radio programme that interviewed guests and celebrities on their views and opinions on the subject of their choice, within the theme of countryside and nature in the UK. Cushing's programme centred on wildlife and countryside of his home in the seaside town of Whitstable in Kent. A town that had been home to he and his late wife, Helen since the late 1950's.
THE RADIO TIMES 1ST -7TH JANUARY 1971 : There was of course much to choose from to grace the pages of this weeks issue of the BBC listing magazine, 'Radio Times'. Ironically, characters that Peter Cushing himself was more than familiar with.... Dr Who and the ever popular Daleks were rolling the drums for the arrival of a new series of episodes were Jon Pertwee's tv Doctor Who would be taking on the fiends for another welcomed and entertaining and cliff hanger battle. Cushing had played a 'version' of the good Dr / Doctor in two full colour films during 1965 and 66, 'Dr Who and the Daleks' and 'Daleks Invasion of Earth 2150 AD'. Neither of which are really canon to the tv series...or are they? Decide for yourself : HERE!
CUSHING brought the year to an end, with shooting Hammer films,
'Fear In The Night' with Ralph Bates and Judy Geeson .... hence the
little moustache, of his character headmaster, Michael Carmichael. #PeterCushing
was allergic to spirit gum that would hold on a false tash, so he grew
his facial hair when roles required it! A busy time, indeed. - Marcus
Brooks
OVER AT the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE PETER CUSHING Hammer Amicus fan #TARACHANDLER has sent us this great post 🙂
Quite an interesting selection for the Christmas Fright and Spooky Festival
season??? What would yours look like??? Remember you can always send us
messages of your choices, thoughts and viewing experiences, which we
will SHARE on the MAIN NEWS THREAD.. so others can see and join in
...anytime 😉🙂 - Marcus
TARA'S POST: "The
holiday season is upon us - here is my list of must watch DVD’s for
this festive period - this evening I watched my favourite; Countess #Dracula, with my favourite actress #ingridpitt
- there are some amazing Cushing features, specifically Frankenstein
Created Woman (in The Best of Hammer Collection box set) - some Amicus
Productions in there too (Dr Terror’s...). What’s on your festive list!?
I may add a few more to mine! " 🦇🧛♂️
PETER CUSHING truly did love Whitstable, for sure 😃 Be it Summer or Winter . . or even #ChristmasDay for a quick dip (??) it IS somewhere quite special 😉
REQUESTED: MARK HAMILL MEETS Peter Cushing with Davie Prowse on the set at Elstree studios!
PETER CUSHING was certainly a man of hobbies. MANY hobbies. Collections,
books, stamps, coins, figures, soldiers, trains, cigarette cards,
models .. and toys! After Peter's passing, it took two major auctions
and several smaller charity sales, to clear a vast collection of
passions. Toys were something he had a great love for and the older and
simpler it was, the more he liked it 😀 Eighty years after it was purchased and given to him . . he still owned his first and most favourite toy... Piglet!
This weeks quote is taken from Peter Cushing: Past Forgetting' Weidenfeld and Nicolson 1988.
YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD OF or know Wanda for a whole lot of reasons... the
ace 1960's Brit TV series 'UFO', Peter Cushing's 'love it hate it' Tigon
horror film about a killer moth 'The Blood Beast Terror', the fact she
played a role in a terrific Hammer horror film, mumbling under a paper
mache mask for a fair while . . or the fact that she is THE Mum to a
quite internationally famous actor...? Personally I LIKE 'The Blood
Beast Terror', I like UFO and I love Ventham too 😊 Join in if YOU too want to wish the super Wanda Ventham, A Happy Birthday too, TODAY at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE!!
JUST A FEW DAYS AGO, I was put on the spot! A message come though on the FACEBOOK PCASUK Fan Page, with a question, that really got me thinking. 'We are planning a FILM NIGHT at the Whitstable Castle, we would like to dedicate the film we are screening, to Peter Cushing, and are foxed as to which Cushing Hammer film we should screen. Any ideas? I don't know about you, but on the rare occasion I have a spare evening to sit and enjoy one of Peter Cushing's many titles, I usually end up cruising the spines of all 80 odd dvd's and blu rays, then studying the covers, a little dusting and rearranging, before I know, three hours or more has passed, with distractions and procrastination, resulting in not a one disc sliding into the player! I really am the last person to ask, but I did manage after at least an hour or chewing on it, one title. However, knowing often my suggestion may not fit their plans or thinking, I instead suggested the making of a token PCASUK banner very qucikly and throwing the question out to the entire following of the PCASUK FAN PAGE. The many, many, come back suggestions and results were very interesting indeed. If YOU want to add your suggestion to the list in the comments thread, PLEASE do! Here is a link to THAT post, join it with a click HERE! ANY news on the planned evening, I will share as NEWS here at the website, FACEBOOK and other PCASUK social platforms. Stay TUNED 😉
AS PROMISED, at our FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE here is a nice little video clip, shot yesterday of
CUSHING'S VIEW in Whitstable Kent, of the REPLACED brass dedication
plaque on the Peter and Helen Cushing bench, and sneak peep of the view 🙂 Many thanks again to PCASUK Follower, Spencer Aldren for this exclusive clip today!
ABOVE IS A FEATURE we posted back in 2016, of your trips to #WHITSTABLE and your fun following the #CUSHINGTRAIL! Just CLICK HERE!
#CHRISTOPHERLEE SATURDAY! BY THE BEGINNING of 1969, Peter Cushing no longer owned a London home, when he he was working and filming at a studio close to London, Pinewood, Shepperton or Elstree, but far from the home where he and his wife, Helen lived in Whitstable in Kent, he would stay at Brown's Hotel in Mayfair, in the city centre. . . 'My favourite hotel in London!' . .and this accommodation would be included in his fee for appearing in the film. For the contract of the Amicus film, I MONSTER, he did not want to be away from Helen in the evenings so he travelled on the 'milk-train' from Whitstable at 6am and returned back to his home at 10pm at night. It was a busy time . . .
I MONSTER, was based on the classic Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, was filmed from October 10th 1970, directed by 22 year old director Stephen Weeks. Christopher Lee starred in the dual role. But Amicus films angle on the story, was quite different for those that had been released in the past. Some believe producer Milton Subotsky, was ducking copyright restrictions, as MGM owned the rights to the title of the the story . . and so, the lead characters names, Jekyll and Hyde. And so, in I Monster, the good doctor and his alter ego, Mr Hyde carried different names, Doctor Marlowe and Mr Blake. Others believe, Subotsky had heard that his competition Hammer films, were in the process of shooting their own production of the tale. Though I guessing if this was true, he had no idea of the secret spin that it's director Roy Ward Baker and the producers, also had in the wings, to give their release a new and refreshing angle and adapted title! Although Subotsky changed the names of the doctor and his frightening flip identity, most of Stevenson's other characters remained the same, as in the novel. Back in 1983, when PCASUK carried out a video interview with Milton at his home, he was asked why he changed the main characters names, his answer was, 'I thought it would be fun to try!'
SUBOTSKY ALSO WAS DETERMINED to make in film in 3D. Again, when he became an honorary member of PCASUK in 1983, and gave us access and several interviews, the subject matter of how he always wanted to make a 3D film, often came up. He thought a 3D version of Alice in Wonderland in a feature film would make an amazing release... and a feature about the London, Lord Mayor Show, would also be ideal! Sadly, he never got the chance, nor did we or he ever bring up the subject matter of the failed and impossible attempt to shot 'I Monster' in 3D too! Subotsky, before he entered the world of making successful fantasy movies, spent time producing a series of shorts, based on the 'School Boy Scientist' market. Subotsky LOVED science and had been aware a simple and cost effective way of a shooting film in 3D since he too, was a school boy. The process required constant lateral movement within the frame, making conventional film shooting methods and rules of thumb impossible.
AFTER A WHILE, the process was abandoned by director Stephen Weeks, and the fact that many of the sets had been built, the opposite way to what was needed, to achieve the pans and movements in the correct directions, made movement and continuity impossible or jarring too. The finished release still contains several interminable tracking shots clumsily cut together with static close ups. Despite the technical problems, Christopher Lee gives an excellent central performance.
CUSHING LOVED THE PERIOD FURNISHINGS, and wore some of his own Edwardian styled clothes for the film, which were specially tailored for him by theatrical costumiers Montague Burton's- and as a result seems completely at home in this era. His is even able to reprise the 'eye up to the magnifying glass trick as he compares the identical signatures of Marlowe and Blake.
DESPITE WHAT SOME SEE as tedious pacing, and the occasional wandering camera the film does have several startling scenes and quite unique turns from both Lee and Cushing. A nightmare sequence features a distorted, faceless Doctor Marlowe; there is a spectacular chase through the massive turbines of an Edwardian water works! Also the monstrously ugly Blake's pathetic encounter with a small child in a park. Make up artist, Harry Frampton creates an amazingly Blake / Hyde whose appearance with every arrival becomes more frightening and a true monster, in every way!
CATCH UP with our I MONSTER RARE IMAGE GALLERY PART ONE : HERE!
IS I MONSTER ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE CUSHING FILMS OR MAYBE YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN IT? COME SHARE YOUR OPINION AND THOUGHTS ON ONE THE LESSER TALKED ABOUT AMICUS FILMS AT THE FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE! COME AND JOIN A FOLLOWING OF OVER 33 THOUSAND FANS OF THE PAGE! JUST CLICK : HERE!!
