THE COMFORT OF CAT AND SLIPPERS : HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEVIN CONNOR DIRECTOR OF 'FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE'!

PETER CUSHING: The Comfort of Slippers and a CAT! I am sure many of you will enjoy this rare photograph, of Peter relaxing, not at home... but sitting in the study of his long time friend and secretary, Joyce Broughton, in Herne Bay, near Peter's home in Whitstable, Kent. For those of you who know Peter's work well, I am sure you'll see the interesting connections in this photograph . . despite the terrible time his character Wilbur Gray endured in the 1977 film 'The Uncanny', personally he did have quite a passion and love of animals, birds, cats, dogs and wildlife. This cat lived in Joyce's home, a family pet...along with a dog too.

TO MY KNOWLEDGE, neither Peter or his wife Helen, ever had pets at home . . they preferred to enjoy the children and pets of their friends . . and have a quiet life! The slippers...well, we ALL know the connection there, I am sure . . 😊 This photograph was taken by and is the property of photographer Colin Bourner. 😉 Marcus *NOTE the book on the foot stool 😉

HAPPY BIRTHDAY director KEVIN CONNOR . .born today in 1937. He joined the Amicus films train, a little late in their journey, but in his very first outing as director, did amazing job on 'From Beyond The Grave' in 1974. It was also the first time he worked with Peter Cushing. Connor's timing, having served as an editor, brought a tighter beat to the Amicus style, managing to create what certainly looks like much higher production values, but I am sure the budget was as tight as ever. Released during the opening tip -toe, death march steps, of the collapse and fall of the British film industry.. From Beyond The Grave arrived a little late, when horror and fantasy films had moved on from spooky supernatural to full on exorcisms and gore . . though it did feature the lifting of nasty and mischievous Elemental demon . .

IT WOULD TAKE until the arrive of Home Cinema and the arrival of VHS and BBC double bills on TV, before it started to get the praise and recognition it deserved. Conner was also director and working with Peter on the last Amicus film, 'At The Earth's Core', managing to make a good ol family feature and get the best from Peter's almost second cousin to his Dr who. It was a huge production to manage.. at the time filing most of Pinewood studios lots with staggering jungle sets, caves, lava and men in suits! Hey! It's for the kids!

SOMEWHERE around this time, Peter stepped in with a guest appearance in another Connor directed feature called, 'Trail By Combat' aka 'A Dirty Knights Work' with John Mills... Connor also directed other very popular Amicus / AIP fantasy films too.. The Land That Time Forgot (1975), The People That Time Forgot (1977), Warlords of Atlantis (1978) by this time, Connor was certainly off Milton Subotsky's Christmas card list... but he did manage one more with Peter Cushing, 'Arabian Adventure' in 1978, with Peter making a guest appearance alongside it's star, Christopher Lee with...Milo O'Shea, Oliver Tobias, Emma Samms and...Mickey Rooney!

SINCE THOSE DAYS, Connor now spends most of his time and working and living in Hollywood directing films like Motel Hell (1980), The House Where Evil Dwells (1982), Sunset Grill (1993) and Domestic Import (2006), as well as many TV miniseries and films, including Goliath Awaits, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Great Expectations, Diana: Her True Story, Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story, Mother Teresa: In the Name of God's Poor, In the Beginning, Frankenstein, Blackbeard, Marco Polo and many more, as they say... 

TODAY, we thank Kevin Connor for bringing out some very entertaining films which thankfully also included Peter, if not starring, certainly in the mix. Beyond The Grave for many, is in their top three of the Amicus portmanteau productions, and deservedly so...as we will all see when it is released on blu ray by Warner Brothers next month.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEVIN CONNOR, have certainly entertained us, took us BEYOND the grave, into the CORE, all while certainly making your mark as part of the Amicus adventure !!

A REMINDER: BACK LAST WEEK we shared the news that Warner Archive had just announced that the Amicus films 'From Beyond The Grave' (1974) . . . . .starring Peter Cushing, Donald Pleasence, David Warner plus a rostra of other stars names, in the true Amicus portmanteau tradition, and directed by Kevin Connor . . was coming to blu-ray. Warner have also announced that this release will be a NEW 2019 1080p HD MASTER too! The SPEC as we have right now is as follows: FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE (1973) Running Time 98:00.Sound Quality DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, 16 X 9 WIDESCREEN: Product Color COLOR Disc Configuration BD 50. TO PLACE YOUR PRE-ORDER JUST CLICK : HERE!

THE FINAL PART : PART FOUR THE AMICUS VAULT OF HORROR DOCUMENTARY

#GETTHECUSHIONSUNDAY! AND SO THE FINAL PART of our 'Amicus Vault Of Horrors' documentary, in which we learn about the final days of the company and the disintegration of a friendship and highly successful business partnership, that was founded on a handshake! Many thanks for all your comments and very positive feedback. It's great to hear so many of you enjoyed this documentary and I hope you'll enjoy the final episode too!

IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA     

#MONSTERMONDAY: SOMEONE IS TAKING MORE THAN PAPER-CLIPS AND BLU TAK FROM THE STATIONARY CUPBOARD!

#MONSTERMONDAY: This really isn't what you would expect upon hanging a door you just bought from #B&Q or #HomeDepot! But then...it was no ordinary store or door. If you are foolish enough to try and cheat Peter Cushing's shop proprietor in Amicus films, #FromBeyondtheGrave...you only have yourself to blame, when beyond said door, the harmless pens and paper-clips are replaced by a mysterious room, with one very angry inhabitant, who wants to steal YOUR WIFE! For those of you who haven't yet had the pleasure of viewing the film, I'll stop there. For those who HAVE? What's your say? Sir Michael Sinclair, harmless cupboard ghost with squatters rights..or MONSTER???

I HAVE BEEN KNOWN at get-togethers when watching this film and this scene in particular, to prattle on endlessly about the quality of the cinematography and lighting in this scene.... quite superb!

IT WASN'T UNTIL quite recently I discovered that the actor playing Sir Michael is in fact, Jack Watson, of Babe fame ! Mainly a UK television-film actor, but a fine one, who has down the years kept my nephews and nieces entertained with his sheep herding trotter! Jack sadly left us in 1999 aged 84.  

IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA   

A GENTLEMAN TO A TEA!

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: MANY THANKS TO ROBIN MCDONALD who has provided two great items for our #TOOCOOLTUESDAY posts.... This artwork was produced as a in joke among the crew of Amicus films 'From Beyond The Grave' with Peter Cushing..the artwork was pinned to the clapper-board during some of the shooting! Robin McDonald, was a clapper operator on many of Peter's films.

AGAIN, MANY THANKS to Robin McDonald who sent us his much treasured cards from Peter Cushing, to share with you. Peter DID so very much love his cuppa tea!!!

IN ROBIN'S WORDS, 'When I worked with Peter towards the end of his life, he hardly ate anything existing mainly on cheese and biscuits, he told me that he talked to his dead wife every day, and told her that he would be with her soon. . . . .It made me very sad and brought tears to my eyes. He was such a lovely man and I miss him. Whilst working on a film with Peter, I think Tales from the Grave, I passed his dressing room and he called out to ask me if the tea trolley had been round, and I told him that he had missed it. I went and made him a cup of tea and took it to his dressing room and he was so grateful, he asked me to sit down with him, whilst he drank it. He opened his heart to me and told me how much he missed Helen.The next day, I received a hand written note from him which I treasure to this day...'

Peter Cushing as the Shop Proprietor in 

'FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE'

ALWAYS SOMETHING CUSHING AND COOL ON A #TOOCOOLTUESDAY

JOIN US TOMORROW FOR #GIMMETHEGIFWEDNESDAY! 

CHRISTOPHER LEE : MONSTER MONDAY : EMMA SAMMS AND FLYING CARPETS!

THIS WEEK'S ‪#‎MONSTERMONDAY‬ candidate comes from Joe Arnold who makes an interesting suggestion... a film that many forget about when listing the films in which Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee have both appeared in..alas not together, but it was great to have the treat of seeing those names in the cast credit.

COSTUME DESIGNER, Rosemary Burrows attends to Peter Cushing's costume during the making of ARABIAN ADVENTURE (1979) , pretty much the  same way she did on countless Hammer films,  over the past twenty years!

ALWAYS up for a giggle... Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing on the set of 'Arabian Adventure' (1979)

PETER CUSHING'S time may have been brief on the set on 'Arabian Adventure' ...but he managed to fit in a meeting with friend, Christopher Lee.

CHRISTOPHER LEE, OLIVER TOBIAS AND PETER CUSHING... 'I was working on a live tv programme in Bristol, way back in 1984 on which Oliver Tobias was a guest. He was really charming, made time afterwards to chat and had only good things to say about his memories of the few scenes he shot with Peter on Arabian Adventure...he mentioned the glove, which funny enough, is in the photograph of him with Peter and Christopher Lee on set'... - Marcus Brooks

A YOUNG EMMA SAMMS as Princess Zuleira  in Arabian Adventure in 1979, her very first film!

SO, 'ARABIAN ADVENTURE... Star Wars with Magic Carpets...the poster campaign claimed. Well, maybe not quite...but fun, just the same. The highlight is of course Lee's evil, Caliph Alquazar ...who banishes, Cushing's Wazir Al Wuzara to the dungeons... I wont give away anything else, as this is one many have not seen . But remember, 'It's for the KIDS!' No blood, no gore...nothing too disturbing, but with Emma Samms, Mickey Rooney and Oliver Tobias, it's worth a view and Lee's Caliph Alquazar , a MONSTER and a Tyrant.??..You decide ...

JUST ONE LAST behind the scenes photograph from 'ARABIAN ADVENTURE'   this time with director, Kevin Conner joining the photo op. Lee making this film marked the first time he had returned to a British studio to work for over two years,  'Arabian Adventure' also gave him his first 'baddie' role in almost eleven years! I chose this pic more so though, for that look on Peter Cushing's face....

You can find MORE on the cast and the film 'ARABIAN ADVENTURE' in our FEATURE and GALLERY elsewhere on our website, here is a quick link! HERE

LOTS OF PHOTOGRAPHS, FEATURES AND LINKS on the PETER CUSHING SHERLOCK HOLMES CONNECTION : EVERY MONDAY here at the website and our FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

WIN 'AT THE EARTH'S CORE' BLU RAY COMPETITION!

Please Note: You can also enter this competition at our Peter Cushing Appreciation Society Facebook Fan Page

FANTASTIQ'S PETER CUSHING CENTENARY MONOGRAPH LIMITED RUN: TAKING PRE ORDERS NOW

Here's some great news just in from Tony Earnshaw and Fantastiq. It's a very interesting Peter Cushing Centenary publication, with an impressive line up of contributors. Snap them up before they all go, it's a limited run. 

"The first Fantastiq monograph is a 20-page centenary tribute to that gentle man of horror, Peter Cushing. Illustrated with portraits and behind-the-scenes photographs, it includes a complete filmography and features contributions from filmmakers and co-stars such as Bernard Cribbins, Kate O’Mara, Peter Sasdy, Kevin Connor, Peter Duffell, John Hurt and Val Kilmer. Limited to just 250 copies, this one-off publication is available for £5 including P&P in the UK, and £10 including P&P elsewhere in the world. We are taking pre-orders now. Payment by bank transfer, cheque and Paypal. Send your order to: tony@reelsolutions.co.uk " 

News on Fantastiq's three day film and TV festival focusing on fantasy, sci-fi and horror. - coming up later....

CLASSIC PETER CUSHING LINES : AT THE EARTH'S CORE (1975)

CAST:

Doug McClure (David Innes), Peter Cushing (Dr Abner Perry), Caroline Munro (Princess Dia), Cy Grant (Ra), Sean Lynch (Hoojah), Godfrey James (Ghak)

PRODUCTION:

Director – Kevin Connor, Screenplay – Milton Subotsky, Based on the Novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Producer – John Dark, Photography – Alan Hume, Music – Mike Vickers, Process Photography – Charles Staffell, Special Effects Supervisor – Ian Wingrove, Production Design – Maurice Carter. Production Company – Amicus/Lion International.

SYNOPSIS:
England around the turn of the 20th Century. Dr Abner Perry unveils his invention – The Iron Mole, a giant vehicle designed for exploring the centre of the Earth by drilling through the ground. He and engineer David Innes take the Mole on its maiden voyage but it goes out of control and they lose consciousness. When they come around, they find that the Mole has ended up in a strange prehistoric land at the Earth’s core, which they later learn is called Pellucidar. They are captured by The Mahars, intelligent, telepathic flying reptiles that keep primitive humans as their slaves via mind control. David falls for the beautiful slave girl Dia. When Dia is chosen as a sacrificial victim in the Mahar city, David must inspire the humans to rebellion in order to save her.

PETER CUSHING CHRISTOPHER LEE FLYING CARPETS AND EMMA SAMMS!

SYNOPSIS:

Set in the Arabian city of Jadur in mystical times past. The three principal characters in this adventure are the evil magician Caliph Alquazar who lives in the palace; Majeed, a poor young Arab boy who arrives in the city looking for water; and Prince Hasan of Baghdad who comes to the city hoping to meet the beautiful Princess Zuleira who lives in the palace. Majeed and the Prince briefly meet up and exchange kindnesses before going their separate ways.

Alquazar is Princess Zuleira's stepfather who has become corrupted by evil and made the once benevolently ruled city a harsh place to live. Alquazar has a secret chamber in which he keeps a magic mirror which enables him to remotely view any location. Alquazar's aspiration is to possess the fabled Rose of Ilil, a talisman so powerful it will enable him to rule the world - but because of his evil he cannot fetch it for himself, it must be delivered to him by someone noble of purpose.

The mirror alerts him that the very person has arrived in the city and shows him an image of Prince Hasan in the company of a young Arab boy. Alquazar sends his guards to capture the Prince - not an easy task because the Prince is a valiant fighter, but eventually he is apprehended. Alquazar says he will permit Hasan to marry Zuleira if he first goes on a quest to bring back the Rose of Ilil. Hasan agrees and Alquazar sends him away on a magic carpet. Along the way Hasan is unexpectedly joined by Majeed who is transported to the carpet by his guardian angel genie Vahishta as a way of evading some city ruffians.

The carpet delivers them to the island of Ilil where there are a number of dangers to overcome as they encounter various protectors of the Rose. Eventually they find the magical Rose but it turns out to be young Majeed who was the noble one that the mirror was showing as able to pluck the glowing crystalline Rose.

The travellers return to Jadur but it soon becomes clear that evil Alquazar is not intending to honour his bargain and is planning to kill them once the Rose is handed over. Majeed works out what to do to defeat the wizard and throws the Rose of Ilil into Alquazar's magic mirror which sucks the evil one inside and reverses all his evil spells.

The kingdom is restored to its previous happy glory and the deposed former ruler is released from the dungeons to reign again. Prince Hasan and Princess Zuleira are married.

COMMENTARY:

This is a movie about the classic 1001 Nights. It was very much overlooked at the time it came out and still is, I guess. For a British low-budget movie it had a big cast: Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Capucine, Mickey Rooney, Milo O'Shea, Emma Sams, Oliver Tobias (well, some of them are or were big). Most of all, this is a tribute from Christopher Lee to Conrad Veidt in The Thief of Bagdad (1940). And he does a marvelous job, clad in black and looking as sinister as in his best Dracula- or Fu Manchu-movies.

Peter Cushing could be called mostly waisted in a small cameo-part, but that was his choice to sign up for a part in it anyway I guess; Mickey Rooney does his usual buffoonery but not totally out-of-place in this movie. The special effects vary from shoddy to amazing. The mechanical fire-breathing monsters don't look too convincing.

The flying carpet-scenes on the other hand are very well executed, in some moments even breath-taking (considering this movie was made in 1979, 2 years after Star Wars and clearly some of the flying carpet-scenes were executed with the knowledge they had already learned from Star Wars). If one compares this movie with the original The Thief of Bagdad from 1940, of course the special effects in An Arabian Adventure are better, even on a small budget. It is a children's-movie, for most parts. Or a family-movie. Not a masterpiece, but very entertaining in its own right.