RARE BEHIND THE SCENES 'ON SET' FOOTAGE FROM HAMMER FILMS 'THE GORGON'

A REAL AND RARE TREAT! Here are some short GIFS taken from some very rare behind the scenes footage taken during the making of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee's 1964 Hammer film Classic, THE GORGON. Director Terence Fisher had a real job on his hands. The script was fine and had the making of an original horror / romantic / thriller. The key to the drama was a creature that lived holed up in Castle Borski, who on certain evenings took to meeting visitors, not with a warm welcome, but a STARE that turned them into stone! The creature was Megaera, long thought to be a fantasy of Greek mythology. Not only was she real, but she also had a dual appearance and personality. This no doubt suited actress Barbara Shelley, who played the meek and sensitive Karl Hoffman, Megaera's 'other side', as whoever was to appear as Megaera, would have to endure a few weeks of experiments and painful head-dresses, while make up men and props department Roy Ashton and Phil Leakey tired to solve the problem of producing a convincing Gorgon, who floated on air, while snakes wriggled and writhed on her head! No easy, with such a small budget!

ABOVE we see actress and classical dancer, Prundence Hyman, who stepped up for the role. Fisher believed that someone who could move with grace, like a dancer, would be best suited for the role. Prudence had worked in film, theatre and ballet for many years and had almost retired from her long and quite distinguished career.But she rose to the challenge. Here we see make up artist fit Prudence with Haptic contact lenses, a make up device that Roy was probably if not certainly responsible for bringing into horror films at this time, his first use was in Hammer's 'The Curse of Frankenstein', it was another first in bringing together Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee on screen.

AFTER MANY EXPERIMENTS the solution of using a series of strings and pulleys, all controlled through a cable to a crank box, was used to make the snakes twitch! The head device weighed seven pounds, and was worn under the wild and thick black wig, much like a crash helmet! It took some rigging, was not reliable and took several takes to 'do its thing' on command, after the Gorgon floated on casters into shot, over a floor of thick dry ice. ABOVE here is Hammer's Phil Leakey carrying the crank box, Prudence marches from the make up room at Bray studios, and down the stairs to the castle set, carrying the cabling over her shoulder, ready for her '...Close Up, Mr Fisher!'

ABOVE ON THE SET Prudence Hymen hits her mark,the crew turn the cranks on the box, the snakes twitch, the wind blows and she makes her exit, not walking forward, but keeps her balance, even with the weight on her head as she is  pulled backwards over the floor of the Castle Borski set at Bray studios . .. and CUT!

PETER CUSHING IN COSTUME and Christopher Lee out, both on set at Bray studios, during the making of Hammer films, 'THE GORGON'

 

FINALLY, HERES IS Hammer films make up artist Roy Ashton in some VERY rare footage in his make up room at Bray studios, demonstrating some 'fangs' he made for a particular Baron, who was the only vamp to have actually got his fangs into Peter Cushing's Vampire Hunter, Van Helsing . .!

A LONG TIME AGO NAME AND CLAIM YOUR ROY ASHTON FAVORITE!

OVER AT THE FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE #TOOCOOLTUESDAY! we are sharing some of the work and GENIUS of make up artist, Roy Ashton 😮 . . . and two pics from A LONG time ago and asking how many Ashton films can you name which are pictured on the above banner and WHICH are your THREE favs? 😉 Marcus

ABOVE: A letter from Peter Cushing to Roy Ashton, makes reference to the days that Peter remembers days spent in the make chair, listening to both Ashton and Christopher Lee and their impromptu singing!

RARE PHOTOGRAPHS : BEHIND THE SCENES AND LOBBY STILLS : FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAY!

#FRANKENSTEINFRIDAY OUR FIRST OF FOUR WEEKS Frankenstein Hammer Cushing fun! To kick us off to start, here are four from a set of eight quite rare lobby stills, from #Hammerfilms 'The Evil of Frankenstein'. These are the many photographs you would usually see in the lobby or outside the cinema in the glass cases. These particular original photographs were also hand tinted. They chose balck and white photographs, and tinted each set with liquid dyes. This was CHEAPER than colour photographs. Many of these sets were purchased by the manager of the cinema, were used once and then thrown away, after the film had played for it's duration in the local cinema. Colour transparency, were far too expensive, to be used for exhibition purposes, when used for only seven days!  Over the years they can fade and get a little tatty if not looked after. These were in good condition, but have also been freed of dust and slight damage of pin holes. They now, I think you'll agree, look GREAT!  We also have the first of a series of rare publicity and press photographs, from 'The Evil of Frankenstein'. . . .

  

ABOVE: SEVERAL OF MAKE UP ARTIST ROY ASHTON'S DIFFERENT DESIGNS

FOR THE 'EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN' CREATION. 

SCREAM FACTORY RELEASES EXTRA DETAILS FOR CREATED WOMAN PLUS RARE PHOTOGRAPHS!

SCREAM FACTORY  has released the run down of extra features that are part of what looks to be maybe the best of blu ray releases of Peter Cushing's 1965 Hammer films, 'Frankenstein Created Woman'. It's an impressive menu with TWO new interviews, actor Robert Morris and . . camera assistant/clapper loader Eddie Collins and 2nd assistant director Joe Marks. Along with it's NEW 2K scan from the original film elements, if you are looking to update your library of Cushing / Hammer films, or don't own a copy, this one I would personally recommend. Release June 11th. Region A. There is also a BONUS Special Offer: Order from ShoutFactory.com and get an EXCLUSIVE 18" X 24" ROLLED POSTER featuring the artwork of the slip sleeve and case, available while their supplies last!

PETER CUSHING AND MAKE UP ARTIST George Partleton on set during shooting at Bray studios. In the background, actor Thorley Walters send a message to Tom Edwards, the studio stills photographer 😀😃😮 

WHILE SHOOTING at Bray studios, the crew along with Peter Cushing and Susan Denberg, pause during tea break to celebrate and wish Ms Denberg a Happy 22nd Birthday . . below is a full page  of photographs from a trade magazine, that features a small function that 20th Century Fox held at London's 'Playboy Club' that evening... All Hammer and Fox executives attended, including Mr C  😉

THE PCASUK FEATURE on 'The Girl From Pomerania: the Life and Times of Susan Denberg' complete with gallery of rare 'Created Woman' behind the scene photographs, can be found HERE!

 THAT FEMININE TOUCH PART FOUR on SUSAN DENBERG

 you can find HERE!

ABOVE when the PCASUK FACEBOOK FAN PAGE followers were asked to vote on the character of CHRISTINA during our #MONSTERMONDAY themed day season . . 

REMEMBERING MADELEINE COLLINSON AND NEW QUESTION AND ANSWER TO THE TUESDAY TOUGHY!

TODAY WE REMEMBER one half of the Collinson twins who sadly passed on this day in 2014 . Madeleine Collinson was born on July 22, 1952 in Malta. She's the identical twin sister of Madeleine Collinson. The Collinson twins arrived in Britain in April, 1969. Noted British glamor photographer Harrison Marks cast the duo as saucy maids in his 8mm short "Halfway Inn." 

MARY AND MADELEINE were the Playmates of the Month in the October, 1970 issue of "Playboy;" they have the distinction of being the first pair of identical twins to pose for a nude pictorial in "Playboy." The Collinson sisters went on to act in a handful of movies together; they were especially effective and memorable as the radically contrasting siblings in the typically fine Hammer vampire horror outing "Twins of Evil" with Peter Cushing.

ABOVE THIS WEEKS CUSHING TUESDAY TOUGHY. BELOW THE QUESTION AND ANSWER TO LAST WEEKS TOUGHY . .

AS ALWAYS we make a point of, if you too would like to share your thoughts and memories of anyone who is included in a memorial post here at our website, you can join us at the FACEBOOK PETER CUSHING APPRECIATION SOCIETY UK FAN PAGE. You will be most welcome to add your message onto the thread!