THE CAPTAIN, THE MARQUIS, THE COUNT AND THE LAST DANCE GIFS AND STILLS

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY! The  weekly requested selection: 'SILENT GIFS BUT VISUALLY SCREAMING!' 

Here's #VINCENTPRICE as Vampire Eramus, boogieing-on-down in 'hit-miss-that-hit-miss' 1980 fun flick, 'THE MONSTER CLUB' produced by Milton Subosky, one half of the, by then defunked Amicus films. Amicus the one time, only serious contender to the Hammer films crown. It's a little sad to see how far Milton had strayed from the track with this one, although no one..myself included , would have ever told him that. Sitting in on the set, I remember seeing the 'costumed' dancers and clientele of 'The Club' in their fancy dress costumes and joke shop rubber masks, and thinking..'Maybe it will look ok, when the film is edited?' It didn't. 

THE ONE THING the film did achieve was give the crew, many of whom had worked with Amicus, some of the cast, Vincent Price and co, a last chance to have some fun. In this shot, the sound was added later in post production. The music was playing for the dancers, the band, Price, Carradine and Frau Viking-Helmet to have that last dance before for the camera, as the credits role ...but what you didn't get to hear, was the crew and extras laughing and supporting Vincent Price and his strut! It was fun, it was the last train out, that would have even made Dr Terror smile . ..  (requested Gif for J Mahon-Potter )  

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY: AS BUDGETING FOR MONSTERS GO, it's pretty neat deal and very cheap too! There was a problem that beset most of the Hammer films, though not so much at the Amicus HQ, because they didn't really do 'Monsters of the Gothic kind'. The flicks that were the money earners at Hammer, had a 'Thing', a 'Grotesque', a Frankenstein Creation, an 'Ancient and dusty Mummy'. . . .or a 'Very Hairy Oliver Reed as Leon the Werewolf'... that something took time to make, usually make up artists built it onto the actor, HOURS before sun-up, when the majority of the studio crew still hadn't turned up for work. 

ROBERT BLOCH'S CONCEPT for Amicus films, 'THE SKULL' was just what Rosenberg and Subotsky's balance sheet ordered, a Monster, a focal point of terror, that wouldn't cost a fortune to assemble or have a make up man maintain every five minutes on the studio floor, where time was money. Once the Marquis de Sade was dead, and only his Head / Skull remained to stalk and terrorise Peter Cushing's Christopher Maitland, it was a 'no brainer'. In the morning, just a little powder to the cheek-bones. No tantrums, no agents, no trouble and pop him into the box, at the end of the day. It floated on command, and every performance was good to the bone, no strings attached!! Oh no. Wait a minute  . . . . .  

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY!: Peter Cushing and Milton Reid as pirate Clegg and the traitor he left for dead, tongue-less and stranded on a desert island . . . 'We Meet Again' has never been more unwelcome. Captain Clegg / Night Creatures is a joy to watch, chiefly because we are in the make believe land of pirates, excise men, yo-ho-ho-taverns and lots of swash with the buckle, the kind that Peter Cushing loved. It's plain to see he is having a ball here. It's all high drama living and dying by the sword. Milton Reid is great too as the mute heavy with a grudge. Reid despite his frame, and heavy reputation on screen, actually had a soft high pitch to his own voice! He played many small roles in Brit films, when the industry had many for the picking. There is a fascinating features all about Milton Reid elsewhere on this website, and here is a quick link to find it: HERE! 

 

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY!: DESPITE ALL THE fouls deeds and murders that Peter Cushing's GUSTAV WEIL carried out in the name of a greater cause, no matter how much I hated him, his comeuppance, more than slightly cheats me of a private moment of pay back. It's a nasty death, where COUNT KARNSTEIN gets to silence nagging Gustav for good and Damien Thomas, makes it all work like clock-work.  But it doesn't sit right with me. I'll explain. Had Weil just been toppled over that balcony, fallen through the air and then had we cut away to the shocked face of long suffering wife, Kathleen Byron, that would have been fine. BUT no. 

DIRECTOR JOHNNY HOUGH, knew exactly what he was doing, when Cushing himself volunteered for that, impact fall on the top step, and the limp, lifeless slide down the remaining eight........! There is something terribly unsettling and moving about Cushing's shattered and frail frame rattling down those steps, the axe clattering before him, as his head gently lolls in that, familiar loose neck, very effective Cushing style. It wasn't a technique as such, because he came at it differently every time... it's just THIS time it looks all the more final and tragic. Cushing did a very good job as Gustav, right up to the final few feet of the last reel  . . . and that fall, of a different kind of Vampire Hunter.  

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     

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY: SIX GREAT GIFS REQUESTED BY YOU!

#SILENTBUTDEADLY: Breaking into the first of our SIX REQUESTED GIFS is Kharis (Christopher Lee) dispatching Mehemet Bey (George Pastell) as the speechless Isoblel Banning (Yvonne Furneaux) looks on in horror in Hammer filmsThe Mummy (1959). This is one of those occasions where the soundtrack is as good as the visuals. A sickening crack and crunch, comes courtesy of the Hammer special effects dept, making this one of those golden but gut turning classic Hammer clips. Thanks to Colin Bond who requested this and our NEXT GIF today...   #hammerfilms #petercushing #christopherlee #themummy

YOU CAN REQUEST ANY GIF FROM A PETER CUSHING FILM FOR NEXT WEEK'S GALLERY, BY SIMPLY EMAIL US AT THE EMAIL BELOW OR COMING INTO OUR FACEBOOK Peter Cushing APPRECIATION Society Fan Page AND SEND US A MESSAGE USING THE 'MESSAGE / CONTACT US BUTTON!

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY: Paul Beresford (Peter Cushing) looking very pleased with himself, as a Cybernaut delivers one of the scientists that will help him avenge his brothers death, from The Avengers episode "Return of the Cybernauts" . . . #petercushing #carolinemunro #dougmcclure

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY: For Jenny Price. Dr. Abner Perry (Peter Cushing) getting 'mesmerized despite him being British!' from At The Earths Core (1976). A truly fun film, with all the cast, on top form and the rubber monsters just add to its charm! #petercushing #dougmcclure #carolinemunro #amicusfilms #attheearthscore

#SILENTBUTDEADLY: Silent, but just as effective, with the audio track. Peter Cushing as Osric from Laurence Olivier's 'HAMLET'. Cushing's foppish dandy makes an exit that's hard to forget! Thanks to Karl 'The Mangle' Broadshaw for this one!. 

#SILENTBUTDEADLY: This classic moment from ITC'S 'THE MUPPET SHOW' and Vincent Price's guest appearance. Much to Vinnie's horror, Kermit goes for the jugular. Many thanks to Ebony Hamilton, for reminding us about this moment. It's a great shame that neither Peter OR Christopher Lee go an invite to appear on the show, but Vincent Price, was a natural choice and a real hoot! 
#vincentprice #themuppets

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY: AND FINALLY.. Mary Nichols from New York as requested the above GIF, explaining she had an idea that we had posted this GIF previously, but thought that it would have been long deleted. Well, here's the good news, here is the GIF you mentioned Mary, reposted for you. BUT, the original post WILL BE STILL UP here at this website. We NEVER delete past posts, photographs or features. You'll see we have a SEARCH BOX at the top right of this site, and all you have to do is enter in the KEY WORDS 'Peter Cushing From Beyond The Grave'..and this and many other posts will be loaded up onto your screen. So, easy to find, and you truly will never miss a thing we have posted over the last SEVEN YEARS! Thanks Mary! MORE REQUESTED GIFS, NEXT WEDNESDAY! #petercushing #frombeyondthegrave #amicusfilms

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR FACEBOOK LAST WEEK

LAST WEEK, PETER WAS TREDING FOR QUITE A WHILE! #TRENDING and Mask! TWO great things making me smile today. Tarkin trending..who would have ever thought it? And discovering the plaster cast that Peter had made of his face for the make up in 'Top Secret' with Val Kilmer, was instrumental in bringing the #Tarkin effects to #RogueOne! It's a #happyfriday

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER LAST WEEK :

No performance from 2016 was met with quite the fascination of Guy Henry's turn in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story — and he wasn't even one of the few actors not involved in the film's worldwide media blitz.
 

The British actor was tasked with playing Grand Moff Tarkin, with his performance capture work and visual effects wizardry helping resurrect the character played by the late Peter Cushing in 1977's Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope. Rather than recasting the role, Industrial Light & Magic recreated Cushing's actual likeness for a performance not quite like any in film history. 

Reached by phone in Great Britain Friday, Henry spoke about the unprecedented responsibility he felt to honor Cushing ("It was genuinely frightening"), his offer to let director Gareth Edwards recast him ("I won't be offended") and speculation that the story of Carrie Fisher's Leia might continue through such technology. ("He declined to comment on Fisher, but did offer this of the technology: "I think and hope it won't be a commonplace thing.")

During the 18 months you kept this a secret, did your family know what you were doing?

The very, very closest of my family and friends — I graciously allowed them into the secret, because I think I would have gone mad otherwise. My name began to be associated with it occasionally. People would ask. At work, [the team behind the BBC One series] Holby City had to know I was doing something in it, but even my agent, when I was asked to meet Gareth Edwards, she didn't really know why. They didn't tell her. It was quite a responsibility really, and I'm glad it was kept secret right up until the very last moment.

How did Gareth Edwards and Industrial Light & Magic's John Knoll convince you this would all work out?

 
I felt I couldn't feel too responsible in the sense of the way that it looked. I had to trust John Knoll and Gareth and the team, who were convinced they could make it work. Vocally, I'm not a mimic. I'm genuinely not an impressionist. I'd be doing my very best to do my Tarkin, the rolled "r" and the voice as best I could, and Gareth would say, "OK relax on that. Just be a bit more Guy now." I had to trust that they saw something in the reel of my work that convinced them it could be the tribute to Cushing everyone wanted it to be. It was very, very frightening, in all seriousness.

Did the reshoots affect you much?

Because the story was changing all the time, I kept thinking I had finished. "The responsibility has lapsed. Thank God, I can lie down." Then they'd say, "Actually, can you come in next week and do half a line here and half a line there?" It was genuinely frightening, because I didn't want to let down a huge movie, and equally, I didn't want to let down Peter Cushing.

Do you remember much about what changed and when you finally ended your work?

It was quite difficult to remember what the last bit was. I would literally be called back to do half a line a bit differently. Half a line that had a bit more stress to it because something else had altered slightly what had happened to a different character. It was immensely detailed. It's something of a blur.

Did you have doubts this would work?

Normally as an actor, you are you pretending to be another person. Here, I was me pretending to be Peter Cushing pretending to be Tarkin. I said at one point, "I won't be offended if you feel the voice isn't good enough or isn't right or is too young." There is a famous impersonator here called Rory Bremner. I said, "I won't be offended if you want to get him. I just want it to be good. Don't worry if you have to ditch my voice." They stuck with me gamely.

When did you finally see what it would look like?

They snuck me in to show me [early]. I thought, "We might be all right here." It was only after the London premiere I knew for sure it worked. I'd had several glasses of white wine. I wasn't able to eat, I was so frightened. "If I haven't done good enough here, it's going to be so sad. That would be very bad." I don't mean bad career-wise. I had not done any interviews. "Don't bother about my name." I'd be referred to as a stand-in and a voice double who was a disaster, and I could go on. But I didn't want to let Peter Cushing down.

Have you heard from the Cushing estate? One of its executors has praised your performance.

I haven't first hand. If that is the case, which I gather it is, I'm so delighted. The reason for doing it was honorable. When people were talking about the ethics of bringing someone back who was long dead, I could see that if it was done for the wrong reason or something a bit seedy or just for the sake of it, that would have been wrong. When John Knoll pitched the film, obviously Tarkin is such a big part of the original. Not to have Tarkin in it would be just a shame, and I think they have done it very honorably.

Before Carrie Fisher's death, Lucasfilm said Tarkin was a special case and it likely wouldn't be done again. Do you think this will become more prevalent in other Hollywood films?

MORE ON TARKIN: Some of the more eagle eyed of you out there spotted this quick shot in the video feature we posted a few days ago about the technology behind the creating of Cushing's Tarkin for Rogue one. In the background of one shot, we see a set up of Guy Henry, as Tarkin.... and the back of Princess Leia! A shot obviously not featured in the film, Rogue One. Weird? Odd? What do we make of that??

FREDDIE JONES' Professor Richter is a masterclass in pathos and madness. In 1969 Richter was Cushing's Frankstein's latest creation off the slab . . and it was Richter was reigned down the ultimate in revenge on his creator, Frankenstein. Does this make him our Monster this week ...or just another victim of the Baron's quest to create life…!

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#THROWBACKTHURSDAY: REMEMEBERED TODAY: ANTON DIFFRING

REMEMBERING: ANTON DIFFRING. Born today in 1918, Anton Diffring came from a family that boasted generations of actors. Cool and noble with a German accent, he was first in line when the casting call went out for German officers with a nasty streak. He quickly slipped into the role of Baron Frankenstein for the pilot episode of Hammer films and Columbia Pictures, 'Tales of Frankenstein' in 1958 and even quicker filled the role of Dr. Georges Bonnet in Hammer's 'The Man Who Could Cheat Death' in 1959, when the studio found themselves without Peter Cushing for the role.

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Diffring is probably best remembered for his roles in 'The Blue Max' in 1966, 'Where Eagles Dare' in 1968 and François Truffaut's Fahrenheit 451 (1966) He was also cast in several film alongside Peter Cushing, 'Shatter' for Hammer in 1974, 'The Beast Must Die' for Amicus also 74 and Tyburn's 'The Masks of Death' with Peter Cushing as an elderly Sherlock Holmes in 1984. Anton Diffring died in 1989 aged 70.

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#TOOCOOLTUESDAY : MEETING VINCENT PRICE ON THE SET AT ELSTREE

#‎toocooltuesday‬: WEDDING DAY, Birth of your children, Their graduations...aside, the day I had the opportunity to spend time with the one and only, Vincent Price, is up there! ..please don't let my wife read this... If you dislike tales of reminiscing, clumsy name dropping... you are excused now!

IT CAME AROUND by default. In 1980, make up artist Roy Ashton rang me...no I didn't have a hot line to him or any stars, we spoke once in a while, he was lovely... he was ringing to tell me he was making plans to start work on a film for Amicus films producer Milton Subotsky, starring Vincent Price at Elstree studios, in two weeks time...AND that it looked like Peter Cushing had signed up too! As it worked out, he hadn't. But that's another story. By the end of that day, through sheer luck, and by Milton Subotsky's and Roy's invitation, I had an invite to join them for the day on the set of 'The Monster Club' at Elstree studios!

BY THIS TIME, through sheer cheek and through what became known as 'the Cushing Connection' I had met and interviewed around 30 to 40 actors who had worked with Peter. Just the mention of his name, opened doors to the kindest of people and their generosity. Milton Subotsky was a fan at heart, a shy man who loved to talk books, comics and films. we certainly wasn't on buddy-back-slapping terms, but he was always friendly, loved to talk shop and the kind that, if he could help you, he would suggest he could... both he and Michael Ripper, validated my application for my Actors Union, Equity card!... and so, on this day he made the meeting happen.

MEETING VINCENT PRICE was a blast, Milton introduced me during a break in shooting. Vincent peered around Milton to see me and announced, 'Peter Cushing's WHAT? Ap-prec-iation Society?' I sheepishly nodded. 'How is the OL GOAT?' he said laughing. I took this as my cue, and stepped up. He pointed at an empty canvas chair, with name on it and...I sat next to him and John Carradine for the next FOUR hours, only wandering off during lunch.

AFTER THE FIRST HALF an hour, I indicated to Subotsky, that should I now...'come over there' and leave them in peace?.. Milton came over and asked if there was a problem. When I asked him again, he just smiled, 'No. It's fine. You can stay there'. Vincent over heard our stage whispers and bellowed, 'Just don't touch ANYTHING or fall over the CABLES!

I HAD A SMALL CASSETTE  tape recorder with me which I used for a short interview, which eventually strayed into relaxed conversation...his love of chocolate,Peter, Whitstable oysters...he was talking to me, but also playing to everyone else too. I changed tapes three times! It was all very funny and entertaining.

I HUNG ON EVERY WORD, joke, aside and anecdote. Both he and Caradine were called away several times, after the stand in's had helped set up their shot, the dressers brushed their clothes, someone fussed with Vincent's hair, he blew his nose and off they went filming the 'Family Tree' scene, sat at their coffin table, with Roy Ward Baker directing. Then they came and sat back down in their canvas chairs.

AFTER THE FIRST HOUR OR SO, it just seemed the most natural thing in the world to be sitting and chatting... he was very fond of Peter, loved Christopher Lee and as a joke, kept telling me 'We have birthday's on the same day you know. Now it's that strange? Peter is the day before us! Did you know that?'... after the third time he told me, he laughed out loud,'You KNEW that didn't you!' He was a kidder. He was extremely kind to me that day, and it's an experience I will never forget. I have never told this story before. I don't dine out on or make a habit of recalling ' and then Robert Quarry said to me' stories, I never had a little black book of contacts either! I was just a fan, a very lucky one, Now... isn't that just...TOO COOL? : Marcus Brooks

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