HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY AND PADDY PUSHES THE WHEELCHAIR!

A HAPPY #STPATRICKSDAY! I was looking for any connections with Peter and Ireland... couldn't find anything really. A few tours in theatre productions and the filming of #Hammerfilms, 'Sword of Sherwood Forest' Robin Hood film in some beautiful surroundings.. And then I realised I had missed the obvious . . Paddy Smith! 😃

PADDY WAS A CLOSE friend to Peter for many years, was his driver, stand-in, and extra in quite a few films, Hammer's 'The Curse of Frankenstein' and 'Frankenstein Created Woman' , 'Captain Clegg' . . he drove the coach to Château Meinster in 'Brides of Dracula' and did some work on Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing's 'Nothing But The Night' .. sometimes known under it's 'total give away title' 'The Resurrection Syndicate' in 1973. Here is Paddy in costume, clowning around with PC during the shoot. Paddy appeared in quite a lot of TV work too, usually 'walk on-walk off' roles. BUT he always stands out! 😃 If you are celebrating today, have a grand and safe 😐 Happy St Patrick's Day 😊

A RARE AND CANDID photograph of Peter Cushing on a home visit to see his friends, Nic Gadd and his wife in Whitstable in around 1991😊 .. this was a rare thing, as in his later years PC loved nothing better than staying home, reading. During the 1950's up until his wife Helen died in 1971, he 'upstairs studio' was his den of many, many hobbies and activities . . painting, model making, stamps, postcards . . a man happy to #stayathome

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: ROY ASHTON RARE SIGNED PIC, FRIENDS SOLVE A CUSHING PUZZLE AND SPENDING TIME WITH PC IN WHITSTABLE

#‎TOOCOOLTUESDAY‬: PHOTOGRAPHS OF PETER CUSHING in his award winning role of Arthur Grimsdyke from the Amicus films, 'Tales From The Crypt' are quite desirable. I got this one signed in 1980, during the filming of our PCAS interview with the great Roy Ashton who was responsible for this 'ground breaking;... for the time... make up, . . Roy still found the fact the gauze material in PC's eye-sockets, was a swatch of nylon hacked out of a pair of sockings!!

#‎TOOCOOLTUESDAY‬: DURING THE LAST FEW YEARS of his life, living in sleepy Whitstable, Peter Cushing befriended a young couple called Judith and Nic Gadd. They wrote a book and published it through Peter Cushing's own small publishing company entitled, 'Spending Time With Frankenstein' and it's certainly worth looking up...though it is a toughie to find.. Here is Judith with PC taking a walk through town . . . I LIKE that hat!

#TOOCOOTUESDAY : HERE'S A COOL LITTLE PIC, in the file with no credits. In THIS WEEK'S #TOOCOOLTUESDAY, we asked if any of you out there might have an idea as where this pic was taken. I was guessing it could be a Spanish television programe..and then we got some very cool feedback on the thread where this  was posted on ourPeter Cushing Appreciation Society Facebook Fan Page  

Rafael Martinez wrote to tell us, 'The program was in the spanish television, when Peter was in Spain filming "Horror Express". The program was named "Opened Studio" (Estudio Abierto) and hosted by José María Iñigo (on the left)It was at the time of "Horror Express", not "Monster Island" for sure. The TV program ended about 1975. "Monster Island" was filmed in 1981. I knew Peter briefly on original locations in Northern Spain, when he was filming "Monster Island" with Terence Stamp. Peter was a dear man. He often smoked on location, with a white glove to avoid nicotine stains.

'Peter was here only a few days, for a brief sequence in a beach (Terence Stamp was a few days filming too). The film had a very low budget. The rest of his brief participation was filmed in a studio in Madrid (The beach was Otur, Asturias, Spain)' 

 

ALSO EMPTY HEAD wrote to us with further info on the programme and a Christopher Lee connection, 'Incidentally, the late Sir Christopher Lee was also a guest on the programme "Estudio Abierto", though I don't know whether it was this particular episode or not. (see ABOVE) Those of us here who know our Spanish TV shows will probably be aware of José María Íñigo as a regular participant on "Que Tiempo Tan Feliz" (hosted by the legendary María Teresa Campos). I believe he also does the commentary for the Spanish transmission of The Eurovision Song Contest.

 

SO ALL IN A PRETTY PRODUCTIVE and cooL Tuesday! MORE NEXT WEEK HERE and at our FACEBOOK PAGE . CLICK HERE AND JOIN US NOW!