It's 1972 and Christopher Lee has come to the end of his rope. In his opinion, stumbling around drafty old churches,
clinging to flimsy plots and trapped by type casting, was not what he
had in mind, when he signed on the dotted line to play Dracula for
Hammer Films, some twenty years previously. But the Horror film loving
public and media still want more.
Dracula AD 1972, also
starring Peter Cushing making his return as Van Helsing, was in the
final stages of production, and a little pre release publicity was
called for. Probably as per contract, Lee was called on for a photo
shoot for a series of snaps that would be published in the then, nations
favourite 'red top tabloid' The Daily Mirror newspaper, featuring
female models. Two versions of the snaps would be taken, one with silky
top garments, and one without, guaranteeing exposure, as all tabloids at
the time gave page space to 'anything' with long legs and ample piept.
As you can see from these 'exposures' Lee was a little testy. But the
photographer, along with Lee's nerves, just happily kept snapping. It
made page three and Hammer Films turned one more page towards their
final chapter.....
