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

REVISTED : CAPTAIN CLEGG CUSHING STUNT : IS IT HIM OR ISN'T IT??

FOLLOWING ON from our previous post of GIFS here and at the PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE one GIF in particular has promoted some enquiries. The GIF from Hammer's Captain Clegg / Night Creatures, illustrates the shot where after the reveal of the Captain's TRUE identity, he tries to make a dash for it. This involved the charector climbing onto the pulpit and taking a leap at a near by over head light-fitting, to swing over the heads of the congregation and make his escape!  Despite some theories about this stunt being performed by a stuntman, because producer Anthony Hinds and the film's insurance would not have taken the risk in their lead risking an accident... we find, Peter Cushing indeed get his wish...and performed the stunt....!

It's an easy mistake to make! The  common trick and practice of editors and directors, was to show an actor with a rope, or chain whatever, about to leap...and then just as they moved to make that leap,  the shot was followed by long shot cutaway...it HAD to be a long distance shot, in order to show the actual stunt, and this worked well to hide the replacing of the actor with a suitably dressed stunt man, so the shot it didn't look out of place.. But audiences soon wised up to this practice. In this case, they followed the formula and the long shot hid the fact that it was Cushing performing the stunt.

BUT WHILE WE ARE ON THE THEME OF STUNTMEN, here are just three unsung heroes, who often stood in for Peter and Christopher Lee through out their careers. Above JOCK EASTON, and below Eddie Powell. Peter Munt, Fred Haggety in the light suit and Peter's driver and stand in Paddy Smith.

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