MORECAMBE AND WISE : WHEN CUSHING ALMOST GOT PAID TWICE AND CHRISTMAS 1970 REHEARSAL PHOTOGRAPHS

TWO GREAT AND RARELY SEEN photographs taken when Peter Cushing appeared on his SECOND 'Morecambe and Wise' show, the 1970 Christmas Show! It was also the beginning and first time the 'I want my money' gag appeared too! The long running gag of Cushing making guest appearances, 'begging' for the cheque that he was never paid for his first guest star appearance in the 1969 show. This was also the show that gave Eric, the chance to “saw a Peter Cushing in half”. In this photograph we see, Eric and Ernie, actor Eric Porter (“A drunk’s just come on. Play it cool. Don’t worry about it”) . . . William Franklyn, who appeared with Cushing in #Hammerfilms, 'The Satanic Rites of #Dracula' ..all here performing a very funny sketch loosely adapted from #TheThreeMusketeers.

ONE THE SUBJECT of the 'MONEY' ... many people forget PC was paid in a sketch that stretched through a Christmas Show on ITV in 1980. Eric and Ernie were Carol Singers, and PC snatched the collection box from them!

IN FACT PETER WAS ALMOST PAID TWICE!... on Peter's 'This is Your Life' in 1990, Ernie as a guest tried to pay PC, in a little 'bit of business'. But in trying to do a bit of 'patter' with Peter, PC improvised and totally lost the plot ... the gag was derailed, and Ernie improvised and took the 20 quid away!! Ernie was trying the well known, 'I'll lend you 20 pounds 'gag...which PC no doubt knew at one time... but not then! 😀😛 It was a bit of a mess with Cushing calling Joyce Broughton his secretary  'Ernie' at one point, when unable to do the math in his head. Understandable... even though PC knew about the show, it was no secret to him. But as many interviews knew at this time, PC could be a little unpredictable 😊.

HOW MUCH DID A VAMPIRE HUNTER GET PAID PER DAY IN 1972?

RECENTLY 'THE PROPS GALLERY' has started sharing a scan of Peter Cushing's contact for Hammer films, 'THE SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA back in 1973. Cushing's was playing one of his most iconic roles as vampire hunter, Van Helsing for the third time for Hammer films, starring alongside Christopher Lee as Count Dracula. After the sad passing of his wife, Helen Cushing in 1971, a period of his long and acute grief with a intense course of work. Cushing signed up and appeared in almost a dozen films in just over a twelve month period. Not all were staring or man roles, but each required commitment and provided work to keep the griving Peter Cushing occupied. Companies like Amicus films, whoose practice of applying as many star names as possible to the film's bill and cast role, were able to offer Cushing quite a few opportunites. Even though Amicus were known for their tight budgets, it was according their producer, Milton Subotsky, never a problem to negotiate a contact and deal with John Redway Cushing's agent for many years. 

FROM THE BEGINNING of the 1970's Cushing daily rate was between £250 to £350 a day. Sometimes this would be adjusted, depending on what Cushing was expected to actually do on the day. During one of our Subotsky interviews in the 1980's, Milton with a smile told us that, 'It was never an issue with Peter. You could always find a way. He never out priced himself.' Today a total sum of £6,000 for a second billing actor for five weeks of work, may seem a little slim! But at this time, this was indeed a respectable sum. In 1971, £100 UK pounds by today's value was worth roughly £1,386. 76p!! So not a sum to snif at 😉

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: CAN YOU CHANGE A TWENTY POUND NOTE???

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: Peter was always honest about the fact that he couldn't hold a note and that he had THREE left feet..all size 12! But, he certainly had a go at trying to put that right. The 'We're Couple of Swells' song and dance routine with Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise in their 1973 BBC show.... Peter's routine was devised in a way that, his steps were sometimes slightly out of time, and copying the moves that Eric and Ernie made....not that you could ever tell . . . 

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: Peter Cushing appears on the Morecambe and Wise show, on the first of their shows as part of their recent contract with ITV and away from the coziness of the BBC. But...the long running 'Pay Me My Money' sketch follows with them!

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CHRISTOPHER LEE ON PLAYING MONSTERS AND THE FRIGHTENING SALARY!

#HAMMERFILMSSATURDAY: ANYONE who knows anything about Christopher Lee will already familiar with this story of how Dracula SAVED Universal Studio's from losing their shirt and just about everything else in the lot! I think Lee's £750 salary was only £200 MORE than the fee he was paid for 'The Curse of Frankenstein'!

PETER CUSHING AT HIS SURPRISE 80TH BIRTHDAY PARTY! 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 reach our 30K following total for Peter Cushing BIRTHDAY on MAY 26th 2017 AND Help Keep The Memory Alive!

 

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ERIC AND ERNIE ; MORECAMBE AND WISE STATUE UNVEILED AT BLACKPOOL

A statue of legendary comedy duo Morecambe and Wise has been unveiled at a ceremony in Blackpool. Eric and Ernie performed in the resort more than 1,000 times in what has been described as their "spiritual home". Eric Morecambe's widow Joan and son Gary unveiled the £75,000 bronze statue, which is 8ft (2.4m) tall.

 

In 1969, Peter Cushing made his first appearance on the BBC Morecambe and Wise Show on BBC2. He took part in the traditional 'In Front Of Curtains' spot and later in the show, as King Arthur, in one of Ernie's 'PLAYS THAT I WROTE'  Throughout the BBC era of the show, he would regularly join Eric and Erine doing the 'Front of Curtain' spot and guest appearances, constantly seeking payment for his first appearance, wearily asking "Have you got my five pounds yet?"

THIS RUNNING JOKE continued when the duo left the BBC and moved to Thames Television in 1978. Cushing appeared in their first special for Thames Television on 18 October, still asking to be paid, with the hosts repeatedly trying to get rid of him; at the end of the show, Morecambe placed some money in a wallet wired up to a bomb, in an attempt to blow Cushing up in exaggerated comedic style. In the duo's Christmas special, Cushing pretended to be the Prime Minister while Morecambe and Wise caroled outside 10 Downing Street; he made the comedians give him money and finally came out to declare "Paid, at last!"

WE HAVE ALL OF THE CUSHING GUEST APPEARANCES IN  AN EASY PLAY LIST FOR YOU, AT OUR PCAS PETER CUSHING YOU TUBE CHANNEL

ERNIE WISE was a guest for Cushing's appearance on This Is Your Life in 1990. He promptly presented Cushing with a twenty-pound note, only to extort it back from him, for the price of a taxi getting there and the rental of a suit for that particular night.

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