QUOTES OF VALUE : CUSHING AND LEE : RARE DARTH AND TARKIN PHOTOGRAPH

A RARE SHOT and pose of #PeterCushing and #DaveProwse in #STARWARS ..that you won't see in the film, this was taken by the production stills photographer. What a terrifying duo!

PETER CUSHING'S  Golden Rule . . . Over at the Facebook PCASUK Fan Page we are asking if our friends and followers have one too?

 . . . AND SO AFTER PETER CUSHING'S ADVICE  . .  #ChristopherLee's. . .

IF YOU HAVE MISSED IT . .  there are still a few days to get YOUR answer in at the Facebook PCASUK Fan Page 😊 Good Luck and .. have fun! - Marcus 

COMPETITION! TWO SETS OF PC BOOKS UP FOR GRABS WITH TWO GREAT RARITIES!

I AM SURE MOST of you will know TWO of these books, the one other maybe not. The first published in 1986, 'Peter Cushing An Autobiography' was reviewed at the time as ' Peter Cushing discusses his childhood, his early acting career in films and on stage, his BBC television work and his renowned years at Hammer, all with literary wit and charm. While Mr. Cushing's humour will tickle readers' funny bones, the everlasting love story between Mr. Cushing and his dear wife Helen will touch their hearts' It is I am happy to say, all that and more . . 

THE SECOND AUTOBIOGRAPHY , 'Past Forgetting : The Hammer Years' published in 1988 picks up from the end of the first, covers lots of anecdotal material from his TV and theatre years, he does dip into 'Hammer Time' but many thought at the time... not enough. It's a good read and links with Volume one perfectly

THE THIRD BOOK 'Peter Cushing' was edited and published by Donald Fearney in 1996. It's Mr Fearney...and a whole raft of actors, directors and friends paying tribute to Cushing, with personal stories and impressions of working with Peter. Every page carries one or more very nice photographs, beautifully produced with large-format glossy pages. The tributes include contributions from Ingrid Pitt, Christopher Lee, Joyce Broughton, Francis Matthews, Charles Gray, Barbara Shelley, Freddie Francis and many more. 

THIS BOOK RARELY sits on eBay, but when it does it sells for £25 and up to £40, depending on its condition. This one is mint! You can enter this competition either by sending your entry via email to 'theblackboxclub@gmail.com' label YOUR entry 'BOOK COMPETITION' OR you can zip along to the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE and send your entry via the chat / message box! Any entries posted onto the post or the thread below the post, will be deleted and not entered into the competition.   Good luck Everybody! Have fun!

ABOVE: IF YOU ALREADY OWN the Peter Cushing autobiographies, if you haven't read them yet... have you CHECKED them??? READ HERE!

ORIGINALLY POSTED AND SHARED HERE  two years ago. ANOTHER great story, with a Peter Cushing Autobiography connection: READ HERE!

TWO AMAZING CUSHING IMAGES PLUS FLESH AND THE FIENDS COMING BLU RAY VIA KINO

A POST I SHARED TODAY at the which became very popular with almost a THOUSAND LIKES, is this colour photograph of Peter Cushing, in his home at Whitstable in 1974. Until today, it was very rarely seen . .  thanks to your shares at the 'fan page' now everyone has the pleasure of seeing it!

I LOVE IT WHEN friends and followers, send in artwork of PC. This one was sent by George T, of the very talented artist Colin J Fenwick . . posted on New Years Eve I believe, Colin wanted to share it at midnight I guess, though explained the pattern on Cushing neck tie took him hours longer! Many identified the character captured in the artwork portrate, as Peter Cushing as Doctor Know, from the 1959 film ''THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS' a not so well know film or role of Cushing's, and has been quite a find, if when fans have managed to source a good dvd. THANKFULLY, KINO have NEW 2K REMASTERS OF BOTH CUTS OF THE FILM and have set a release for this early this year, which will be quite the treat, I am sure! As soon as I have any details, I will of course, let you know!  can get to see it.- Marcus

RARE FILM CLIP OF PETER CUSHING'S FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER ON SET PLUS THE 'EVIL' EXTRA US TV FOOTAGE!

RARE FOOTAGE! Following the popularity of the rare behind the scenes The Gorgon clips I shared with you a short while ago, here's another one! We are going back to October-November 1963 and the golden age of Hammer films, when the company, based at the tiny studios, along with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee were making some of the best of the Hammer British Gothic bunch ...and above, here is a rare glimpse inside the legendary Bray Studios, in the Make up room of Roy Ashton . .

If you ever wondered, just how Cushing's Baron Frankenstein 'Creature' make up was applied... below is your answer.

BELOW IS actor Kiwi Kingston, with Roy Ashton, showing his solution to the problem of 'How to save the producers time and money, when it comes to applying make up when making a monster, who is ready for the camera and walk on set, in ten minutes!!' The studio hated the fact that prep, applying and daily making up a monster, took time...and time costs money. This solution, for the producers it worked . . but for Roy and the fans of Hammer horror, it was a compromise that sadly effected the credibility of the film...it's a complete over-head mask... and the audience knew it too. 

THE GIF CLIP ABOVE IS QUITE RARE, not often seen and proves even for a film like 'The Evil of Frankenstein' ...with a superb performance of the Baron by Peter Cushing, tight directing of Freddie Francis, very entertaining support cast of Sandor Elès , Katy Wild, Peter Woodthorpe, Duncan Lamont and Kiwi Kingston..and amazing sets, also used in Hammer films 'The Gorgon' from Bernard Robinson and Don Mingaye...even Universal Studios on-board... if you ain't got a great Monster...it's like a firework, that promises to shock...but fails when it doesn't that have THAT bang!

HAMMER TOOK A CHANGE in direction, with the making of 'The Evil of Frankenstein'. When the camera clogs first turned on Hammer's concept of a Frankenstein movie, they were very aware of having to start their concept from scratch. On hearing of Hammer's plans, Universal films wasted no time in despatching a warning to the producers, that if anyway Hammer's 'monster' resembled the famous Jack Pearce Boris Karloff creation in any way, they would be despatching a writ, with teeth, that would for sure make a real meal of their plans and production. Universal was also clear that their script and concept was also their property, and that Hammer should tread carefully. So make up artist Phil Leakey got to work creating a 'monster appearance' on Christopher Lee, that in no way could possibly be connected with the Pearce monster. So, was the case in the Hammer sequel, 'The Revenge of Frankenstein' too.

AFTER TWO MOVIES of managing quite well in creating the 'look' of a new monster appearance, with stories too that resembled little if anything in common with the Universal Frankenstein films, fate somehow took hold of the steering wheel and tiller, and Universal relaxed their hold on the 'monster look' and story concepts, and invited Hammer films into their party. Hammer films, Anthony Hinds wrote a script that rebooted the series, no connection to either 'Curse' or 'Revenge'  . .  and a 'monster', after weeks of designing and drawing, that gave more than a wobbly nod, to the Universal creation. The bolts, the flat top and big boots, were all in! 



AFTER THE SUCCESS of 'The Curse of Frankenstein' and 'The Revenge of Frankenstein', Universal wanted IN, along with Peter Cushing as part of the deal. 'Evil' would contain many of the Universal 'Frankenstein Tropes', and after it's cinema release would also be spread across the US television screens too. The problem was that 'The Evil of Frankenstein' came up short of duration of only 84 minutes and some scenes were deemed a little too intense for family viewing . .  so a whole new back-story was shot at Universal studios, where new and quite unrelated characters were slipped into the film. None of the film's established cast were included in the footage.. and Frankenstein's monster is seen by his boots only . . .

FREE RARE VINTAGE CONTACT SHEET PHOTOGRAPHS : FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED : PETER CUSHING

 

#FRANKENSTEINFRIDAY! 😀 Here is a NICE freebie! Today is Frankenstein Friday here at the PCASUK Facebook Fan Page AND and at our website... We have a quite a few NEW FREE TOP PRIZE competitions coming up soon and what better way to pave the way, to 'giving goodies, blu rays and stuffs away..' than another free contact print, from a fav Peter Cushing Hammer film.

THIS SCENE with Peter Cushing from 'Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed' where these rare and hi res contact prints / photographs were taken, was VOTED your favourite Peter Cushing Frankenstein Scene, a few years ago...

ABOVE are TWO very large exposures, featuring Peter as Baron Frankenstein in that scene... unwater-marked, in hi res and ready for you to copy, edit and add to your digital collection OR print off and maybe frame... I know many of you have done that before😉What a great way to end the week and start the weekend.. Thank FRANK it's Friday 😀 Have fun 😄 - Marcus

RARE BEHIND THE SCENES 'ON SET' FOOTAGE FROM HAMMER FILMS 'THE GORGON'

A REAL AND RARE TREAT! Here are some short GIFS taken from some very rare behind the scenes footage taken during the making of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee's 1964 Hammer film Classic, THE GORGON. Director Terence Fisher had a real job on his hands. The script was fine and had the making of an original horror / romantic / thriller. The key to the drama was a creature that lived holed up in Castle Borski, who on certain evenings took to meeting visitors, not with a warm welcome, but a STARE that turned them into stone! The creature was Megaera, long thought to be a fantasy of Greek mythology. Not only was she real, but she also had a dual appearance and personality. This no doubt suited actress Barbara Shelley, who played the meek and sensitive Karl Hoffman, Megaera's 'other side', as whoever was to appear as Megaera, would have to endure a few weeks of experiments and painful head-dresses, while make up men and props department Roy Ashton and Phil Leakey tired to solve the problem of producing a convincing Gorgon, who floated on air, while snakes wriggled and writhed on her head! No easy, with such a small budget!

ABOVE we see actress and classical dancer, Prundence Hyman, who stepped up for the role. Fisher believed that someone who could move with grace, like a dancer, would be best suited for the role. Prudence had worked in film, theatre and ballet for many years and had almost retired from her long and quite distinguished career.But she rose to the challenge. Here we see make up artist fit Prudence with Haptic contact lenses, a make up device that Roy was probably if not certainly responsible for bringing into horror films at this time, his first use was in Hammer's 'The Curse of Frankenstein', it was another first in bringing together Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee on screen.

AFTER MANY EXPERIMENTS the solution of using a series of strings and pulleys, all controlled through a cable to a crank box, was used to make the snakes twitch! The head device weighed seven pounds, and was worn under the wild and thick black wig, much like a crash helmet! It took some rigging, was not reliable and took several takes to 'do its thing' on command, after the Gorgon floated on casters into shot, over a floor of thick dry ice. ABOVE here is Hammer's Phil Leakey carrying the crank box, Prudence marches from the make up room at Bray studios, and down the stairs to the castle set, carrying the cabling over her shoulder, ready for her '...Close Up, Mr Fisher!'

ABOVE ON THE SET Prudence Hymen hits her mark,the crew turn the cranks on the box, the snakes twitch, the wind blows and she makes her exit, not walking forward, but keeps her balance, even with the weight on her head as she is  pulled backwards over the floor of the Castle Borski set at Bray studios . .. and CUT!

PETER CUSHING IN COSTUME and Christopher Lee out, both on set at Bray studios, during the making of Hammer films, 'THE GORGON'

 

FINALLY, HERES IS Hammer films make up artist Roy Ashton in some VERY rare footage in his make up room at Bray studios, demonstrating some 'fangs' he made for a particular Baron, who was the only vamp to have actually got his fangs into Peter Cushing's Vampire Hunter, Van Helsing . .!

HEADS UP UP ON PRIZES THAT DRIPPED BLOOD AND REMEMBERING SANDOR ELES

REMEMBERED: TODAY WE REMEMBER Hungarian born actor SANDOR ELES…. Known for a lot of work on TV he guest starred in shows such as The Saint, One Step Beyond, The Avengers, Danger Man and a regular role in the UK Soap 'Crossroads'. Eles did a lot of good and interesting work, given the chance. He made appearances in The Avengers, The Professionals Strange Report and Upstairs, Downstairs. One of his most memorable film roles was as the mysterious Paul in the Brian Clemens thriller 'And Soon the Darkness' in 1970. The screenplay was written by Brian Clemens and Terry Nation, both of whom had contributed to The Avengers, as well as to several ITC crime series made in Britain. The film was directed by Robert Fuest.

ABOVE: You can read more about SANDOR ELES and his work in #Hammerfilms 'The Evil of Frankenstein' in a feature written for PCAS by Troy Howath, at the time of it's first time release on blu ray from Final Cut. It's complete with a gallery of great publicity stills rarely seen form the PCAS archive RIGHT HERE!

ELES CO STARRED with #PeterCushing in #Hammerfilms third Frankenstein film,  'The Evil Of Frankenstein' and presented a quite different style of Baron's assistant. Sympathetic and sensitive to the Baron's plight and dedication to his work, it was an angle that didn't arrive again until Shane Briant's excellent portrayal of Simon in 'Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell' from Hammer films in 1974. 

ABOVE IS A PHOTOGRAPH is a still I thought Frankenstein and Hammer fans would appreciate! It's a never before shared or published studio photographer still during the making of the Peter Cushing and Sandor Eles Hammer films 'The Evil of Frankenstein' in 1963 at Bray studios. Cushing and Eles can be seen at the back of the marquee tent, with their mask disguises, but note the top of the still. It just shows how LOW in height the back lot buildings were at Bray studios. The lighting, the rigging and boom microphone is just a few feet from the actors heads!!! 

ELES WAS IN MANY WAYS a jobbing actor, but capable of so much more, just watching his work as Paul Ross in the UK low budget, but extremely popular almost daily soap opera, 'Crossroads' from 1982 until 1985, he gave more than any of the scripts required. A guest role as himself in the film 'Surviving Picasso' 1996, is a raw and sad exit, for an highly skilled actor, who when given the chance on screen or stage, was anyone but himself....

SANDOR ELES, sadly died on September 4th 2002, in Kilburn, London. He was just 66 years old . .   

A HEADS UP and what many of you have been waiting for! The PCASUK and SECOND SIGHT FILMS COMPETITION kicks off TOMORROW -Sunday 16th June 2019 HERE and at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE. There are FOUR COPIES of the SECOND SIGHT FILMS REMASTERED BLU RAY of Amicus films, 'THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD' starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Jon Pertwee and Ingrid Pitt up for grabs and MUST be won! Look out for our PCASUK COMPETITION post tomorrow, and make sure to send us YOUR ENTRY! NEXT WEEK we'll be launching ANOTHER PCASUK Competition where FOUR COPIES of Amicus films, ASYLUM BLU RAY will be up for grabs too! Here's your chance to bag some great prizes TOMORROW! Are YOU up for it??

THE PERSONAL SCRAPBOOKS OF CHRISTOPHER LEE

THREE DAYS AGO it was announced that, Lady Lee, Sir Christopher Lee’s widow, had donated her husband's photographic archive, to the BFI National Archive. The collection, is presented in THREE scrapbooks. Lee would have been 97 years young on 27th May 2019'. The scrapbooks are made up of photographic prints compiled by Sir Christopher Lee himself.

ON DONATING THESE ALBUMS, Lady Gitte Lee in a press statement has said, “It was a great joy and an honour for my husband when he was awarded the BFI Fellowship in recognition for his lifelong contribution to the industry. I am therefore delighted that the BFI are helping to preserve the heritage of his legacy, by bringing Christopher’s photographic archive into the BFI National Archive. I am immensely proud of my husband’s achievements. One of Britain’s best-loved actors, he was a man who entertained audiences worldwide for more than 60 years. It gives me great pleasure that his photos will be seen and appreciated for generations to come.”

WELL, AS WE HOPED, the scrapbooks just about covers Lee's entire film career. It's a photographic archive which includes many previously unseen on-set photographs and contact sheets, plus photographic portraits from many of his roles including Hammer films 'Dracula / Horror of Dracula'  (1958) and its sequels, also The Wicker Man (1973) and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). Some interesting choices are included, such as one of Lee's earliest film roles in the Ealing Studios classic, Scott of the Antarctic (1948), and ends, as one would expect, in the 2000s. It's an interesting Lee archive which manages to present a unique personal account of a prolific career, and also features  annotated musings, revealing his crisp, dry humour.

SO, WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE? Well, it's three scrapbooks put together it seems in the early 1970s and annotated by Lee himself, all spanning the years from 1948-1972. ALBUM ONE covers Lee’s first decade and a half, as a jobbing actor. Here we see some of his earliest roles including the World War II drama They Were Not Divided (1950) and Captain Horatio Hornblower (1950) in which Lee played supporting parts, his annotation to They Were Not Divided quips “back to camera, as usual”. It's interesting to see, over a ten year period how he spent the time in his choices and casting opportunities, to enable him to hone his craft in supporting roles, before his breakthrough performance, as The Creature in Hammer Studios’ The Curse of Frankenstein (1957). It's no secret that, Lee at one time held the 'Guinness World Record' for the most on-screen sword fights! This album records an early and memorable example, with  Lee’s infamous sword fight with Errol Flynn in The Dark Avenger (1955). It was at this time, Flynn accidentally cut through Lee’s little finger! A story Lee loved to share! The album also includes a striking pair of portraits of Lee, where he is almost unrecognisable, during his screen test for John Huston’s Moby Dick (1956), a part that was ultimately played by another actor.

ALBUM TWO spans through the 1960s, and includes much of the horror and fantasy genre classics, such as his sequel to the successful 1958 Dracula film, Dracula Price of Darkness in 1965 and The Devil Rides Out (1967). It's also interesting to see Lee alongside other fellow horror legends, including Peter Cushing in Amicus films, The Skull in 1965, Vincent Price The Oblong Box, 1959 and Boris Karloff in The Curse of the Crimson Altar produced in 1968. Good to see Lee chatting and working on set, with Hammer director Terence Fisher during the making of The Gorgon in 1965. Included too are his appearances in two separate series of popular UK TV programme, The Avengers in 1967 and 1969 ALBUM THREE covers a much shorter period, from his role in Julius Caesar in 1970 to the low budget cult film Death Line, with Donald Pleasence in 1972. This scrapbook also has space to showcase some of the special make-up and make up artists like Wally Schneiderman and Pearl Tipaldi who were deployed in films such as The Scars of Dracula (1970) and includes many make up prep images with make up artist Harry Frampton from Amicus films, I, Monster (1971), a role that which Lee often described as ‘one of the best things I’ve ever done’. There are also a number of behind-the-scenes stills from Billy Wilder’s late masterpiece, and one of Lee’s favourite films, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1971).

LEE FELT TYPECAST for much of the period of time covered by these albums, but they nevertheless show his great versatility as an actor across a variety of characters, films and genres. So, it's interesting that alongside the iconic images showcased, he has chosen to include some quite surprising, often funny and interesting choices. Many of the photographs have never been published, so they are all the more special for being selected, arranged and annotated by Lee himself.

NATHALIE MORRIS, Senior Curator – Special Collections, BFI said, “We’re delighted to have been entrusted with this marvellous group of photographs which were collected and kept by Christopher Lee, one of the all-time cinema greats. These images wonderfully demonstrate Lee’s versatility and charisma as an actor, taking us on a journey from his early small parts through to his starring roles and then beyond, as directors sought him out for high profile supporting roles and cameos. The albums are fascinating for being assembled by Lee himself, especially as they also include his occasional, wryly-observed, comments. The BFI National Archive is incredibly grateful to Lady Lee for this generous donation.”

CHRISTOPHER LEE'S SCRAPBOOK collection will join other significant personal archive collections including those of Alfred Hitchcock, Alan Parker, David Lean, Ken Loach and Dirk Bogarde at the BFI National Archive John Paul Getty Jnr Conservation Centre in Berkhamsted, stored in optimal archival conditions. Once catalogued, the collection will be available to view by appointment, with selected material made accessible digitally through the BFI Reuben Library.