LIMITED EDITION TWILIGHT TIME BLU RAY COMPETITION : FIVE COPIES OF HAMMER SHERWOOD FOREST TO BE WON NEXT WEEK!

AS TWO PCASUK competitions close and make for some very happy Cushing fans . . . we launch another great competition VERY SOON . . . and courtesy of Twilight Time we launch another great region free blu ray competition NEXT WEEK! Peter Cushing made for such a great Sheriff of Nottingham. You think?

HAMMER FILMS 'SWORD OF SHERWOOD FOREST' (1960) is a big-screen adaptation of the popular television series, The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-59); it stars the same dashing actor, Richard Greene, as the aristo man of the people, and is directed by Terence Fisher, a Hammer favorite who also helmed many of the series episodes. As in so many adaptations of the classic tale, we have the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham (a superb Peter Cushing), the lovely Maid Marian (a plush Sarah Branch), and a handful of terrific cross-the-pond actors: Niall MacGinnis, Richard Pasco, Jack Gwillim, Nigel Green, and even – in a tiny role – Oliver Reed.

'SWORD OF SHERWOOD FOREST' Starring: Richard Greene, Peter Cushing, Niall MacGinnis, Richard Pasco, Jack Gwillim, Sarah Branch, Oliver Reed Video: 1080p High Definition / 2.35:1 / Color Audio: English 1.0 DTS-HD MA Subtitles: English SDH Theatrical Release: 1960 Runtime: 80 Minutes Rating: NR (Not Rated) Region Code: Region Free (A/B/C) Special Features: Isolated Music & Effects Track / Original Theatrical Trailer

THIS LIMITED EDITION CAN PURCHASED NOW : HERE!

REMEMBERING VINCENT PRICE TODAY AND ANOTHER PCASUK COMPETITON WITH TWILIGHT TIME'S LIMITED EDITIONS UP FOR GRABS

NEWS: WITH THE RELEASE of the TWILIGHT TIME blu ray of Hammer films, 'SWORD OF SHERWOOD FOREST ' it's great to be able to announce the launch of ANOTHER Cushing / Hammer films competition, during NOVEMBER 3rd and 4th 2018. We have FIVE copies of the Twilight Time LIMITED EDITION blu ray to give away as prizes. So keep your eyes peeled for more news on the competiton and YOU TOO could be a WINNER. MANY MANY thanks to the guys at Twilight Time for support ANOTHER PCASUK Competition, with a very generous sponsorship of prizes!

TODAY WE REMEMBER the wonderful, VINCENT PRICE who we sadly lost on this day in 1993. Over at the FACBOOK PCAS FAN PAGE many are sharing their memories and stories plus their favourites from the extensive career that VINCENT PRICE shared with us! HERE are just a few of the films that have been mentioned. CAN YOU NAME THE FILMS THAT ARE FEATURED IN OUR GIFS?? Feel free to join in at the FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.

NEWS: ANOTHER HAMMER FILMS BLU RAY RELEASE DUE FOR OCTOBER 2018!

NEWS : IT'S A GOOD TIME for any Peter Cushing and Hammer film fan looking to update their dvd collection some BLU RAY gems! Twilight Time has just revealed details of their new release of SWORD OF SHERWOOD FOREST (1960) Personally, my fav of the Hammer Robin Hood films, with Peter Cushing as The Sheriff of Nottingham, Richard Greene THE Robin Hood, Nigel Green as Little John and Oliver Reed As Lord Melton! Niall MacGinnis plays the best Friar Tuck, Richard Pascoas Edward Earl of Newark and Sarah Branch as Maid Marion. Directed by Terence Fisher, it makes for excellent Sunday afternoon viewing 🙂 Special Features include Alun Hoddinott's isolated Music track plus an effects Track too and the Original Theatrical Trailer! 

IT WILL BE INTERESTING to see if this print too will be like all the others, where Oliver Reed's voice is not heard; he's dubbed throughout by another (anonymous) actor attempting to sound like Reed's normal voice. Reed's own voice is heard in the film's trailer, where he adopts a very camp lisping French accent!

HAMMER FILMS producer Michael Carareas and #PeterCushing on set during the making of 'The Sword Of Sherwood Forest' (1960)

ONE SUSPECTS as with most Twilight Time releases, this will be a REGION FREE release which comes out on OCTOBER 16th, 2018 🙂 Another one for your shopping list 😉

 

REMEMBERING NIGEL GREEN : THE SWORD OF SHERWOOD FOREST AND THE SKULL

TODAY we are marking the passing of that fine English character actor NIGEL GREEN . . . Green left us at only 47 years of age, with a very impressive career already at that point. In our banner can be seen on the far right, in a little get together on the set of the cast of Amicus films THE SKULL (1965) with Peter, Patrick Wymark far left, Patrick Magee sat down on the right. Green had a small role of Inspector Wilson, in the film. Because of his strapping build and commanding height, (6 feet, 1 inch) & regimental demeanour he would often be found playing military types and men of action, in films such as Jason and the Argonauts, Zulu, Tobruk and The Ipcress File.

HIS LARGE physique also led to his being cast as Little John in Hammer films THE SWORD OF SHERWOOD FOREST (1960), with Peter Cushing. Green also appeared in a number of horror films including Corridors of Blood (1958), The Masque of the Red Death (1964), as the father of Jane Asher's character, The Skull (1965) also with Cushing Let's Kill Uncle (1966) and COUNTESS DRACULA (1971). 

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 all lovers of Peter Cushing's work AND Help Keep The Memory Alive!

GIF WEDNESDAY! PACKED WITH PC ON THE FIDDLE: SHERLOCK : THE GHOUL AND A SLICED ROBIN HOOD : CLIPS AND WHOLE MOVIES

#CUSHINGGIFWEDNESDAY! LOTS OF COMMENTS and messages posted to me here and at our PCAS YOUTUBE CHANNEL these past few weeks on PETER CUSHING in THE GHOUL. EVEN interest in the music that Cushing's character DR LAWRENCE plays to Veronica Carlson's Daphne! Cushing did quite a convincing job, of faking playing, and there have been quite a few times where he has had to do the 'FIDDLE' visually, but I don't ever recall him doing so with a piano, which almost the most common musical fake up on screen ! HOW MANY can YOU THINK OF?

PETER CUSHING as SHERLOCK HOLMES in the BBC version of 'THE BLUE CARBUNCLE'

ABOVE THE ENTIRE CUSHING 'THE BLUE CARBUNCLE ' EPISODE 

from the BBC series in 1968

MUCH OF THE SOURCE MATERIAL FOR OUR WEEKLY GIFS, CAN BE FOUND IN THE ENTIRE UPLOADS OF THE PETER CUSHING FILMS AT OUR PCAS YOUTUBE CHANNEL!

JUST CLICK HERE  and be ENTERTAINED for HOURS! Please support us too and PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!
 

IT'S A GREAT PITY that both PETER CUSHING and DAVID WARNER only got to share such a short time together in a film, FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE. You can see in that scene, how they both had a chemistry, that complemented each other. IF they could have shared another film together, WHICH TITLE one would you choose?? Here nearing the end of  WARNER'S story in one of Amicus portmanteau movies, his poor character Edward Charlton in THE GATE CRASHER loses his will to find the 'figure' in the mirror, but sadly knows nothing of his own fate....   

CUSHING and WARNER in their very entertaining scene

together in FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE

FIND OUT MORE about the Amicus film FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE and other films that PETER CUSHING made with the company through out his career, at THIS excellent EIGHT PART serial on THE AMICUS FILMS OF PETER CUSHING. PART SIX covers FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE and several others from the period of time, including MADHOUSE with VINCENT PRICE! AS usual it's just a click away, RIGHT HERE!

HERE IS SOMETHING EXTRA CONNECTED TO 'FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE' . . MANY THANKS TO ROBIN MCDONALD who provided us with two great items for our #TOOCOOLTUESDAY posts a little while ago, you may have missed.... This artwork was produced as a in joke among the crew of Amicus films 'From Beyond The Grave' with Peter Cushing..the artwork was pinned to the clapper-board during some of the shooting! Robin McDonald, was a clapper operator on many of Peter's films.

AGAIN, MANY THANKS to Robin McDonald . .  who sent us his much treasured cards from Peter Cushing, to share with you. Peter DID so very much love his cuppa tea!!!

BARBARA MURRAY who sadly only died quite recently in September 2014, was an actress who SHOULD have appeared in MORE work of the THRILLER AND SUSPENSE kind with AMICUS or Hammer films. Sadly, she never did. MURRAY was very famous for her TV work and few films. She looks like the kind of actress that BOTH film companies would have employed, but apart from a role as Enid Jason in segment 4 "Wish You Were Here" in AMICUS 'TALES FROM THE CRYPT' it all passed her by. 


RICHARD GREEN  who plays her VICTIM Husband, Ralph Jason, . . . a role that PETER CUSHING was originally going to play in the film, NOT ARTHUR GRIMSDYKE, for which he just about stole the whole film and won much respect and an award for... and the late Roy Dotrice, who sadly left us last year, as her lover. It's a bit of a GORY-STORY, this one for Amicus, considering producer's MILTON SUBOTSKY dislike of any inclusion of BLOOD or sex in his scripts and finished films. BUT Barbara does good and Richard Greene, who also worked with PETER CUSHING in Hammer films, SWORD OF SHERWOOD FOREST, in his famous Robin Hood role . .dies, wonderfully!

SWORD OF SHERWOOD FOREST, was one the CUSHING FILMS that made the GREAT list of TOP FIVE PETER CUSHING NON HORROR MOVIES... TO FIND OUT what titles made the OTHER FOUR  CLICK HERE! 

#DRACULAAD1972, is slowly starting to get the respect and interest it maybe should have received on it's release SOOO MANY years ago, by Hammer films. We have relentlessly posted about it in FEATURES and GALLERIES since we first arrived on the net back in 2010. There is ONE particular scene, that we have dug around in for a LONG time. The DEATH OF BOB. For those of you, those of you not so familiar with the character played by, PHILLIP MILLER, Bob was a bit of limp boyfriend of CAROLINE MUNRO"S character LAURA BELLOWS. Bob was a kind of hip but sensible version of  FRED from the epic children's cartoon series SCOOBY DOO, but unlike Fred...DIES! It's not long before he too, falls under the spell of Christopher Lee's DRACULA and those two pointy teeth, until he is found denim's creased and he lifeless in the cemetery of St Bartolph's Church, by PETER CUSHING'S,  Professor Lorrimer Van Helsing. BUT HOW he got there OR died was never explained in the film. It was only when studying some CONTACT SHEETS in the PCAS archive, that we came across the solution . . . READ BELOW! What FUN!

ABOVE: COME WITH US in a GREAT BEHIND THE SCENES DOCUMENTARY on the MAKING of DRACULA AD 1972, in this upload from our PCAS YOUTUBE CHANNEL!

 AND TO WRAP WITH FOR THIS WEEK: HERE is a GREAT PCAS CAROLINE MUNRO Dracula AD 1972 and EARTH'S CORE GALLERY! RIGHT HERE CLICK!

CRACKING THE TOP FIVE NON HORROR MOVIES OF PETER CUSHING FOR OUR BEST OF LIST!

THESE DAYS IT CAN quite often appear to ‘Joe Public’ that the name Peter Cushing is tied to three things; Star Wars, some quirky Doctor Who off shoots and a number of Gothic Horror pictures from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Of course as fans we know this not to be true, though even then it appears that most of the aficionados of his work tend to admire his horror performances most. That’s unsurprising and personally I’m as guilty of this as anybody else, particularly as I am a horror fan first and foremost. That said, I thought I’d break away from the spooky and the space age this week and instead compile a handy list of the ‘best of the rest’ as it were. Some of the performances listed here are some of the finest throughout Cushing’s entire career and I’ve compiled this as a hand starting point for anyone thinking to check out his work, away from crypts and castles. As with my other lists this is unashamedly personal and is in no order. BY THE WAY, some of the films I have chosen for my list, can also be watched in their ENTIRETY on the PLAY LISTS at our  Peter Cushing Appreciation Society YOU TUBE Channel!

Cash on Demand (1961)

A tense two-hander between Cushing and another Hammer regular, Andre Morell, the film is a clever re-working of the Scrooge story within a ‘thriller’ context. Set in a bank, Cushing plays the tough and austere Manager who undergoes rigorous psychological torment by Morell’s Colonel Gore-Hepburn. 

HEPBURN ARRIVES AT THE BANK and announces to Cushing that he intends to rob him and has his wife and child hostage. Should he not comply, Hepburn will be forced to send the signal that will lead to their termination. Cushing’s portrayal of a man undergoing unbelievable stress and torment manages to be one of the most horrifying things the actor has ever produced. 

CONTRASTING THIS is Morell’s performance as the sadistic but undeniably charming Hepburn who manages to remain calm, whilst breaking PC down piece by piece. Set mostly within the one room the film can be incredibly uncomfortable at times, with Morell’s calmness bouncing well off of Cushing’s hysteria.

1984 (1954)

Ok so an obvious one and one that some may consider science-fiction, though I would wholeheartedly disagree. Similar to the above, this performance showcases the softer side of Cushing and again features Morell as his tormenter, giving the two an odd similarity. 

HOWEVER WHEREAS Cash on Demand still has elements of a moral superiority in its message, inherent in any Scrooge adaptation, the message of Orwell’s novel is far darker and depressing. Again Cushing astounds as a man put through unspeakable psychological tortures but this time the result proves far more terrifying than before. Lacking a proper DVD release, it’s a real shame that such a classic of British TV has yet to be given even this simple treatment. 

Sherlock Holmes and the Masks of Death (1984)

Ok, ok this is certainly an odd one I would never deny that. Cushing’s role as ‘the great detective’ is one that spans a number of portrayals but most notably Hammer’s Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) and the BBC series in 1968. 



UNFORTUNATELY THIS MEANS that Masks of Death is more often than not, overlooked. Admittedly it suffers from a somewhat plodding script and perhaps fails to get any attention at all, due to its unavailability on DVD or Blu-Ray. What really makes this odd little TV-movie however, is Cushing’s portrayal of a much older Holmes builds on his earlier performances but manages to provide something…softer, gentler. John Mills plays his Watson this time and the two work wonders together, making one wish for a mini-series or something of the sort. The plot attempts to root itself firmly in history, though the details are a little shaky…to say the least but it’s an interesting little film and a fun example of Cushing’s Holmes work.

The Violent Playground (1958)
Another somewhat bleak film, Peter Cushing provides a memorable turn as a Priest attempting to heal the social ill’s surrounding a Liverpool street gang led by David McCallum. 

THE HIGHLIGHTS are doubtless the sequences in which Cushing attempts to reason with McCallum who appears to have some sort of a bond with the Priest. This builds to a superb climax in which McCallum takes a number of school children hostage with a machine gun and Cushing attempts to talk him down. Brutal, gritty and uncomfortable the least said about this one before watching the better.

Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960) 
Considering that (bar the one entry) this list has so far been made up mostly of quite depressing drama fare, it seemed right to end it on a good old fashioned swashbuckler. In Sword of Sherwood Forest, Cushing takes on the role of the Sherriff of Nottingham and clearly has a whale of a time. 

WHILST I WOULD HATE to describe any of Cushing’s performances as ‘Pantomime’ that’s the word that comes to mind here, but not through insult, through the sheer amount of fun he is clearly having. The biggest disappointment is admittedly Cushing’s death scene, which whilst firmly cementing his as the secondary villain is particularly lacklustre and seems an unfair dispatch for the character. Sharing the screen with such celebrated actors as Richard Greene, Oliver Reed, Nigel Green and Niall MacGinnis the film may not be wholly successful but is the perfect Saturday afternoon entertainment.  

 

WELL I HOPE you enjoyed my list.Of course the great shame with much of PC's early non-horror work is that a great deal of it was for the BBC, who either wren't in the habit of recording or later decided it would be fun to burn the few recordings they had. Although pieces like this won't make the list for obvious reasons, I sure would have loved to have seen his Pride and Prejudice. It may be an odd choice from these lost days but I'd give my left arm to see the 1953 adaptation of Number Three. As for my list here, I am sure there are a couple you may disagree with! Over at the facebook fan page, many are sharing THEIR TOP FIVES. It's lively! Maybe you'd like to join the thread? That's it for this week, more next week, I hope you join me!  Callum McKelvie

REMEMBER! 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 . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA