A TIPPLE AT DARTMOUTH, FULL RED FOR HAMMER'S DRACULA AND NEAT MODELS OF CUSHING'S FINEST!

#CHRISTOPHERLEE SATURDAY: What a splendid way to end a day of shock, terror and fighting supernatural forces, having a tipple with your friend in a cosy Olde pub, with log fire burning... in Dartmouth, Devon! Over at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE we've asked, IF you had one chance and opportunity of sharing a drink with these two fine chaps.... no doubt you would have raised your glass and toasted them?? WHAT would have been YOUR toast?  - Marcus

 

 

#CHRISTOPHERLEE SATURDAY : A close up of the Count, with Christopher Lee wearing full RED haptic contact lenses for the first time. 'TASTE THE BLOOD OF #DRACULA' (1970). Lots of interest in the rare pic, over at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE, including at COMMENT from SFX ARTIST Brian Johnson,' . . . Brian Johnson’s first movie as FX Supervisor!'  As most of you, I am sure know,  Johnson is a award winning special and visual effects designer and director who for over 40 years provided his services to a multitude of film and television productions.... 'Empire Strikes Back', 'Alien' Cushing's 'Captain Clegg', 'When Dinosaurs Rules the Earth' . . and 'Taste the Blood of Dracula' . .  

 

 

TWO VERY NICE,  small models of #PeterCushing as Baron Frankenstein and Van Helsing, unpainted. These were very kindly sent to us by our good friend Marcia Loisel... she and her husband are keen collectors of figures and models, and he recently treated her to this pair when he came across them. I hope we get to see both figures after Marcia has painted them too??! Lots of interest on where these can be ordered and Marcia has been kind enough to provide the details too! 'Bears Head Miniatures makes the Frankenstein and we got the Van Helsing through Wargames Illustrated!'  BEARSHEAD HERE and WAR GAMES ILLUSTRATED HERE!   

 

 

 

NEWS UPDATE: MORE ON THE STUDIO CANAL HAMMER BLU RAYS AND DRACULA MEDALLION

#GETHECUSHIONSUNDAY! HERE'S SOME MORE news on the Studio Canal Hammer Blu Ray releases, due out on NOVEMBER 13TH 2017 and a better look at that Taste The Blood of Dracula medallion!

ABOVE OUR ORIGINAL FEATURE ON THE RELEASE . THE FEATURE CAN BE FOUND : HERE!

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  

PETER SALLIS DIES AT 96

VERY SAD NEWS, to hear of the passing of veteran actor Peter Sallis today.... Sallis appeared in the film, 'Scream and Scream Again' in 1970. It's a very tenuous link...even though he worked for Hammer films in 'Curse of the Werewolf' and 'Taste the Blood of Dracula' too. But, personally, I am sharing this because... thought he was terrific in the BBC's 'The Last of the Summer Wine' for all those years, and my children LOVED his voice in the Wallace and Gromit films. Sallis was 96. . . .

#HAMMERSATURDAY : BEACHAM'S BOULDERS AND HAYDEN'S SPADE

#HAMMERFILMSATURDAY: Despite having looked at, edited, posted and actually cleaned this rare transparency from behind the scenes on #DRACULA AD 1972. It has that typical workman like attitude, that many associate with plumbers, bricklayers and carpenters in the UK, a little 'heavy handed'. How-else can you justify the dropping of two great dirty rocks onto a silk design dress, to make it stay in place for a photograph??

#HAMMERFILMSSATURDAY:  Linda Hayden really puts her all, into this rare contact sheet shot from 'Taste the Blood of Dracula' with Geoffrey Keen . . . I really do hope that WAS a rubber spade!

ACTOR JOHN CARSON 1927 - 2016

Very sad to hear of the passing of actor John Carson today . . .for Hammer fans he will be remembered for his performances in The Plague of the Zombies, Taste the Blood of Dracula and Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter. His last professional role was for Donald Fearney, in his Amicus films documentary, 'The Amicus Vault of Horrors' last year . . .

CARSON AS SQUIRE HAMILTON IN HAMMER'S 'PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES'

John Carson with Peter in the BBC broadcast of 'CAVES OF STEEL' in 1964. All that remains of the production are just a few minutes, saved because they were included in another BBC programme a few years after the play's initial broadcast...after which the play was wiped. . .

John Carson and  Horst Janson in Hammer films, 'Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter' 1974.

A HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SCREAM QUEEN LINDA HAYDEN

Join Us in wishing the lovely Linda Hayden a very happy birthday today, a talented actress best known her her roles in Hammer's Taste The Blood Of Dracula (1970), Tigon's Blood On Satan's Claw (1970) and Amicus/AIP's Madhouse (1974) with Peter Cushing and Vincent Price.

Here's a series LINKS to REVIEWS, FEATURES and GALLERIES featuring the work of LINDA HAYDEN on our website.

'BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW' HERE

LINDA HAYDEN : TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA : HERE 

MORE on LINDA HAYDEN and TASTE THE BLOOD
OF DRACULA : HERE

Our LINDA HAYDEN GALLERY : HERE

One of MANY of our features and galleries on a great Amicus favourite

MADHOUSE starring Vincent Price, Peter Cushing and Linda Hayden.

Feature and Gallery click : HERE

 

Please join us at our FACEBOOK FAN PAGE! Just CLICK :HERE 

COMPETITION: WIN WARNER BROTHERS HORROR CLASSICS VOL ONE BLU RAY BOX SET NOW!

Warner Brothers HORROR CLASSICS VOL ONE is available to BUY NOW from AMAZON.COM CLICK HERE

Join our OFFICIAL PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE : HERE

RALPH BATES REMEMBERED : BORN TODAY 1940

REMEMBERING: Born today in 1940, RALPH BATES. Sadly, no longer with us. A talented actor and a truly gentle and kind man.

The great, great nephew of the renowned French scientist Louis Pasteur developed into a strangely handsome dark haired, pale complexioned English actor. Ralph Bates was born in 1940 in Bristol, England and attended the University of Dublin and studied at the Yale Drama School. His dramatic talents first came to audiences attention playing the evil Emperor Caligula in the well received BBC TV series The Caesars (1968). However, the Hammer studios resurrection of the horror genre was then in full stride, and Bates was soon engulfed in the swirling cloak of Hammer's success as he appeared in several horror films in quick succession.

Firstly in a support role as demonic Lord Courtley in Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970), followed as the lead character Baron Frankenstein in The Horror of Frankenstein (1970), then as Giles Barton in the sexy Lust for a Vampire (1971) and as the well meaning Dr. Jekyll in an unusual spin on the Robert Louis Stevenson story in Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971) and 'Fear in the Night' with Peter Cushing in 1972. Bates brought a new zest to Hammer and with his stylish dialogue delivery and film acting methods, he quickly won himself quite a few fans in both critics and regular film goers!

Unfortunately, by the early 1970s there had been a downturn in Hammer studios fortunes, and Bates then found himself turning to more traditional character work in other production houses and he appeared in several films before snaring other superb villainous role as George Warleggan in the 18th century period piece Poldark (1975).

After Poldark, Bates himself kept busy in a few forgettable UK made TV shows and television film roles which did not really do justice to his remarkable talents. In the late 1980s his health rapidly deteriorated, and he sadly passed away from cancer aged only 51 on 27th March 1991.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0061012/bio 

REMEMBERING: JAMES BERNARD : BORN TODAY 1925

Remembering ...Composer JAMES BERNARD: Born 20th September 1925, India. Died: 12th July 2001, London, England, UK

Today, 20th September marks the birthday of the late JAMES BERNARD composer of many of Hammer films greatest music scores,starring Peter Cushing. Probably best remembered for his music score for Hammer films, Dracula (1958). It featured a motif based on the name... Dra-cu-laaaaa.... However, he could also write lushly romantic melodies, such as appear in Frankenstein Created Woman (1967), Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970) and Scars of Dracula (1970). Unlike the majority of film composers, Bernard orchestrated almost all of his work.

Bernard's first major break as a composer was at the age of 17 when he met Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears, for whom Bernard later wrote a song cycle.

Other memorable Hammer scores include The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), She (1964),The Kiss of the Vampire (1962), The Plague of the Zombies (1966) and The Devil Rides Out (1968).

TRIVIA: James Bernard was educated at Wellington College, where the future actor Christopher Lee was a classmate!