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??

WHO IS WHO AND WHY : CALLUM MCKELVIE ON PETER CUSHING WHO MOVIES PART TWO

LAST WEEKEND I examined in-depth the first of Peter Cushing’s two ‘Dr Who’ movies, 1965’s Dr Who and the Daleks.  I made the decision to examine links between the film and TV version in an attempt to understand the hate piled towards it, a great deal of which I feel is explicitly aimed at the first film. Indeed, a lot of people’s issues with the Who movies (continuity issues, Cushing’s performance, the child-like atmosphere) are certainly toned down in Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. For one, Terry Nation’s original television script on which this story was based, 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth', is a LOT darker than 1963’s 'The Daleks', meaning this film is a little bit more serious than its predecessor.

SET DURING A DALEK OCCUPATION there is heavy use of WW2 imagery, including camps, the black market, a Dalek commandant, Daleks giving Nazi-esque salutes and a rubble strewn blitz inspired London. Of course Subotsky has done his best to make it all ‘kiddie’ friendly but the essence of the piece remains. Perhaps responding to this, Cushing tailors his portrayal of the Doctor, becoming a firmer, stronger figure, the leader type that is visible in the television series but lacking in the first film.

ALSO GONE ARE any explicit references to the building of the Tardis and the nature of the Doctor, all that is actually stated is that his name is still ‘Dr. Who’ and not ‘The Doctor’. Of course these elements from the first film never particularly troubled myself, it was simply the nature of the adaptation. Perhaps though it’s one of the reasons that this sequel receives a slightly warmer reception than its predecessor.

ONCE AGAIN THE NATION SCRIPT receives something of an overhaul, streamlining the narrative of the six-part television serial but (like the first film) keeping the rough story structure. Notable emissions this time round include a sequence in which the Daleks attempt to fire bomb London, a journey through an Alligator infested sewer and most notably the ‘Slyther’. The Slyther appeared in episodes four and five (individually titled The End of Tomorrow and The Walking Alley) and was identified as a ‘pet’ of the Black Dalek leader and a sort of guard dog.

ONE HAS TO WONDER WHY on earth this sequence was exorcised, particularly when we have an overly long and (admittedly painful) scene in which Bernard Cribbins participates in a slap-stick comedy routine with a bunch of Robomen. However several of the changes are welcome. Whilst the TV version is designed for an entirely different medium and not to be watched in one go, it does drag. Several characters (such as Ann Davies’s ‘Jenny’) are exorcised completely and for the better, whilst other characters such as Craddock are given far more dramatic deaths.

BERNARD CRIBBINS policeman, Tom is an entirely new character and the wrap-around element of him failing to prevent a robbery and then being taken back in time by the Doctor in time is a nice opening and closing segment as well as providing an easy way in for viewers unfamiliar with the premise of the television programme. Also noticeably different is the way the Daleks are destroyed by the ‘magnetic core of the earth’ rather than being blown up. One suspects this is to account for the fact that Daleks ALL OVER the earth need to be destroyed and not just those in Bedfordshire.

VISUALLY, like its predecessor, the film is a big step-up from its smaller scale television counter-part but this time, even more so. The Robomen and the Dalek Saucer are wonderful designs, that far surpass the television versions of both which were noticeably cheap looking, even for a sixties BBC budget. Indeed, the movies redesigns even managed to find their way onto the cover of the 1977 television novelisation.

ONCE AGAIN ACTION sequences are increased and expanded, the sequence in which the truck drives through the hordes of Daleks is particularly memorable as is the wonderful final shot of the saucer getting caught by the magnetism and sucked into the ground where it crashes. The visual style of the film is also a little darker than the first, even the Daleks base is an odd faded lime colour when compared to the bright oranges and blue of the first film. 

CUSHING'S DOCTOR TOO is given a more restrained make up job, the hair slicked back instead of wild, and the moustache trimmed and refined…Which brings me of course to Cushing’s performance. I hinted in my last piece that I found his performance in this film to be superior to the one given in the first film, watching them back to back however I noticed not only that but how different the two are. He’s still a warm, grandfatherly figure but here he is slightly more resilient, far more active and seems to have adopted some of the ‘master planner’ aspects of his television counter-part. 

WHEREAS IN THE FIRST FILM Cushing appeared constantly stooped over with a voice that was slightly mumbly and strained, here he speaks in a clipped-upper class accent and walks with his back straight. Sequences such as when he expects Brockley to betray him in order to find his way into the Dalek base, give Cushing an opportunity to demonstrate this by smirking slightly at his own cleverness, before slipping his gloves on, staring at the Daleks gravely and giving Brockley one last look, before being led away.

WHEN BROCKLEY BECAME A CANDIDATE FOR OUR #MONSTERMONDAY THEMED MONDAY AT THE PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

HOWEVER IT ALL PALES  in comparison to those final sequences within the Dalek base, from entering and going immediately to the microphone (giving the audience some hint of what he’s planning) to his final speech towards the Daleks. His confrontation with them in the final moments of the first film, where he and Susan are caught in a force field as the Daleks prepare to activate their bomb, shows him as somewhat weak- indeed that’s what the story requires, as Ian bursts in with the Thals and saves the day. Here however, it is the Doctor who is in charge and Cushing knows this, strutting determinedly around the set as he explains the Daleks fear of Magnetism. It is without doubt one of his greatest on-screen moments.

THE SUPPORTING CAST here is even better, with Bernard Cribbins giving a slightly more restrained performance than Roy Castle, but still expected to participate in a number of ludicrous slap stick moments. Roberta Tovey returns as Susan and works surprisingly well with the films best supporting actor, Andrew Keir. Keir is ridiculously entertaining as the gruff rebel Wyler and his scenes with Susan as they escape through the forest provide a few nice moments in a mostly action packed film.

 

IN AN INTERESTING side note it appears there was plans for a spin-off radio series to be produced and a pilot entitled ‘Journey into Time’ was recorded, with Cushing in the lead. However very little material remains documenting the show and the pilot itself has never been found.

ALL IN ALL: 'Invasion Earth 2150 A.D' is clearly the superior film. Now that’s not to criticise or lambast Dr. Who and the Daleks, but I feel that due to the continuity issues that are more strongly expressed in the first film, the sequel is often over-shadowed. Now honestly I enjoy both films. There the perfect example of Sunday afternoon entertainment, now issues they may have but very few films don’t. The entertainment factor for the Dalek movies is so high and they look SO good, that to miss out on them is to do yourself a huge disservice. Not only that, but Cushing’s portrayal in the first film is often so criticised that the subtle changes made by him between the two films often go unnoticed. A shame, as Cushing’s Doctor in this film rivals some of the best television incarnations.

PART ONE OF CALLUM MCKELVIE'S TWO PART FEATURE : 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  . . 

DOCTOR WHO: EVER WANTED YOUR OWN TARDIS? MAKE IT THIS ONE!

AS A CHILD, I can remember spending many a Saturday afternoon in my grandmother's bedroom, standing inside her huge wardrobe... pretending it was the #DRWHO Tardis! ..and I wasn't alone, many of my mates did this in wardrobes too!! It all was part of the ritual... like playing Dr Who in the school playground, with the hood up on your anorak, and your left sleeve and arm extended, waving around shouting, 'Exterminate!'... at dinner ladies!

IF ONLY I had known Jason Charles Onion, back then! Because he was more than likely doing the same thing too! As an adult, he is the creator of MAGIC..believe me. Jason, is the guy every Dr Who fan would want as a mate, a buddy...because not only does he have wonderful ideas and schemes..he is a DOER. He puts these ideas into fearless practice. A while ago, to top the many other amazing things he has created, he made a full size, large as life...just like the real thing...TARDIS! Unlike many people who love Dr Who and celebrate and create props and stuffs from the series, he SHARES what he does.

THIS TARDIS...known as the Herne Bay Tardis... (Look up Herne Bay, it's a Oysters left nostril distance from Peter Cushing's home town of Whitstable) has generated THOUSANDS of pounds for charity. How? Jason takes the Tardis out to events, signings, fetes, conventions, sunny days...or even just sets it up on the beach, where folks have their photo taken with it, stare at it nostalgically all glassy eyed...then hand over their money for the good cause...clever eh? Much of what Jason generates donations for, is the BBC charity Children In Need. It's very much like the MD Telethon in the US and raises millions every year, when broadcast for one night on the BBC in November. Now, Dr Who is of course, a BBC programme, so you can see the connection!?

THIS YEAR, Jason has decided to do something VERY different for Children In Need. Jason's Tardis which has generated thousands of pounds over the years, is being AUCTIONED. The response, I am sure will be, HUGE. But, if you ever had the need for a Tardis in your life, now is the time to start selling the cat, your granny and those family heirlooms... it's iconic, it's history, it's wonderful...it's the same tardis that Peter Cushing's Dr Who whizzed around the big screen in.... and it's part of my childhood and maybe yours too? We'll be posting regular up dates about the prep, the last year of public appearances and news right up until NOVEMBER 10th, the actual day of auction! Start saving, help Jason and start sharing..make this an event that will make a difference for many, many children... Watch the short video and give him a LIKE 😉 Thank you 😉 - Marcus

LINKS: OFFICAL HERNE BAY TARDIS CHILDREN IN NEED AUCTION FACEBOOK PAGE