THE RED NOSE YOU DIDN'T SEE PLUS SIXTY YEARS OF BRIDES CELEBRATION COMING SOON!

#CHRISTOPHERLEE SATURDAY! Here is something you have probably never seen before! Not something you see everyday.. and I am pretty sure, after some deep research over the past two days.. this may not have been seen by anyone! 

CHRISTOPHER LEE wearing a RED NOSE! The reason? '#ComicRelief - #RedNoseDay 1989' I know that this started in the UK and that the US have also been doing this for some time now too 😊. Las t year, March 15 was Red Nose Day in the United Kingdom and May 23 was Red Nose Day in the United States. For those who are not aware... it's a charity day called Comic Relief / Red Nose Day. Comic Relief started Red Nose Day in 1985 in the U.K., where it's an every-other-year event and has raised $1.2 billion so far. Millions of pounds are raised for charities by the public and celebrities of film, music, and TV who put a hold on their plans for a day or two and help to raise money. The RED NOSE has been a motif I think since it began. In 1989, Christopher Lee also joined in. Weeks before the event, a whole new gang join in and a new band of promotional posters, photographs and tv campaign promos appear everywhere to get everyone ready to part with their lolly and join in! This was Christopher Lee's contribution in 1989.. 

THIS YEAR 2020 marks the 60th anniversary since the release of Hammer films classic 'The Brides of Dracula' with Peter Cushing making his return to the big screen as Van Helsing Vampire Slayer in July 1960. Despite the title, there was no Count Dracula to be seen . . but there was David Peel's Baron Meinster! He may not have been Christopher Lee but I think he too managed to pack quite the punch, in the scary stakes.. no pun intended... as this great rare colour transparency shows! 60 years, wow! I'll start prepping and baking the cake ready for our party?? Over at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE, I've asked you if 'Brides' one of your fav Hammer / Cushing classics? Feel free to join the chat! and comments! - Take care everyone : Marcus

HENRY OSCAR REMEMBERED : BRIDES AND SHERLOCK

HERE IS AN ACTOR with a name, that probably most of us would have forgotten, but certainly we know his face 😉 Today marks the birthday of HENRY OSCAR or Henry Wale as some would have known him, back in the day. Oscar changed his name and began acting in 1911, having studied under Elsie Fogerty at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

ON FILM OSCAR played professional characters, dentist for Hitchcock, school teachers, doctors, bank mangers, all usually stiff, authoritative and at times pompous, this was probably why Terence Fisher cast him as Herr Lang, head of the charming 'School for Young Ladies' in Hammer films 'The Brides of Dracula' in 1960. Again, pompous, his ego is deflated when Peter Cushing flashes his 'Dr Van Helsing' 'calling card'! It's a lovely scene. Oscar was to work with Cushing again on November 4th 1968, in episode 9 'Thor Bridge' of Cushing's BBC 'Sherlock Holmes' television series, as Bates. Sadly this episode was wiped in the great BBC 'spring clean', so we have no idea or images just how that looked. But my guess is, just like in 'Brides' both Cushing and Oscar, would have squeezed and presented quite a show!

OSCAR ALSO APPEARED in a wide range of films, Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), The Four Feathers (1939), Hatter's Castle (1942), Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948), Beau Brummell (1954), The Little Hut (1957), Oscar Wilde (1960), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Long Ships (1963) and Murder Ahoy! (1964). Today, he isn't forgotten 😊Please join us in remembering and celebrating a Very Happy Birthday to Henry Oscar today! 😉

WHEN THE BARONESS DID YOGA IN THE NUDE AND THIS WEEK'S TUESDAY TOUGHY!

THIS WEEK'S Cushing Tuesday Toughy! . . Can you identify the TITLE of that film in our QUESTION this week?😕 I'll be giving you the ANSWER on Friday! Meanwhile . . as this one beat you? Feel free to join in on the suggestions of ANSWERS in the THREAD at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE! Good luck!

ABOVE: HERE is ANSWER to last week's TUESDAY TOUGHY! Some of you got this one spot on! Well done 😃 I am happy to tell you, Hugh Harlow is still with us, Martita who was 59 at the time, sadly is not. Thankfully, this happening, was something she never did find out about . . ! PLEASE remember the PCAS Cushing Tuesday Toughies are just for fun. BUT if you want to try and bag yourself a PRIZE the PCAS SWORD OF SHERWOOD FOREST COMPETITION is STILL OPEN, here you can win yourself a copy of the FAB remastered TWILIGHT TIME REGION FREE BLU RAY until SUNDAY 9th of December 2018! Have a GO! 

WHAT THE DIRECTOR SAW! THIS WEEKS TUESDAY TOUGHY AND 'BRRR' LAST WEEKS ANSWER!

THIS WEEKS TUESDAY TOUGHY: This is a very true and funny one, for sure . . . and gives some background, to what a strange and rather eccentric lady, actress Martita Hunt could be . . if the need took her 😃 Please feel free to join the post over at the  OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PCAS FAN PAGE and share your thoughts with others on the thread 😏. Btw, the source of the answer, is from Hugh Harlow himself...who shared the story with Peter Cushing on the day!!! ANSWER next week!

ABOVE the answer of LAST WEEKS TUESDAY TOUGHY!

PCAS FEATURE AND GALLERY : HERE! 

#CUSHINGGIFWEDESDAY! RUNNING RUNNING AND THAT STARE THAT LAUNCHED A THOUSAND STARES!

YOU HAVE TO GIVE CREDIT TO Peter Cushing, when the script said 'run' HE RAN! This clip is from Hammer films, 'Frankenstein Created Woman' Here he displays the same athletic pace that graced the screen in the chase scene in DRACULA (1958) The Brides of Dracula (1960) . . . even up to Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell in 1974. I guess all those early morning dips in the cold sea, outside his front door in Whitstable kept him very fit indeed!

THIS GIF and the one below perfectly illustrates why DESPITE having a misleading TITLE actually WAS a very worthy sequel to Hammer films 'DRACULA / THE HORROR OF DRACULA' Incredible sets, glass matte work, maybe a playing of Cushing's VAN HELSING that has an even better edge and a fablous cast. 'THE BRIDES OF DRACULA' . . .

THE BRIDES OF DRACULA (1960): This gif is a lesson in expert framing and direction. From The Brides of Dracula, again like the last GIF Cushing is on the move. If you take a look at everything going on in this hot, today they would cover all that action with about four shots and two cut aways, in order to create drama with fast editing. Director Terence Fisher didn't NEED to do that. The skill here is all about WHERE to place the camera to get it all ion ONE shot, so not losing the drama and the energy, we can see everything and the timing is al

THIS WAS A TECHNIQUE that for HAMMER FILMS started in their 'DRACULA / HORROR OF DRACULA ' (1958) The CLOSE UP shot of the VAMPIRE EYES followed by the victims. There wasn't a VAMPIRE film after the 58, that didn't feature it! It's even more effective, when  those eyes belonged to the beautiful, YVONNE MONLAUR . . 

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  

#FEMMEFATALE! YVONNE MONLAUR REMEMBERED : A HAPPY BIRTHDAY WITH LOVE!

#CUSHINGSFEMMEFATALESFRIDAY! It's been my personal opinion, for as long as I can remember, but I consider this young lady, to have been THE most beautiful and talented of all the actresses that Peter Cushing worked with.... Earlier today we asked our friends at the PCASUK FACEBOOK FAN PAGE if they could name her. name her? It wasn't too difficult, because even at this young age, she was already displaying that, radiance that lit up the big screen, when ever she appeared on it. Yvonne Monlaur would have been celebrating her 78th birthday today. How I wish she was here to do that.  As it's #FEMMEFATALEFRIDAY today, I thought, it was an opportunity too good too miss, that we should celebrate her birthday, but also mark it with a feature here at the website. So, later today we'll  be publishing a whole FEMMEFATLE feature on Yvonne, lots of rare stills, gifs and much more, not only as a tribute but also a thank you to one very unique actress and beautiful lady . . . .Ahhh, 'be still my beating heart' . .sigh . . .

Yvonne Monlaur starred in the 1958 Italian film Three Strangers in Rome which was amongst Claudia Cardinale's earliest films and in 1960 in the horror film 'Circus of Horrors' alongside prominent actors in British film such as Anton Diffring and Donald Pleasence. In 1960, she also starred in the Hammer horror film 'The Brides of Dracula'  alongside other noted British actors of the day Peter Cushing and Freda Jackson and in 'The Terror of the Tongs' (1961) with Christopher Lee.

FULL FEATURE WITH GALLERY HERE! 

FULL FEATURE WITH VINTAGE STILLS GALLERY: HERE! 

Monlaur screen tested for the role of Domino Derval in the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball. The role eventually went to another French actress, Claudine Auger. After a string of German and Italian films, Monlaur left films to return to Paris. She continued to live the there until her passing in April 18, 2017, aged 77

FULL FEATURE WITH RARE VINTAGE STILLS 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  .

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: COLOURISED GUESTS FROM HAMMER BRIDES PREMIER

#TOOLCOOLTUESDAY: Here is a colourized image from premiere 1960’s 'The Brides of Dracula', featuring Yvonne Monlaur and of course Peter Cushing. 'Brides', is one of those films that in my very humble opinion…manages to outdo the original in almost every way. Ok I will conceit that perhaps during the latter half of the film the script isn’t the strongest, but the opening sequences at Castle Meinster easily stand among the best of any Hammer Horror and again…perhaps somewhat controversially, far outdo those in the earlier picture. Cushing once again gets to play more of the action hero and the final sequences in the barn are incredibly thrilling, including the famous ‘branding’ sequence. David Peel makes a refreshing substitute for Christopher Lee and it’s nice to see the Hammer team taking a chance on a very different look for this vampire. Of course Yvonne Monlaur steals a great deal of the screen, being equally glamorous and, un-like a lot of early Hammer heroines, convincingly brave as she becomes determined to free the Baron. It’s a shame she only did one more picture for Hammer, 1961’s 'The Terror of the Tongs' though horror fans can also catch her in 1960’s 'Circus of Horrors' alongside another Hammer star, Anton Differing. Monlaur passed away earlier this year, it’s a tribute to her performance that 'The Brides of Dracula' succeeds at being as powerful as it is. - Callum McKelvie (pcas)

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  . 

THE BRIDES OF DRACULA PREMIER : GOLDEN VAMP GOOF AND BEAST MUST DIE!

#GETHECUSHIONSUNDAY! Peter Cushing and Yvonne Monlaur rolled up at the West End Rank Cinema, London for the premier night of #hammerfilms 'The Brides of Dracula' on July 7th 1960 . . .looks like Yvonne had wondered off for a popcorn or hotdog, leaving Peter at the mercy of these two ladies from the Rank Organisation, in fancy dress..at least I HOPE they are in fancy dress....

PETER CUSHING AND YVONNE MONLAUR together at the #bridesofdracula premier night . . .with the Vampire Girls just...off..camera...

TWO GREAT PUBLICITY shots of Peter Cushing from Hammer films, 'THE BRIDES OF DRACULA' (1960) One in character as #VANHELSING and the other, as himself!

WE HAVE compiled the SIX photographs that were taken exclusively on set of #HAMMERFILMS 'The Brides of Dracula' for the PICTURE SHOW magazine feature, and reassembled them, in this banner, to give some idea of how, they could have looked . . 

#GETTHECUSHIONSUNDAY! CALLUM McKELVIE'S feature this week is on the Amicus Cushing 'WHO-DONE-IT'.... 'The Beast Must Die'! Link below... Many still talk about the WEREWOLF BREAK, an ingenious little gimmick, which gave you a minute to guess the TRUE identity of the werewolf in the cast. Even though I have watched this movie about half a dozen times...I STILL can't ever remember when watching, WHO it turns out to be. DON'T REVEAL PLEASE! Cast your mind back, to when you first saw the film...HONESTLY...DID you SUCCESSFULLY GUESS who the werewolf was??? Here's the link to great memories, photographs and stuff on this most unusual of Amicus Horror films . .

 FEATURE HERE: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  . .