A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JENNIE LINDEN AND STILL TIME TO BAG YOUR ROBIN HOOD BLU RAY!

TODAY IT'S A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to actress JENNIE LINDEN who fought the good fight against the Daleks with Peter Cushing as Dr Who in 'Dr Who and the Daleks' in 1965.. Jennie had a VERY full and quite accomplished carear where she appeared in several notable feature films and television series. One feature 'Women In Love' directed by Ken Russell in  1969 with its  infamous fireplace scene of two men wrestling naked, was in its day one of the most controversial films ever made in Britain! Audiences flocked to cinemas to be shocked and scandalised.  

BUT BEFORE ALL THIS DRAMA and promise of super-stardom, back in 1965 Jennie played Barbara, niece to Peter Cushing's Dr Who in the first of AARU's big screen adaptions of the BBC television series Dr Who. The programme and it's most popular aliens. THE DALEKS were taking the country by storm, and DALEKMANIA had started. Sadly, when the producers decided to make another Dr Who Dalek film, Jenny's role was taken by another actress, Jill Curzon . . . Jennie also appeared opposite Lee Remick and Ian Holm in the film version of Iris Murdoch's novel 'A Severed Head' (1970). Her later film appearances included 'Vampira' (1974), 'Hedda' (1975), 'Valentino' (1977), and 'Charlie Muffin' (1979). Happy Birthday Jennie!

JENNIE WITH Veronica Carlson in VAMPIRA in 1977

JENNIE LINDEN is ALSO one of our FEATURED actresses in our FEMME FATALE series. You can find out more about Jennie's carear and her work with Peter Cushing HERE! This feature also has an extended gallery of images featuring Jennie in several productions and TV shows . . .

THE HOURS ARE TICKING but there is still time to ENTER our PCASUK COMPETITION and win yourself a copy of Peter Cushing's SWORD OF SHERWOOD FOREST remastered LIMITED edition BLU RAY from TWILIGHT TIME!  There are SEVEN copies to win and just ONE question! Go to OUR COMPETITION  HERE!

LITTLE FRANKENSTEIN AND RARE HAMMER FILMS BEHIND THE SCENES

 

#FRANKENSTEINFRIDAY! RETURNS! The year 2018 marks the 200th anniversary of the publishing of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, and even though we make a Cushing Frankenstein themed post most weeks, today sees the return of one of Peter Cushing's most popular characters, to it's weekly spot. To MARK the Frankenstein Anniversary in the remaining month of 2018 and the return our Baron Friday Themed posts, here is an EXCELLENT short video, sent to us by our good friend and regular supporter of the PCAS sites, ANDY WINWARD, a master of the short video... and starring his very cute and talented daughter. Please give yourself a 'Friday Treat' and his short video a watch!

OUR FIRST photo for our return of #FrankensteinFriday today... Peter Cushing on set, boom over-head at the ready, camera waiting to roll in a rare unpublished photograph from a contact sheet of 'Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed' at Elstree film studios. In just over 7 years time, he would be back, on the spot at this studio, appearing as Grand Moff Tarkin in 'Star Wars'. . .

I LOVE press books and ad campaigns... the 'Must Be Destroyed' newspaper ads are some of my favs of the whole Hammer Frankenstein series! 😀

HAPPY 54TH ANNIVERSARY OF HAMMER FILMS 'THE GORGON' : JOSHUA KENNEDY AND HOUSE OF THE GORGON!

TODAY HERE and at our FACEBOOK PCAS FAN PAGE we are marking the anniversary of the release of #hammerfilms THE GORGON starring Peter Cushing and Christopher lee, with Barbara Shelley, Richard Pasco, and directed by Terence Fisher 🙂 At the Facebook Fan Page, the text went like this...'We've covered this film many times here and at the website, it's still one of the most atmospheric and beautifually photographed films that Hammer made. It's got an amazing cast and an amazing musical score by James Bernard. Patrick Troughton, Michael Goodliffe are great too. And according to some fans, It's probably also.... hang on I'll wait for Joshua Kennedy to make his annual annoucement on the thread below.... ANY time now . . ' 😉 AND at THAT POINT, he did! HAPPY BIRTHDAY 'THE GORGON' !

HOW WE MARKED the GORGON anniversary a few years ago. Josh's comment was there on the post as usual, but this year, so was JOSH!

FOR THOSE OF YOU who don't know JOSH and the remarkable films he has made over the years, he has just probably leaped a further few giant steps in the opinions of his fans and friends. Josh is a life long fan of Hammer films, 'THE GORGON' having first seen it when he was just NINE years old. For the past ten years, I have made a tradition of posting a celebration banner, marking the release of THE GORGON, and every year, without fail, Josh has posted the same comment, in the thread below onour Facebook PCAS Fan Page or here at the website, 'THE BEST FILM EVER MADE'  

DRACULA AD 2105 and the promotional poster for HOUSE OF THE GORGON designed by artist Graham Humphrey

AT FIRST, when it appeared, I thought it was just a highly supportive comment, from a Cushing / Hammer film fan, who  was probably on a high, having just seen the film. BUT, no THE GORGON is Josh's favourite Cushing Hammer film. So much so, he has just made his OWN Gorgon movie, as a tribute to the film, that was made back in 1964. Josh has made some impressive tribute films to various Hammer and fantasy genre movies over the years. My favourite being DRACULA AD 2105. A superb full length feature, which also contains many tributes and key scenes, to the whole Hammer film Dracula series. You can catch our feature and review on the film HERE! 

THE HOUSE OF THE GORGON SYNOPSIS:

Filmed in the vein of the classic Hammer and Universal films of yesteryear: The year is 1896, and the lovely Isobel Banning travels with her mother, Anna, to the village of Carlstadt to marry her university sweetheart, Dr. Julian Pritchard. Along their journey they meet the mysterious Father Llewellyn, the local priest, who refuses to explain why the villagers appear to be in a state of mortal fear… as if the town is hiding a terrible secret. Frightened and confused, Isobel and Anna readily accept an invitation from Dr. Pritchard to stay with him and his aunt, the Baroness Bartov, in their large chateau overlooking the town… unaware of the ancient horror that lies within.

HAVING SEEN THE CROWD-FUNDING trailer for 'HOUSE OF THE GORGON' and the prospect of it's jaw dropping cast, who have joined together to support Joshua and his film, makes the release of this film all the more VERY special. The cast includes, Veronica Carlson (Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, Dracula Has Risen From The Grave, The Ghoul) Caroline Munro (At The Earth's Core, Dracula AD 1972) and Christopher Neame (Dracula AD 1972) and Martine Beswick (Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde). I am sure it is going be just as impressive, as Josh's other films, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, The Alpha Omega Man, Theseus and the Minotaur and many others. Scheduled for a 2019 release, I can't wait!

OUR FEATURE on the dancer and actress who played THE GORGON in the 1964 film: JUST click HERE!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VERONICA! THE AMAZING KRESKIN AND CARRY ON CUSHING : TUESDAY TOUGHY!

A SPECIAL DAY.. A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY: Join us in wishing VERONICA CARLSON a VERY Happy Birthday TODAY! Image: Veronica Carlson and Peter Cushing pose for a publicity photograph during the making of #hammerfilms 'Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed' at Elstree film studios in 1969. You can read more about Veronica and her career, in our excellent series feature by BRUCE HALLENBECK HERE plus the work she did with Peter Cushing in Tyburn films, THE GHOUL and  FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED

VERONICA CARLSON : WOMEN IN GOTHIC PART FIVE WITH GALLERY : HERE!

MORE VERONICA CARLSON AND CUSHING in THE GHOUL! JUST CLICK HERE

 

ABOVE THIS WEEKS TUESDAY TOUGHY! Good luck with this one and feel free to pop along to the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE and post YOUR answer in the THREAD! MEANWHILE, below here is LAST WEEKS ANSWER!

ANSWER: DAVID KRESKIN an American Mentalist who was very popular on television in both the US and UK during the 1970's. In 1973 he broadcast a daytime TV series on ITV in the UK. Kreskin always claimed to be an 'entertainer', never a psychic, he operated using the power of suggestion, not paranormal or supernatural. In JULY 1973 Peter Cushing appeared as a guest on the daytime UK show and took part in a ten minute feature, where he was invited to write a NAME of his choice, on a piece of paper. Kreskin did not see the name, as it written and folded up. This paper was then set alight with a match, placed onto a china plate and the ashes from the paper were then rubbed lightly, onto the bare arm of Cushing, where the name HELEN then magically appeared! Helen was Cushing's late wife, who had died just two years previously. Kreskin at the beginning of the trick, did mention he had no prior knowledge of the name that Peter Cushing had chosen to write on the note paper. As with all magic tricks . . . the trick is in the preparation!

ABOVE: TELEVISION LISTING MAGAZINE TV TIMES with the listing of Cushing's appearance on the show. BELOW: Not AUSTIN POWERS but KRESKIN, during his tv show . . .

AT THE TIME when Cushing was still still in deep moaning for his late wife, I personally think, this was such an odd event and choice from Cushing. He never truly recovered for the twenty years odd years, he outlived Helen. Granted, he did a few years later also include a photograph of Helen in the Tyburn film, THE GHOUL'. But this, just seems weird and more than a little mawkish? Maybe it's just me, but I remember seeing this show as a teenager when it was broadcast, and even then, thought it odd. I would really appreciate your thoughts on this. It's a tv appearance which many would not now remember and is hardly ever mentioned. I am sure there will be several comments on this at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE TODAY. PLEASE feel free to join in with your comments and thoughts too!

CHRISTOPHER LEE SATURDAY! ON THE SET OF RISEN AND REMEMBERING WALTERS ON HIS 105TH BIRTHDAY!

#CHRISTOPHERLEESATURDAY! Here is a rare and neat photograph taken during the making of Hammer films, 'Dracula Has Risen From The Grave' . .. with co stars Veronica Carlson and Barbara Ewing. Often when shooting, Lee was known not to hang around on set during the Hammer Dracula films... similar to Peter Cushing. So that makes this pic all the more interesting . . and NOT in costume either!

YOU CAN FIND PART ONE OF THAT ABOVE FEATURE : HERE!

SOMEONE WHO HAD quite a few connections with CHRISTOPHER LEE and would have been 105th TODAY is actor THORLEY WALTERS. THORLEY was known for often playing eccentric characters in a variety of different films, and a fair share with both PETER CUSHING and CHRISTOPHER LEE!

DIRECTOR TERENCE FISHER WITH CUSHING AND THORLEY WALTERS HAVING A CHILL AND A GIGGLE WHILE MAKING 'FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN FOR HAMMER FILMS AT BRAY STUDIOS

HE MADE A NUMBER of appearances in Hammer films, The Phantom of the Opera (1962), Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966), with Christopher Lee, Frankenstein Created Woman (1967), Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969) with Peter Cushing and Vampire Circus (1972).

ABOVE: THORLEY WALTERS AS MR PRINCE IN LITTLE GEM OF A CUSHING FILM CALLED 'SUSPECT' OR 'THE RISK'  . . .

AND OUR FEATURE ON THE FILM :CLICK HERE! 

THORLEY ALSO PLAYED Dr Watson to Christopher Lee's Holmes in Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace (1962) and co starred with Peter Cushing in a non hammer film Suspect (1960)

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!

LOST IN THE FOG! MOMENT OF TERROR MONDAY : PETER CUSHING

#MOMENTOFTERROR MONDAY! ONE OUR MOST POPULAR uploads on our PCAS YOU TUBE CHANNEL is any uploads from the Peter Cushing Tyburn film 'THE GHOUL' considering how unpopular the film appears to have been for so many years, I find it typical of how FACEBOOK works and well this website and YOUTUBE works. So often, over the many years of managing the PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE, an often vague and really quite unsupported opinion was posted by a member of the public AGAINST a certain Hammer film or indeed CUSHING film. Within a few hours, that opinion would influence so many other posts and comments, that if challenged would go very quiet. Happily, the once negative Facebook tide about this film slowly started to change direction too in the last two years, before we parted ways with Facebook last month.

PERSONALLY, I'VE FOUND if you look down the 92 films in Peter Cushing's filmography, and look for roles the like of Dr Lawrence in THE GHOUL you won't find many. . . Cushing played many evil characters, whose reputation was either formed by other appearances in past productions like Frankenstein. The likes of roles like Sir John Rowan in 'Corruption' and Dr Nararoff in 'The Gorgon' too . . were motivated by the progress of medicine. The Ghoul's Dr Lawrence is different. In this scene, where we first meet Lawrence, we see a man who is cautious, with good reason, and helpful . . with intentions. What makes his performance so interesting and entertaining also is, for the first time, Cushing also brought in emotional factors from his own personal life. It presents us with a much more credible character. Crushed by grief and driven by a most horrendous secret. 

WHAT HELPS here too is, every cast member is very good too. John Hurt's Tom Rawling's is every females nightmare. Creepy, lusty and dangerous. The despite Rawling's totally unattractive and frightening drive, the fatal physical horror and terror will be cranked up and is really yet to come. Here in this five minute clip . . we see the traps set, the lies shared and what appears to be the charity of a new friend... become many moments of terror . . .