ON SET 1974 BEHIND THE SCENES ON AMICIS FILMS / INDICATOR'S BLU RAY 'THE BEAST MUST DIE'

#MAKINGAWEREWOLF was a 'Dawg Gone Problem!', in 1974 . . that's for sure. And as we will probably learn from some of the 'extras' 'interviews' included on the soon to be released BLU Ray from #Indicatorfilms of Amicus films, 'The Beast Must Die'.. it was quite a job! Here are some photographs from the on set shooting days on the film, where 'The Beast' was needed and in residence. The 'experts on hand from Ted Samuels, make up Paul Rabiger and John Hilling from wardrobe, all appear to have had a hand in coming up with a solution. I am not expert and no nothing about dogs, I have a dribbling, furry log, who looks wild boar, that passes himself off as a pedigree PUG called Barney, and I believe him! 😮😃What breed of dog they are using here, I have no idea! Maybe you do? But with some added fur, teeth and attitude, they pull it off I think... just about 😊

FANS APPEAR to be as torn as a pair of 'postman's ravaged pants', on this film. Which I find odd. It's Amicus they did their own thing, only one Gothic film, mostly contemporary settings. Milton and Max left the tradition horror films to Hammer, who had more cash to bash a horror film. Amicus did different and took risks too!

 

ANYWAY, here are some more pics from the #PCASUK clutter for you to have a look at. I think it's worth noting that #INDICATOR / #POWERHOUSE has started to really build itself a sterling and quite trusted reliable reputation for BLU RAY and BOX SETS of considerable quality and content! SEVERAL of their #HAMMERFILMS collections have treated fans and collectors alike to very interesting titles supported with quite a stash of surprising extras (The recent Indicator Hammer Box Set 'FACES OF FEAR' VOLUME FOUR' included an impressive 4k remastering of 'The Revenge of Frankenstein' with the inclusion of some very rarely seen 'On Set' and Behind the scenes trims and footage of the #Braystudio floor during shooting with #PeterCushing, Francis Matthews, Eunice Gayson and Oscar Quitak) As, hoped, the '#THEBEASTMUSTDIE' blu ray also comes with its own bank of extras and goodies! It's open for pre-orders of it's LIMITED release right now 😉 - Marcus

#PCASUK NEWS FEATURE THAT WAS POSTED HERE A FEW DAYS AGO : SOME GREAT NEWS FOR PETER CUSHING AND AMICUS FILMS FANS FOR JUNE 2020!!The last of Amicus’ famed horror productions, 'The Beast Must Die' (1974) makes it's UK PREMIERE on BLU RAY in the UK on JUNE 29th 2020!  

• Audio commentary with director Paul Annett with writer Jonathan Sothcott (2003)

• Interview with Max J Rosenberg (2000): archival audio recording of the famed producer in conversation with Sothcott

• The BEHP Interview with Jack Hildyard (1988): an archival audio recording, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring the Oscar-winning cinematography in conversation with Alan Lawson
• The BEHP Interview with Peter Tanner – Part Two, 1939–1987 (1987): an archival audio recording, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring the acclaimed editor in conversation with Roy Fowler and Taffy Haines
• Introduction by Stephen Laws (2020): appreciation by the acclaimed horror author
• Directing the Beast (2003): archival interview with Annett
• Super 8 version: cut-down home cinema presentation
• Image gallery: publicity and promotional material
• Original theatrical trailer
• Kim Newman and David Flint trailer commentary (2017): short critical appreciation
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Neil Young, an archival article on Amicus Productions, a look at the James Blish short story which inspired the film’s screenplay, an extract from the press-book profiling actor Calvin Lockhart, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
• UK premiere on Blu-ray
• Limited edition of 3,000 copies
• BBFC cert: 15
  REGION B

INDICATOR'S 'THE BEAST MUST DIE' is a LIMITED EDITION and is now available for PRE ORDER RIGHT NOW from POWERHOUSE RIGHT HERE!

REMEMBERING CALVIN LOCKHART : BIGGY SMALLS AND THE BEAST MUST DIE

BAHAMIAN BORN, Bert Cooper... soon to be Calvin Lockhart first caught many movie-goers' attention in those now ' a little off centre' maybe, super-slick cliche urban films like Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970) and Halls of Anger (1970) before becoming a fairly steady fixture in the "blaxploitation" movies of the early-to-mid 1970s. It was what it was... Most serious film and TV roles for black actors were scarce at that time, so Calvin moved from the US to Europe.

OUR PCASUK feature and gallery on 'The Beast Must Die' (1974) starring Calvin Lockhart, Peter Cushing and Marlene Clark, can be FOUND RIGHT HERE! 

GIF ABOVE: BOO! Paul Foote and Newcliffe, play 'a-hunting' in the forest in 'The Beast Must Die' (1974) 

ABOVE: MARLENE CLARK as Caroline Newcliffe in 'The Beast Must Die'

IN ITALY Lockhart soon owned a restaurant and formed his own theatre company, serving as both actor and director. For a time, he also lived in Germany before settling in England, where he became the first black actor to play lead roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Soon he was starting to build up film credits with minor work in such British movies as A Dandy in Aspic (1968) and Only When I Larf (1968). He made news in another racially-motivated project entitled Joanna (1968), which centred around a "mod", interracial romance with 'Genevieve Waite'.

GIF ABOVE: Dr. Lundgren (Peter Cushing) offers to treat Newcliffe's (Calvin Lockhart) dog, 'slight flesh wound' . .  that turns out to be much more . . ! 

IT WAS 1974 when Milton Subotsky, producer and scriptwriter at Amicus films spotted him for the lead role, in a little something different from their portmanteau movies, a wolf-wolf who-done-it . . with a little, if not a wonky nod to the blaxploitation films of Lockhart's past...what resulted for some is one of their Peter Cushing favourites, Cushing playing German (?) Swiss (??) lycanthropy expert in 'The Beast Must Die' famous also for it's 'werewolf-break' the film is a hoot, and like many other Amicus films, has a great cast with Michael Gambon, Anton Diffring, Charles Gray and the lovely, Marlene Clark.

AFTER 'BEAST', Calvin's career grew a little lacklustre, and by the end of the decade, he was resorting to trivial guest parts in such TV shows as Good Times (1974) and Get Christie Love! (1974). He landed a recurring role on the night-time soap Dynasty (1981) In 1974, Calvin married a woman also from the West Indies and had three children! After his career subsided, he decided to return to his homeland in the mid '90s and resettled in Nassau with his fourth wife, Jennifer Miles. There he involved himself with the Freeport Players Guild as a director. He also returned to films after a 15-year absence, completing Rain (2008), a movie shot in the Bahamas, shortly before he suffered a major stroke. 

SADLY CALVIN died of complications on March 29, 2007, and his family are currently in the process of establishing a scholarship fund in his name, specifically for Bahamian students, pursuing an acting or film making career.  Today we remember Lockhart, who put more than a bit of a buzz into a Amicus film. Calvin Lockhart : October 18, 1934 - March 29, 2007

Banner stills: 

Top Right: Peter Cushing and Calvin Lockhart in 'The Beast Must Die' (Amicus 1974)
Bottom Right: Rare promo portrait still for 'The Beast Must Die', featuring Calvin Lockhart and co star, Marlene Clark.
Main Still: Rare publicity portrait of Calvin Lockhart as Tom Newcliffe.
'The Beast Must Die' (1974 Amicus films) Directed by Paul Annett

THE HAUNTING OF HERSTMONCEAUX CASTLE AND REMEMBERING DIANA DORS!

THIS WEEKS CUSHING TUESDAY TOUGHY: IDENTIFY THE ACTOR and INVESTIGATING the similarities, should not be too difficult! THE ANSWER if  SOLVED will appear here on FRIDAY. IF it remains UNSOLVED, I will reveal the solution NEXT TUESDAY! GOOD LUCK! The photograph of Peter Cushing is from Hammer films, 'SWORD OF SHERWOOD FOREST' which stars Richard Greene and Peter Cushing. THURSDAY marks it's RELEASE on BLU RAY from TWILIGHT TIME on a REGION FREE DISC! MORE NEWS on THAT HERE tomorow!

THE ANSWER WE WERE looking for was HAUNTED: HERSTMONCEAUX CASTLE made in 1975. There were clues that WEREWOLF?: Cushing worked with Paul Annette, the DIRECTOR of the documentary, just two years before in Amicus films, 'The Beast Must Die' in 1973. Annette directed BOTH. 'The Beast Must Die' was about a WEREWOLF. A HAUNTING? Herstmonceaux Castle claims to be HAUNTED, and is the theme of the documentary. SUSSEX? Castle Herstmonceaux is based in SUSSEX. CASTLE? That's the theme and setting of the documentary. PETER CUSHING? Cushing provided the NARRATION for the entire documentary! The photograph of Peter wearing the bowler hat is taken from 'The Legend of the Werewolf', a Tyburn Film. It has no connection other than it also features a werewolf, like The Beast Must Die. This was a RED HERRING!

REMEMBERING: Diana Dors born today, October 23rd 1931. '"I’m the kind of girl that things naturally happen to. When they don’t, I give them a push"....Dors much loved and real national treasure for many years with a career as a model, actress, television personality and 'blonde bombshell'...and also a co star in TWO Peter Cushing films. 'From Beyond The Grave' for Amicus films and 'Nothing But The Night' also with Christopher Lee.

ABOVE: How UK PHOTOPLAY magazine covered and review NOTHING BUT THE NIGHT back in 1973 during it's theatrical release

ABOVE AND BELOW: HOW BOTH CUSHING AND DORS looked in Amicus films, FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE in 1973

PETER CUSHING ON SET: During the making of NOTHING BUT 

THE NIGHT (1973)

 

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!