MARKING THE BIRTHDAYS OF A SIR AND A LORD WITH PC CONNECTIONS!

TODAY 22ND OF MAY, has brought us the opportunity to celebrate the BIRTHDAY of one of PETER CUSHING's favourite writers and one of his close friends. of his early days in theatre and film . . .

TODAY WE REMEMBER Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who was born on this day a writer best known for his detective fiction featuring the character Sherlock Holmes. Originally a physician, in 1887 he published A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels about Holmes and Dr. Watson. In addition, Doyle wrote over fifty short stories featuring the famous detective. 

OUR PCASUK feature on the BBC TWO PART episode of 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' with gallery is BARKING AND RIGHT HERE! 

THE SHERLOCK HOLMES stories are generally considered milestones in the field of crime fiction. Peter Cushing played Sherlock Holmes in Hammer's THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, then in the BBC TV SERIES and finally in Tyburn's THE MASKS OF DEATH As a cherry on the cake, Cushing also got to play Conan Doyle in a TNT 1976 film, 'The Great Houdini' . . thank you to Mark Iveson for Facebook PCASUK Fan Page that reminder 😉
 

FEATURE AND GALLERY on Peter Cushing in the BBC episode, THE SIGN OF FOUR RIGHT HERE!

A RARE JAPANESE phone card, depicting Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Stock as Watson from the BBC Television series . .

TODAY WE REMEMBER an acting legend! Laurence Olivier who was born on this day in 1907. Olivier dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He also worked in films throughout his career, playing more than fifty cinema roles. Late in his career, he had considerable success in television roles. Among Olivier's best known films are Wuthering Heights (1939), Rebecca (1940), and a trilogy of Shakespeare films as actor-director: Henry V (1944), Hamlet (1948), and Richard III (1955). OLIVIER'S LATER FILMS included The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), Sleuth (1972), Marathon Man (1976), and The Boys from Brazil (1978). For his on-screen work he received four Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, five Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. 

THE NATIONAL THEATRE'S  largest auditorium is named in his honour, and he is commemorated in the Laurence Olivier Awards, given annually by the Society of London Theatre. PETER CUSHING co-starred and was directed by Olivier in Hamlet (1948) with Cushing playing Osric. Another notable thing about the film although they shared no scenes together it was the first film to star both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, who had an uncredited role as a spear carrier with no spoken lines.

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY: SIX GREAT GIFS REQUESTED BY YOU!

#SILENTBUTDEADLY: Breaking into the first of our SIX REQUESTED GIFS is Kharis (Christopher Lee) dispatching Mehemet Bey (George Pastell) as the speechless Isoblel Banning (Yvonne Furneaux) looks on in horror in Hammer filmsThe Mummy (1959). This is one of those occasions where the soundtrack is as good as the visuals. A sickening crack and crunch, comes courtesy of the Hammer special effects dept, making this one of those golden but gut turning classic Hammer clips. Thanks to Colin Bond who requested this and our NEXT GIF today...   #hammerfilms #petercushing #christopherlee #themummy

YOU CAN REQUEST ANY GIF FROM A PETER CUSHING FILM FOR NEXT WEEK'S GALLERY, BY SIMPLY EMAIL US AT THE EMAIL BELOW OR COMING INTO OUR FACEBOOK Peter Cushing APPRECIATION Society Fan Page AND SEND US A MESSAGE USING THE 'MESSAGE / CONTACT US BUTTON!

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY: Paul Beresford (Peter Cushing) looking very pleased with himself, as a Cybernaut delivers one of the scientists that will help him avenge his brothers death, from The Avengers episode "Return of the Cybernauts" . . . #petercushing #carolinemunro #dougmcclure

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY: For Jenny Price. Dr. Abner Perry (Peter Cushing) getting 'mesmerized despite him being British!' from At The Earths Core (1976). A truly fun film, with all the cast, on top form and the rubber monsters just add to its charm! #petercushing #dougmcclure #carolinemunro #amicusfilms #attheearthscore

#SILENTBUTDEADLY: Silent, but just as effective, with the audio track. Peter Cushing as Osric from Laurence Olivier's 'HAMLET'. Cushing's foppish dandy makes an exit that's hard to forget! Thanks to Karl 'The Mangle' Broadshaw for this one!. 

#SILENTBUTDEADLY: This classic moment from ITC'S 'THE MUPPET SHOW' and Vincent Price's guest appearance. Much to Vinnie's horror, Kermit goes for the jugular. Many thanks to Ebony Hamilton, for reminding us about this moment. It's a great shame that neither Peter OR Christopher Lee go an invite to appear on the show, but Vincent Price, was a natural choice and a real hoot! 
#vincentprice #themuppets

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY: AND FINALLY.. Mary Nichols from New York as requested the above GIF, explaining she had an idea that we had posted this GIF previously, but thought that it would have been long deleted. Well, here's the good news, here is the GIF you mentioned Mary, reposted for you. BUT, the original post WILL BE STILL UP here at this website. We NEVER delete past posts, photographs or features. You'll see we have a SEARCH BOX at the top right of this site, and all you have to do is enter in the KEY WORDS 'Peter Cushing From Beyond The Grave'..and this and many other posts will be loaded up onto your screen. So, easy to find, and you truly will never miss a thing we have posted over the last SEVEN YEARS! Thanks Mary! MORE REQUESTED GIFS, NEXT WEDNESDAY! #petercushing #frombeyondthegrave #amicusfilms

JOIN US FRIDAY FOR OUR WEEKLY FRIDAY THEMED POST DAY: #FRANKENSTEINFRIDAY! EVERYTHING IT SAYS ON THE BANNER. NOW IN IT'S SIXTH YEAR!

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 our 30K following total for Peter Cushing BIRTHDAY on MAY 26th 2017 AND Help Keep The Memory Alive! 

REMEMBERING : MICHAEL HORDERN : FISHING AND MAKING THE BEST CATCH

REMEMBERING : Actor Michael Hordern Born Today.... here is an actor as prolific as Cushing,who from the beginning cast his net wide and played quite an eclectic and diverse collection of roles. Both he and Peter Cushing had established theatre careers before appearing in film and on tv. Hordern, sticks in most fantasy films fan minds for his portrayal as the pompous theatre crictic George Maxwell in Vincent Price's Theatre of Blood and the M.R James BBC Ghost story, Whistle and I'll Come to from 1968. He also chimes a sweet memory for me as the narrator of the BBC Paddington Bear stories. Hordern appeared with Cushing in the 1956 film , Alexander the Great as Demosthenes. Hordern like Cushing played many Shakespearean roles, and his worn and conservative looks made him the go-to-guy for civil servants in Brit 1950's movies and the character of Jacob Marley in several productions of 'A Christmas Carol'.

A quality actor, whose autobiography 'A World Elsewhere' is worth looking up. Among the stories of his obsession with fly-fishing, there are some very interesting insights to this most gentle of men.

  

 

ALEXANDER THE GREAT: It had the cast, the budget . . it also had Cushing! So, what went wrong. Feature later this week!

 

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THE BARD AND PETER CUSHING: MARKING 400 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

It's 400 years ago today, that as Shakespeare, ' shufflel'd off this mortall coile...!' an often quoted line from his 1602 crowd puller, 'Hamlet'. And it's his drama, Hamlet that also provides our Cushing Connection! As many of you may know, Peter Cushing to great success, played Osric in the 1948 Olivier film production, see pic above!. Cushing was no stranger to Shakespeare, having tackled many a role while touring with the Olivier company and in several productions during the 1930's and 40's.

In fact, had not fate intervened, playing several of Shakespeare's characters in a production entitled 'Heritage of Horror' would probably have been his swan-song. Unfortunately, it was a real 'Shakespearian tragedy' that Tyburn and Kevin Francis, could not secure the funding. Peter even grew a beard in preparation for the role, and maintained it until his final day... just as in Shakespeare's time, today some 400 years on, financing drama is in the hands of... '...cream faced loons..' Tis a pity. Rest easy Will . . .

Peter and Helen Cushing, Sir Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh arrive at Freemantle, Australia with the Old Vic Theatre Company....during their tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1948.... they performed Shakespeare's Richard III and Sheridan's 'School for Scandal'.... (A: Helen Cushing B: Peter Cushing C: Laurence Olivier.

 

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ON THE RECORD: THE THEATRE : CUSHING AND HAMLET

Cushing was to play OSRIC in Laurence OLIVIER'S 'HAMLET' in the 1948 production.

 

NEW YORK TIMES REVIEW : BOSELY CROWTHER: 

SEPTEMBER 30TH 1948 

 

 

It may come as something of a rude shock to the theatre's traditionalists to discover that the tragedies of Shakespeare can be eloquently presented on the screen. So bound have these poetic dramas long been to the culture of our stage that the very thought of their transference may have staggered a few profound die-hards. But now the matter is settled; the filmed "Hamlet" of Laurence Olivier gives absolute proof that these classics are magnificiently suited to the screen.

 

Indeed, this fine British-made picture, which opened at the Park Avenue last night under the Theatre Guild's elegant aegis, is probably as vivid and as clear an exposition of the doleful Dane's dilemma as modern-day playgoers have seen. And just as Olivier's ingenious and spectacular "Henry V" set out new visual limits for Shakespear's historical plays, his "Hamlet" envisions new vistas in the great tragedies of the Bard.

It is not too brash or insensitive to say that these eloquent plays, in their uncounted stage presentations, have been more often heard than seen. The physical nature of the theatre, from the time of the Globe until now, has compelled that the audiences of Shakespeare listen more closely than they look. And, indeed, the physical distance of the audience from the stage has denied it the privilege of partaking in some of the most intimate moments of the plays.

 

But just as Olivier's great "Henry" took the play further away by taking it out into the open—and thereby revealed it visually—his "Hamlet" makes the play more evident by bringing it closer to you. The subtle reactions of the characters, the movements of their faces and forms, which can be so dramatically expressive and which are more or less remote on the stage, are here made emotionally incisive by their normal proximity. Coupled with beautiful acting and inspired interpretations all the way, this visual closeness to the drama offers insights that are brilliant and rare.

 Further, a quietly-moving camera which wanders intently around the vast and gloomy palace of Elsinore, now on the misty battlements, now in the great council chamber, now in the bedroom of the Queen, always looking and listening, from this and from that vantage point, gives the exciting impression of a silent observer of great events, aware that big things are impending and anxious not to miss any of them.

 

Actually, a lot of material which is in the conventional "Hamlet" text is missing from the picture—a lot of lines and some minor characters, notably those two fickle windbags, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. And it is natural that some fond Shakespearians are going to be distressed at the suddenly discovered omission of this or that memorable speech. But some highly judicious editing has not done damage to the fullness of the drama nor to any of its most familiar scenes. In fact, it has greatly speeded the unfolding of the plot and has given much greater clarity to its noted complexities.

Hamlet is nobody's glass-man, and the dark and troubled workings of his mind are difficult, even for Freudians. But the openness with which he is played by Mr. Olivier in this picture makes him reasonably comprehensible. His is no cold and sexless Hamlet. He is a solid and virile young man, plainly tormented by the anguish and the horror of a double shock. However, in this elucidation, it is more his wretched dismay at the treachery of his mother than at the death of his father that sparks  woe. And it is this disillusion in women that shapes his uncertain attitude toward the young and misguided Ophelia, a victim herself of a parent's deceit.

In the vibrant performance of Eileen Herlie as the Queen is this concept evidenced, too, for plainly she shows the strain and heartache of a ruptured attachment to her son. So genuine is her disturbance that the uncommon evidence she gives that she knows the final cup is poisoned before she drinks it makes for heightened poignancy. And the luminous performance of Jean Simmons as the truly fair Ophelia brings honest tears for a shattered romance which is usually a so-what affair.

No more than passing mention can be made at this point of the fine work done by Norman Wooland as Horatio and by Basil Sydney as the King, by Felix Aylmer as Polonius, Terence Morgan as Laertes and all the rest. Perfect articulation is only one thing for which they can be blessed. A word, too, of commendation for the intriguing musical score of William Walton and for the rich designing of Roger Furse must suffice. In the straight black-and-white photography which Mr. Olivier has wisely used—wisely, we say, because the study is largely in somber mood—the palace conceived for this "Hamlet" is a dark and haunted palace. It is the grim and majestic setting for an uncommonly galvanic film.

THE SPREAD OF THE EAGLE : BBC TELEVISION 1963 CUSHING MICHELL AND EDDINGTON

In January 1963, Peter Cushing emabarked on his most involved project for sometime. It was a threepart BBC adapation of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, part of the nine part cycle called The Spread of the Eagle, which included Corialanus and Antony and Cleopatra. The producer and director was Peter Dawes, who in 1960 had overseen a massive and prestigious production called An Age of Kings comprising Shakespeare's Richard II, Henry IV and VI and Richard III, starring Sean Connery and Robert Hardy.

In The Spread of the Eagle Cushing was to play Caius Cassius, one of the conspirators in the murder  of Julius Caesar. Cassius is described by Casear as having ' a lean and hungry look'- an appropriate description for Cushing. Fellow conspirator Brutus was Paul Eddington, with Barry Jones as Caesar and Keith Michell as Mark Antony.

The setting is Rome 44BC, where'the colossus'- Julius Caesar- is urged to accpt supreme power. Howeveer, the republicans, icluding the palin thinking Brutus and the coldly intellectual senator Cassius, think they see another tyrant in the making. So a consiracy is forged to assassinate Caesar, while strange supernatural events warn the citizens that tragedy is impending. Casear's death  brings about civil war, and the republican army led by Brutus and Cassius must confront the forces of mark Antony, loyal to Caesars memory.. Brutus, troubled by conscience and ghostly visitations, has little heart fir the fight; neither has Cassius. The battle goes well for them at first, but their enemies prevail and both conspirators die by their own hands.

With it's 1960's graphics and elaborate camera set ups, The Spread of the Eagle boasts a deliberately modern approach, showing how much more sophhisticated television production had become since Cushing's last performances. The acting is naturalistic, and Cushing brings force and and passion to his delivery of Shakespeare's text, investing the complex speeches with emotion and meaning. In his black wig he looks severe, and the television cameras are noticeably less kind to his face than film cameras.

Before rehearsals started on February 25th, Cushing was in contact with Peter Dews to check the pronunciation of certain lines. The series was recorded in Studio 4, television centre on March 8th, March 25th and April 5th 1963 with Cushing's fee at 563 guineas per episode. The production was recorded 'as live', which meant that the recording breaks were kept to a minimum (to avoid costly editing) and small mistakes had to be worked through if possible. Paul Eddinton remembered the problems created by having real horses in the studio - they tended to slip on the rubberised flooring that was used for the battlefield. While Cushing and Eddington struggled to continue their performances, Keith Michell was fighting a losing battle to keep on his horse out of shot. Michelle called Cushing's Cassius 'one of the finest Shakespearean performances I have ever seen' remembering that during rehearsals, Cushing wore doormats and fire-irons in place of his sword and armour, leading the bluff Northerner Peter Dews to remark that he looked like a hearth-tidy!

The newspapers picked up on the return of Peter Cushing. This chripy piece was from James Green in the Daily Mirror,'A Few words today from Cassius. Not Cassius Clay of boxing fame. He never said just a few words about anything. This Cassius is the one with the lean and hungry look. Mr Peter Cushing will play him tonight on BBC TV in the Shakespearean play cycle The Spread of the Eagle' It is five years since Cushing last acted for the BBC. But having decided that they can be no worse than the horror films he is back with a bang. Mr Cushing as Senator Caius Cassius, will be on view for three Fridays in succession. Take a close look at the togas being worn on tv. If you buy a ticket to see Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra you will spot the same garments.

'The TV people decided to use the film company togas and we had to wait fr them to arrive from Rome!' says Cassius Cushing. 'I suppose if togas have got to come from anywhere, they might as well come from Rome! They arrive in two sizes." he explains "Large and small. All that needs altering is the hem length. They have an advantage over suits that fittings are not required. The more I wear togas the more I like them. The real thing takes a long time to wind round but these film jobs were in simplified form. A toga is loose and comfortable, does away with collars and ties and it's easy to learn to swing the train over the left arm'. Peter Cushing lives at Whitstable and for much of the year enjoys - if that is the word- a daily swim. He is the kind of Pied Piper to the local children and often joins them in beach games. In fact, the mob can sometimes be seen pushing him into the water. Casius of the wet and watery look!' 

Text taken from 'The Peter Cushing
Companion' by David Miller