'THE HOUSE OF HAMMER' NUMBER 11: HAMMER FILMS: THE GORGON TOLD IN COMIC STRIP

Cover Art: Brian Lewis. Script: Scott Goodall. Artwork: Goring and Cuyas.

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Read our feature on PRUDENCE HYMAN, 'The Gorgon'  HERE

'THE TRIALS OF VAN HELSING' PART ONE: PCAS TAKES A LOOK AT PETER CUSHING'S ARCH VAMPIRE HUNTER

In 1956, while planning their new color version of Frankenstein, Hammer films decided to take a chance on offering the role of Baron Frankenstein to Peter Cushing.  Producer Anthony Hinds didn’t really think they stood much of a chance – Cushing was, after all, the biggest television star in the country – but much to his surprise, the actor jumped at the chance.  When the film, finally titled The Curse of Frankenstein, became a smash hit across the globe it was only natural that they would want to continue using Cushing in their films.  For Cushing, this resulted in much soul-searching: he knew that doing more than one horror film, especially in rapid succession, would likely typecast  him as a “horror actor” and wasn’t sure that he wanted to go down that particular road. 

 

However, on-going health problems with his beloved wife Helen necessitated extensive – and costly – testing and treatments.  Hammer Horror was on the rise and it offered Cushing a degree of financial stability that he hadn’t really encountered at this stage in the game.  The actor elected to throw “respectability” to the wind – and he would embrace a long and fruitful association with Hammer and the horror genre in general.  When the time came for the studio to make their seemingly inevitable color version of Dracula (which would be released in the U.S. as Horror of Dracula to help distinguish it from the 1931 version directed by Tod Browning and starring Bela Lugosi), it was every bit as inevitable that they would turn to Cushing to star.  He wasn’t really the right “type” to play Dracula himself, but the role of Van Helsing appeared to offer him a consolation prize.  The only problem was, the character as described by author Bram Stoker was an elderly Dutchman.  Producer Hinds and screenwriter Jimmy Sangster apparently toyed with the idea of sticking with the book and putting their star in a white wig, but Cushing had other ideas: he would play the role as a younger, more agile man.  It would prove to be a tremendous inspiration.

Much has been written about the resulting film over the years, but sooner than rehash the usual talk of Christopher Lee’s take on Dracula or director Terence Fisher’s elegant simplicity in realizing the material, let us consider what Peter Cushing brought to the table.  It’s well known that Cushing was not particularly enamored with the screenplays by Jimmy Sangster – least of all, the dialogue they contained.  A somewhat fussy and exceptionally dedicated actor, he would do his best to enliven the films he appeared in by working in unison with the directors, quietly making suggestions as to how to better develop the scenes and dialogue.  If Cushing had no problem shooting down the idea of playing Van Helsing a la Stoker, he was equally comfortable in making suggestions to Fisher about how to overcome some of the logical shortcomings present in Sangster’s scenario.  Sangster had written the climax with the idea of Van Helsing pulling a crucifix from his coat pocket and using it to force Dracula into the sunlight.  Cushing balked at this, however, rightly pointing out that he had already handed out several crucifixes and was in danger of coming across like a crucifix salesman!

He also felt the ending was a bit static and remembering a film from his youth, he suggested to Fisher that it might be more exciting if Van Helsing were to jump on the table in the Count’s library and use it to get a running start at jumping at the curtains, enabling him to flood the library with sunlight; he would then take two silver candlesticks and cross them together, using them to force his wounded foe into the light.  Fisher recognized a good idea when it was presented and wasn’t too proud to utilize it, and one of the most exciting finales in the history of the genre was formed.

Cushing was also ahead of the curve in recognizing that Van Helsing wasn’t entirely “all there.”  As he would later recall, anybody who doesn’t leave the house without a supply of crucifixes, holy water, stakes and hammers is hardly your average practicing physician!  As such, Cushing would play the role with an edge, making him different from Stoker’s conception and also a bit more ambiguous than other Van Helsings on film, like Edward Van Sloan (Dracula, 1931; Dracula’s Daughter, 1936), Herbert Lom (Jess Franco’s Count Dracula, 1970), Frank Finlay (the BBC’s superb Count Dracula, 1978) and his old friend Laurence Olivier (Universal’s big budget Dracula, 1979).  Cushing’s Van Helsing, especially in this first entry, is a steely adversary largely because he’ ever-so-subtly off his rocker.  This is most neatly summed up in the marvelous scene wherein the porter played by Geoffrey Bayldon (who would go on to co-star in such Cushing classics as Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, 1969, and The House That Dripped Blood, 1970) gets flustered because he thought he had heard Van Helsing talking with someone when in fact the good doctor is all alone; the truth is, Van Helsing was recording on his Dictaphone, but he elects to alarm the nosy servant by proudly proclaiming that he was talking to himself.  It’s a rich moment of dark humor that stands in relief against the more wince-inducing comedic relief provided by George Benson late in the film.

Cushing’s Van Helsing is obsessive to a fault, barely taking time to provide much in the way of consolation to the uncomprehending people caught up in the drama.  His warmest moment occurs when he comforts the little girl (Janina Faye) who nearly became vampire fodder herself, and it could be that Cushing was insistent upon adding this in to soften the character just a little (it would seem that the controversial line he says about “teddy bears” was an ad lib on his part; the line elicits groans from some viewers because the term did not come into existence until well after the timeframe in which the film is set). 

The film was released to tremendous box office and mixed reviews in 1958 and would help to cement Cushing as the successor to Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi.  A sequel would have seemed inevitable, yet it took a while to materialize.  Here again, the trials and tribulations in bringing what was eventually released as The Brides of Dracula to the screen can be read elsewhere (I wrote up a piece on the film for this very site HERE), but what Cushing brought to it again deserves special consideration.

As was par for the course with Cushing, he had issues with Jimmy Sangster’s original screenplay.  Indeed, he was so appalled by aspects of it that he asked to allow a friend, Edward Percy, to come in and do a proper dialogue polish.  Producer/co-writer Anthony Hinds allowed the request and also acquiesced to the actor’s desire for a new climax – as the original one devised by Sangster (wherein Van Helsing uses black magic to defeat the vampire) clashed with his conception of the character.  Hinds devised a new bit of derring-do for Cushing to perform and quietly pocketed the original ending with the hopes of dusting it off for a later project… which he would do, on The Kiss of the Vampire (1962).

Cushing would play the character as a bit softer this time around.  He’s a warmer, more approachable character and while he’s still fixated on eradicating evil, he seems less obsessive about it.  He even displays something of a romantic interest in the film’s damsel in distress (Yvonne Monlaur), which would have seemed unthinkable in the more tunnel-vision-oriented characterization present in Dracula.  The film withholds Cushing’s entrance until the second act, but from that point on he quietly dominates the proceedings – no mean feat when one considers the truly imposing work by David Peel as the effete Baron Meinster, Martita Hunt as his disgraced mother and Freda Jackson as the cackling nanny-turned-vampire-midwife.  Cushing’s attention to detail manifests itself throughout as does his propensity for juggling as many props as possible without calling too much attention to himself – a fetish of sorts which prompted director Val Guest to refer to him as “Props Peter.” 

Brides of Dracula would be another hit for Hammer, but curiously, they would elect to not bring Van Helsing back for future installments like Dracula Prince of Darkness (1965), Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968), Taste the Blood of Dracula (1969) and Scars of Dracula (1970).  The Van Helsing surrogates in these later films would range from Andrew Keir’s no-nonsense Father Sandor and Rupert Davies stern Monsignor to John Carson’s folklore-friendly Jonathan Secker and Michael Gwynn’s basically ineffectual village priest.  They were all fine in their respective roles, but one couldn’t help but wonder why it was that Cushing was no longer part of the franchise.  Things would change, however, when Hammer decided to “update” the franchise to the modern day…

Part Two Later This Week...

Written by: Troy Howarth

Banner and Images: Marcus Brooks

PART TWO of 'The Trials of Van Helsing' can be found: HERE

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DR WHO AND THE DALEKS (1965) : FULL COLOUR COMIC STRIP ADAPTION PART ONE

DR WHO AND THE DALEKS: UK 1965

CAST:

Peter Cushing (Doctor Who), Roy Castle (Ian Chesterton), Jennie Linden (Barbara), Roberta Tovey (Susan), Barrie Ingham (Alydon), Michael Coles (Ganatus), John Brown (Antodus), Geoffrey Toone (Temmosus), Mark Peterson (Elyon)

PRODUCTION:

Director – Gordon Flemyng, Screenplay – Milton Subotsky, Based on the Episode The Daleks Written by Terry Nation from the tv series Doctor Who, Producers – Max J. Rosenberg & Milton Subotsky, Photography – John Wilcox, Music – Barry Gray, Special Effects – Ted Samuels, Art Direction – Bill Carpenter. Production Company – AARU Productions. 

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS... A MODEL OF GUSTAV AND A SEVERED HEAD!

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS.... a Peter Cushing / Gustav Weil resin model kit, 1/6th scale from Hammer Films 'TWINS OF EVIL'... How about you?

This one as been sculpted and produced by the award winning Martin Thomas at Greenfield Studios. Thomas shows his work at many model and fan conventions. The model here is a new model, not a recast.One for the Christmas wish list? 

MILLENNIUM ENTERTAINMENT RELEASE 'CREATED WOMAN' BLU RAY IN U.S JANUARY 2014

Heads up for U.S Cushing / Hammer Followers:
Hammer Films, 1967 Frankenstein Created Woman, starring Peter Cushing in his fourth outing as Baron Frankenstein, will be released on BLU RAY by Millennium Entertainment on January 28th 2014

Special Features:
Commentary featuring Derek Fowlds ("Johann"), Robert Morris ("Hans"), and Jonathan Rigby (Hammer Historian)
Frankenstein Created Woman Trailer
World of Hammer Episode "The Curse of Frankenstein"
World of Hammer Episode "Hammer Stars: Peter Cushing"
Brand New Documentary: "Hammer Glamour"
Animated Stills Gallery
Includes Exclusive Collectable Cards!

Read our review of 'Frankenstein Created Woman' with great gallery of publicity photographs here: http://petercushingblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/and-then-he-created-woman-soul.html 

PRESS RELEASE: HAMMER FILMS PLAN THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN REMAKE

 

NEWS: HAMMER FILMS PRESS RELEASE: U.K.-based genre banner Hammer Films, a division of Exclusive Media, plans an updated version of the 1957 iconic horror movie.

LONDON – U.K. genre banner Hammer Films, a division of Exclusive Media, plans to bring an updated version of 1957 iconic horror movie The Abominable Snowman to the big screen.

Billed as a modern take on the Yeti myth, the update sees a scientific expedition’s illegal ascent of the peak of one of the world’s most formidable mountains accidentally awakening an ancient creature.

The original screenplay by Matthew Read (Pusher, Hammer of the Gods) and Jon Croker (The Woman In Black: Angel of Death) updates the 1957 film from Hammer’s classic library.

The update is being developed by Hammer in association with producer Ben Holden, whose resume boasts The Quiet Ones and The Woman in Black: Angel of Death, both with Exclusive.

The project marks a continuation of Hammer’s ongoing aim to maintain a heritage of producing enduring British horror films, which are original, current and relevant for modern audiences.

It follows The Woman in Black, which starred Daniel Radcliffe and became the most successful British horror film of all time at the box office.

Hammer president & CEO and Exclusive Media vice chairman Simon Oakes said: "The success of Let Me In and The Woman In Black has shown that there is an appetite for quality horror films, so it is exciting to draw on Hammer’s unparalleled source material in this genre, which can be re-imagined and updated for a new audience."

Holden is currently working with Hammer on The Woman in Black: Angel of Death, which is in production in the U.K. now.

Still in the early stages of planning, there is no director, start date or cast attached for Snowman.

KATE WEBSTER: DIRECTOR OF 'MR CUSHING AND MR LEE: THE GENTLEMEN OF HORROR' INTERVIEW

Troy Howarth, the author of The Haunted World of Mario Bava, (Here) due in 2014 from Midnight Marquee Press (http://www.midmar.com/), follows up his interview with James Goss by chatting a bit with Kate Webster, the director of Mr. Cushing and Mr. Lee: The Gentlemen of Horror. This fictionalized account of the friendship between Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee offers a revealing view of their "behind the scenes" frienship...

 

What got you interested in directing?

It was mainly being directed as an actor, at school and in amateur theatre, and seeing how much the director did to shape the final production and support the actors in giving their best performance.

 

How long have you been directing?

Since 1994 (which makes me feel ancient!), when I directed my first student production of Jacobean drama "The Revenger's Tragedy". Since then, I've directed outdoor productions, a season with Manchester Youth Theatre, site-specific plays and several shows at both the Edinburgh Fringe and Camden Fringe.

 

Oh, 1994 isn't that long ago!  Do you have any favorite directors, either in film or theatre?

Vicky Featherstone's "Black Watch" for National Theatre of Scotland is one of the strongest pieces of theatre I've ever seen and I can't wait to see what she does as Artistic Director of the Royal Court. I'm a big fan of both Simon McBurney and Theatre de Complicite, and Declan Donellan and Cheek by Jowl; I don't think it's a coincidence that they're both directors who've worked with one company over a long period of time. I've also seen some fantastic work by Rufus Norris and Katie Mitchell, who tend to be directors with big ideas.

And now we come to Gentlemen of Horror, which deals with the relationship between Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.  How did you become involved in this project?

The writer James Goss and I have known each other a long time and worked together before. He sent me this script and asked if I'd be interested in doing it, and I jumped at the chance.

 

Based on that, I would assume that you were already a fan of Lee and Cushing?

I was a fan of the films I'd seen, but I think I've become much more aware of the range of both their careers and quite the volume of films they made together since working on this project. They're both screen icons and it's been fascinating to look behind the curtain a bit.

 

What are your thoughts on Lee and Cushing as actors?  Do you prefer one over the other?

I think they're quite different, and that's one of the reasons they complement each other so well. I couldn't pick a favourite, but I think Lee has great presence and a real air of brooding menace when it's required, while Cushing brings such delicacy and precision to his roles.

That's a good distinction between the two; I'd also argue that both have tended to be underrated for far too long.  Did you do much research ahead of time, or was it all more or less there on the page as far as you were concerned?

The vast majority of it's on the page and in the encyclopedic research James has done, but we've done some more research on specific things during the rehearsal process.

 

How have you worked with your actors?  Are you encouraging them to look at the films that Lee and Cushing did together, or are you encouraging them to focus on the script itself, divorced of outside influences?

The actors are both big horror fans who'd already seen a lot of Cushing and Lee's work, but we've also looked at some of the films and biographies to flesh out certain moments and help it make sense in their minds. There aren't always definitive answer to every question. For example - no spoilers - there's a moment in the play when Cushing talks about apologising to his dying wife Helen for "not having been the perfect husband". We may never know precisely what he was sorry for, but there are little hints and indications that Matthew can use to play that scene.

 

I think the films inform every page of the script and the actors are drawing on that, but for both of them it has to be a performance, not an impression. No-one can replicate Cushing and Lee and we're not attempting that. That's also important because the script is about their relationship off screen and the things you don't see in their films.

It really is a wonderful idea; I'm sure the fans of these actors would all love to see it.  Are you pleased with how the production has been going?

Very pleased! We were delighted to find a venue with such a strong cinema connection, and it's great that they're screening "Dracula, A.D. 1972" after the play. The actors, Matthew Woodcock and Simon Kane, have been an absolute pleasure to work with; they "got" the characters from the very first read and have been doing brilliant work in rehearsals. I can't wait to see them on stage.

I have a perverse affection for Dracula AD 1972, which doesn't seem to be shared by a lot of other Hammer Horror buffs.  Sounds like a perfect capper to me!  What do you have planned after this?

We'll have at least one more performance of "The Gentlemen of Horror" early in 2014 (details to be announced in the next few weeks) and I'm hoping to be part of the VAULT Festival 2014 with a non-horror project called "We Are Not Alone". I've done two projects this year with new writing company The Pensive Federation and would love to work with them again. - we'll see what happens.

 

Kate, thank you for taking the time to answer these questions, and I wish you all every success with the production!

 

YOU CAN BOOK TICKETS TO SEE 'MR CUSHING AND MR LEE: THE GENTLEMEN OF HORROR: HERE