PETER CUSHINGS WHITSTABLE AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE AND YOUR TRIP PICS

Summer is upon us again and every year at this time, we get a flurry of enquiries from friends and followers at our facebook page wanting to make plans to visit Peter Cushing's beautiful home town of Whitstable in Kent. When is the best time to visit, how do we find the places within the town that have Peter Cushing connections, where is the Tudor Tea Rooms, Cushing's View...many questions and request if possible for a map or pics to help navigate the day.

So this year we are prepared. Jamie Somerville partner admin to our facebook account and this website, put together a pretty comprehensive map and guide to Cushing's Whitstable and how to find it last year. The  version of the guide above has been updated PLUS we have added a gallery of  YOUR photographs that you have very kindly shared with us over the past two years. Many of the pics below have come from a very recent trip to the town by Karen Bond and Marc Hartley. They wrote us just this week to tell us all about the terrific day they had and very generously shared a whole album of photographs from their day. So our thanks to them. 

If you are planning a trip to Whitstable this year, PLEASE feel free to send us your pics. We would love to add them to this feature, so the gallery grows, we get to meet you and hopefully it will encourage even more people to visit what is such a very special place.

You can send us your photographs either by email to theblackboxclub@gmail.com or to  the UK Peter Cushing Appreciation Society Facebook HERE

MANY MORE OF YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS TO COME..... 
PLEASE KEEP SENDING THEM IN!

NEWS: LIMITED STEEL BOOK BLU RAY 'DR TERRORS HOUSE OF HORRORS' FROM ODEON

NEWS: Odeon Entertainment have announced their release of Amicus films 'DR TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS' as LIMITED EDITION blu ray. Expected release date is September 7th 2015. No news of extras as yet, but the announcement of this long awaited Cushing favourite coming to blu ray for the first time, is sure to make a lot of us very happy!

Here's a link to the above feature and gallery! Just CLICK HERE

ALL SEVEN PARTS OF THE AMICUS FILMS OF PETER CUSHING SERIES : RIGHT HERE!

The AMICUS films of PETER CUSHING : PART ONE. Begins with the forming of Amicus films with partners Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg and their Vulcan productions of 'It's Trad Dad' and 'City of the Dead' with Christopher Lee. Behind the scenes rare photographs, lobby stills, press and promotional material from Peter Cushing's first outings with Amicus 'Dr Terror's House of Horrors' and 'The Skull' get the series off to a great start.

YOUR DIRECT LINK TO PART ONE JUST CLICK HERE!

 

The AMICUS films of PETER CUSHING : PART TWO covers the Peter Cushing Dr Who and the Dalek movies, Torture Garden and the weird and wonderful, 'Scream and Scream Again' with Vincent Price and Christopher Lee. Bundles of rare colour pics and transparencies! JUST CLICK HERE!

The AMICUS films of PETER CUSHING : PART THREE is a whole featured dedicated to the film 'The House That Dripped Blood'. Not only is it support by behind the scenes photographs of Peter Cushing and director Peter Duffel working on set, but also the films excellent supporting cast of Ingrid Pitt, Christopher Lee, Denholm Elliot and Chloe Franks. The feature also details the story casting and a missed opportunity with Vincent Price. YOUR DIRECT LINK IS HERE 

The AMICUS films of PETER CUSHING : PART FOUR A packed part four brings us the story behind the making of 'I Monster' starring Christopher Lee and Cushing, but also an interview with it's director Stephen Weeks. What happened to the planned promised 3D release, why did Subotsky changed the names of Jekyll and Hyde to Marlow and Blake.... and how did all this go down on set? Peter Cushing also made his award winning appearance as Arthur Grimsdyke at this time, in 'Tales From The Crypt'.

 

 We have an interview with Cushing explaining how both he and make up artist Roy Ashton came up with the 'risen' Grimsdyke make up. As usual lots of behind the scenes photographs from the sets of both films and the inclusion of a Classic Cushing Moment. RIGHT HERE

The AMICUS films of PETER CUSHING: PART FIVE 'Wandering Hands and Mannequnis' just about covers the themes of the two classic Cushing Amicus films covered in depth in  our fifth feature. Cushing discusses his character of Mr Smith in ASYLUM, his next film for Amicus starring alongside his long time friend Barry Morse. Some great rarely seen press pics from this Robert Bloch classic too. After the success of Tales from The Crypt, Amicus, were only too anxious to continue their association with Cushing; happily, the feeling was mutual, which brings us to the next Cushing / Amicus feature, 'And Now, The Screaming Starts!'. A bank of great stills with from Amicus films only period ghost story. Both films provide us with another full feature! YOU'LL FIND IT RIGHT: HERE 

The AMICUS films of PETER CUSHING : PART SIX 'Madness and Temptation! The 'Madness and Temptation of the title refers to the core of the two films that fill part six to the brim! The Cushing Price film 'MADHOUSE' and it's wonderful DR DEATH is quite crackers and the 'temptation' that lay in wait for any poor customer who strolled into Peter Cushing's antique shop, 'Temptations Limited' in 'BEYOND THE GRAVE' is the cherry on a rich and beautifully baked cake! Both films boast excellent casts and performances, Vincent Price, Donald Pleasence, Robert Quarry, David Warner, Ian Carmichael, Linda Hayden, Ian Bannan, Diana Dors, Angela Pleasence and many more. Lashings of stills as usual, even some behind the scenes snaps on the set at Pyeford House during the shooting of 'MADHOUSE'. JUST CLICK HERE

The AMICUS films of PETER CUSHING ; PART SEVEN 'Bowing Out With A Wolf And A Mole' And so with part seven we come to the end of the series. Lots on offer here as we look into the background of Peter Cushing's last Amicus films... 'THE BEAST MUST DIE' and 'AT THE EARTH'S CORE'. Both films had some interesting choices in casting and some on the wish list, who didn't make it, provide pause for thought on how the finished features may have benefited from an injection of some extra buzz factor, that they may have provided. There's much to see in the way of images, montages of Caroline Munro from 'Earth's Core', some very interesting recent pics of the MOLE digging machine that was also featured in the film. Doug McClure looking great and it's hats off to Amicus for bringing us cinema first, 'WEREWOLF BREAK'! 

YOU'LL FIND THIS FINAL PART OF THE SERIES: HERE

The films that Peter Cushing made together with the Amicus producers Max J Rosenberg and Milton Subotsky in the 1960s and 70s stand as some of the most engaging and appealing British genre films ever made.  For Peter Cushing, they would represent some of his most interesting character work, too. On that level, for sure, it proved to be a match made in heaven.

All seven features in this series were written by Troy Howarth.
All photographic, layout and design by Marcus Brooks.

Please come and join us on facebook : Updated Daily : Rare Pics : Competitions

and a Very Warm Welcome! JUST CLICK HERE!

AN EVENING WITH RAY BROOKS : AS IF BY MAGIC - THE GENIUS OF MR BENN

NEWS: AN EVENING WITH RAY BROOKS : AS IF BY MAGIC – The Genius of Mr Benn!

Anyone in the UK over the age of 25 would get a flash of nostalgia when they hear Ray Brooks speak. Brooks has rarely been out of work since starting his acting career in 1959. The broadcast of the bleak and hard hitting Ken Loach Wednesday Night Play 'Cathy Come Home' in 1966, showcased Brooks as an actor of substance in the role of Reg Ward in the bleak tale of young girl, Cathy who loses her home, husband and eventually her child through the inflexibility of the British welfare system. Those of us who watched it, would find it hard to forget! Just months before families had been enjoying his appearance with Peter Cushing as David in 'Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 ad' at the local flicks!

But, it’s for voicing a short series of 13 animated shows for children that he holds a special place in the hearts and minds of most – and the inhabitant of 52 Festive Road is the focus of his new one-man show. A creation of illustrator David McKee, Mr Benn was about an ordinary man in a suit and bowler hat who embarked on extraordinary adventures every time he visited a fancy dress shop. His adventure always ended when, as if by magic, the shopkeeper appeared to bring him back to reality.

The full impact of Mr Benn – and idea for the one-man show – really hit Brooks two years ago when he was at an event marking the 100th anniversary of PETER CUSHING'S BIRTH. “We did the Dr Who film Daleks – Invasion Earth 2150 AD together,” says Brooks. “I was on stage talking about the film and Peter, and the interviewer brought up Mr Benn. When I said the phrase: ‘As if by magic, the shopkeeper appeared’ the audience leapt to their feet. I thought it was quite extraordinary."

Video Clip: Peter Cushing would have been 100 on 26 May 2013. To celebrate this, Ray Brooks slices a special cake on behalf of Cushing at the Dr Who @ the Movies event at Riverside Studios. 

Ray's show An Evening With Ray Brooks: As If By Magic – The Genius of Mr Benn opened last night as a one off at The Brighton Little Theatre, Clarence Gardens, Brighton. We'll keep you posted of any further dates. Below here's a link to Ray's blog. Message him, he's a lovely chap and would be glad to hear from you.

 http://www.raybrooksbooks.com/about-ray/

PHOTOPLAY 1971 FILM ANNUAL PRICE CUSHING LEE THREE FACES OF FEAR FEATURE

How Photoplay Film Annual reported on the success and popularity of  the THREE FACES OF FEAR at the cinema in 1971 : Peter Cushing, Vincent Price and Christopher Lee.

 

BIGGLES : CUSHING'S LAST THEATRICAL FEATURE GETS BLU RAY RELEASE DATE

BIGGLES: Adventures In Time,  Peter Cushing's last theatrical released film from 1986 at last comes to blu ray with a brand new & restored HD master and available in its original screen ratio of 1.85:1 for the first time! Directed by John (Twins of Evil) Hough and also starring Neil Dickson, Alex Hyde-White, Fiona Hutchison, and Marcus Gilbert... This REGION B/2 blu ray release from Odeon Entertainment is available right now to pre order with a release date of MONDAY JUNE 15th 2015. Can't wait!

NEW HD MASTER RELEASE FOR HOUSE OF LONG SHADOWS BLU RAY THIS YEAR

NEWS: COMING SOON! Kino Lorber releasing HOUSE OF THE LONG SHADOWS (1983) on BLU RAY from NEW HD MASTER.

Directed by Pete Walker 'House of the Long Shadows' marks the FIRST TIME Peter Cushing, Vincent Price and Christopher Lee all shared scenes and screen time together! Along with veteran John Carradine and Shelia Keith, Richard Todd and Desi Arnaz....it's all good dark fun!

Tentative Release Date: September 2015
Extras: TBA

DORIAN GRAY AND COUNT DRACULA : THE FINAL SCENE

Director, screenwriter and film critic, Jean-Luc Godard once said: “It’s not where you take things from - it’s where you take them to."... Whether Terence Fisher ever saw the closing moments of the 1945 Albert Lewin directed, The picture of Dorian Gray, we will never know...Even though we have flipped the screen shot from Dracula, the cinematic framing similarities in the death throws of both Fisher's Dracula in 1958 and Lewin's Dorian Gray are, you have to admit interesting.

Just like Hammer films 1958 Dracula, this 1945 MGM production of the Oscar Wilde story, also presented the audience with some although basic, first time out special effects. Although shot primarily in black-and-white, the film features four inserts in 3-strip Technicolor of Dorian'sit as a special effect (the first two of his portrait's original state, and the second two after a major period portrait of degeneration)

THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN LIFE: SIR CHRISTOPHER LEE

 

At 92 years young....we give you, Sir Christopher Lee!  A true legend!