MARGARET ROBINSON 1920 - 2016

VERY SAD TO HEAR of the passing of Margaret Robinson yesterday. . . . a very important member of the Hammer films in house company, and the wife of Bernard Robinson . . more than that, she was an artist in her own right, and the creator of beautiful paintings, marionettes and masks. I first met Margaret in 1979, as she strolled around a convention room, without a name badge. While queuing for a coffee, I struck up conversation with Margaret, but not knowing her asked, if there was anyone in particular she had come along to meet and chat with from the Hammer films guests. She laughed and said, 'Well, I was rather hoping someone would want to talk to me!' Puzzled and apologizing for sounding rude, I asked, 'You are a guest?' 'Yes!' she laughed, '...my husband was Bernard Robinson, the set designer for Hammer films, I am Margaret, I made the masks for THE Hound of the Baskervilles!'

EMBARRASSED, and surprised, I introduced myself and while quickly grabbing her a coffee, asked her if she would mind being interviewed? In a hotel room upstairs, interviewed everyone at the event, I was preparing the first PCAS audio magazine, and had started presenting my first radio programme at a regional BBC radio station. Margaret was the very first person I ever interviewed with a connection to Peter and Hammer films.

During our two hours together, she had a sketch pad on her lap, I thought she was jotting down my questions and doodling. It was only after the interview, she presented my with a beautiful and detailed sketch...of me asking her questions! Signed and framed, it's one of my special things. We kept in touch until five years ago. Always light, unpretentious and extremely kind, she had a no nonsense approach, and much empathy for young people and the arts. Her husband, Bernard who passed at the young age of 57 is quoted as once saying as saying, It's not the LENGTH of a life that counts, but, the quality'. In Margaret's case, she certainly had both...

 

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#ONSETSATURDAY: DALEKS AND WEREWOLVES!

#ONSETSATURDAY Peter Cushing with Calvin Lockhart shooting THE BEAST MUST DIE (1974) for Amicus films. This film was the last horror film produced by Amicus which had the involvement of co-founder Milton Subotsky. Despite director Paul Annett's objections, producer Milton Subotsky (who hated the film) insisted on the werewolf break gimmick where the viewer is invited to guess who the werewolf is. Due to the film's small budget, the werewolf was played by a German Shepherd. . . . see on the thread below...!

It's a DOG! It's An GERMAN SHEPHERD! It's...a werewolf?????

#ONSETSATURDAY: Bernard Cribbins and Jill Curzon during the making of the SECOND Cushing Dr Who Dalek movie, Daleks Invasion Earth 2150AD. Produced for a estimated budget of £286,000, the 'end of the world locations' for this film were, the Thames River side jetty at Battersea church Road London, and the derelict Bendy Toy factory, Ashford, Kent, England, UK ! TRIVIA: When Tom (Cribbins) and the Doctor (Cushing) are searching the warehouse in the film, for a crowbar, Tom is ACTUALLY carrying one in his hand!

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ERIC AND ERNIE ; MORECAMBE AND WISE STATUE UNVEILED AT BLACKPOOL

A statue of legendary comedy duo Morecambe and Wise has been unveiled at a ceremony in Blackpool. Eric and Ernie performed in the resort more than 1,000 times in what has been described as their "spiritual home". Eric Morecambe's widow Joan and son Gary unveiled the £75,000 bronze statue, which is 8ft (2.4m) tall.

 

In 1969, Peter Cushing made his first appearance on the BBC Morecambe and Wise Show on BBC2. He took part in the traditional 'In Front Of Curtains' spot and later in the show, as King Arthur, in one of Ernie's 'PLAYS THAT I WROTE'  Throughout the BBC era of the show, he would regularly join Eric and Erine doing the 'Front of Curtain' spot and guest appearances, constantly seeking payment for his first appearance, wearily asking "Have you got my five pounds yet?"

THIS RUNNING JOKE continued when the duo left the BBC and moved to Thames Television in 1978. Cushing appeared in their first special for Thames Television on 18 October, still asking to be paid, with the hosts repeatedly trying to get rid of him; at the end of the show, Morecambe placed some money in a wallet wired up to a bomb, in an attempt to blow Cushing up in exaggerated comedic style. In the duo's Christmas special, Cushing pretended to be the Prime Minister while Morecambe and Wise caroled outside 10 Downing Street; he made the comedians give him money and finally came out to declare "Paid, at last!"

WE HAVE ALL OF THE CUSHING GUEST APPEARANCES IN  AN EASY PLAY LIST FOR YOU, AT OUR PCAS PETER CUSHING YOU TUBE CHANNEL

ERNIE WISE was a guest for Cushing's appearance on This Is Your Life in 1990. He promptly presented Cushing with a twenty-pound note, only to extort it back from him, for the price of a taxi getting there and the rental of a suit for that particular night.

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EVERY DAY : COMPETITIONS : RARE IMAGES : FEATURES AND THEMES!

ROGUE ONE: GRAND MOFF TARKIN : PLACE YOUR BETS NOW

OUR FEATURE ON CUSHING'S TARKIN APPEARANCE FROM AUGUST 2015 HERE

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#THROWBACKTHURSDAY: BEHIND SCENES ON AMICUS WEREWOLF FLICK AND THE BIG SHOCK!

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY: 1974: The very first whispers I heard about a films called 'Confessions of a Blood Drinker aka The Big Shock aka La Grande Trouille . . .was in 1975, the word was, chaos. Rumbling, Shambolic, Rubbish. Then I received a set of beautiful colour mat finish press photographs..you can see them in out feature at the website...then House of Hammer magazine ran a black and white feature, made no sense. It wasn't until 1985 that I finally saw a print, with subtitles. It made no difference. It was still everything they said it was...and more. A delux car crash in movie making. Everything that you THOUGHT Cushing stood for in his art, this one flies in the face of! It wasn't the only time Cushing made a dead duck, where the best thing to come out of the venture, were the press photographs! And here is one now . . .

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY: 1974 Director Paul Annett talks about directing the 1974 Amicus films, 'THE BEAST MUST DIE' starring Peter Cushing, Charles Gray, Anton Diffring, Calvin Lockhart, Marlene Clark and Michael Gambon. Behind the scenes stills and clips . .The story is, in essence, an intersting mix of Agatha Christie’s 'And Then There Were None' (aka, Ten Little Indians) and Richard Connell’s The Most Dangerous Game, with elements of the werewolf mythos stirred in for good measure with .... The Werewolf Break, being the cherry on the top!

 

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY: 1974 As usual some of posts here are also posted, a little earlier at our Peter Cushing Appreciation Society Facebook Fan Page , and after posting the one at the top of this thread first on facebook, about Peter Cushing's film, 'Tendre Dracula' . . I received a message from Andre Toutlinee, who suggests that, 'I can't believe that Tendre Dracula could be THAT bad a film! I mean how bad was it it for you to say that it was a car crash of a movie??' Well, Andre... How bad was it?? It was THIS bad, (see pics above) Peter looks interesting as a vampire...but the film's cinema poster??? What...were..they...thinking??? OR smoking???

 

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SAD NEWS DAVE PROWSE VIA HIS TWITTER ACCOUNT!

#DAVEPROWSE It's so sad that Dave is having to make his convention and event appearances to just the UK now. There are I am sure many who still haven't had the chance to meet him. He is such a kind and friendly guy. We all wish him well and to rest up some!

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WHATS IN A NAME?? CUSHINGS CATAFLANQUE!

 

CUSHING'S DETECTIVE CATAFLANQUE : NOT IMPRESSED

BY MY DETECTIVE WORK

 

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#GIMMETHEGIFWEDNESDAY : TARKIN PUSS PUSS AND A HOWLING WOLF

#GIMMETHEGIFWEDNESDAY: ...and so we happily wheel out our weekly roster of grim and creepy 'ANIMATED GIFS', all cheerfully requested by your good-selves from the films and work of our very own, #PETERCUSHING. First off comes a request from RUTH HELLMAN, for 'Any gif featuring Peter Cushing, but Legend of the Werewolf, would be good;)' . . You've got it, Ruth. Above Peter as Paul Catalque, Paris police surgeon, taking his lunch, among the cadavers, entrails and bits (!!). Chasing werewolves is hungry and thirsty work! The howling wolf or werewolf of this film is one of best make up's, prior 'An American Werewolf In London, which reset the bar. Jack Pierce, make up artist behind Lon Chaney Jr's wolfman was great for its time, But Roy Ashton's Lycanthrop, in the shape of Oliver Reed, was a howling success with the public during the 1960's. In 1975 David Rintoul as Etoile, wore a make up by Graham Freeborn, son of the genius make up artist Stuart Freeborn, who created Yoda and many other of the make up in the #STARWARS series. Stuart was also behind Cushing's 'MEGA-EYE' in the 1984 film, #TOPSECRET.

  

MARTIN BOUTON sent us a request for Peter Cushing's terrified Wilbur Gray from Milton Subotsky's THE UNCANNY  from 1977. Out of all of the portmaneau films that Peter Cushing appeared in for Amicus and Subotsky, this is the one that gets the least love. I am not sure why. All the others, Vault of Horror, Tales from the Crypt, Dr Terrors House of Horrors, all have that quintessential 'made in England' look. A little like with the television series 'The New Avengers', which at first was  rebooted and 'kitted for the 70's' and made in the UK. The original series starring Patrick Macnee and several capable and classy female assistants, was 'BRIT' from it's bowler hat, umbrellas and tea pots. The same path was kept for the come back series. The moment The New Avengers production was moved to Canada... all the class was lost. Maybe what we see with 'The Uncanny' is the same thing? Made away from blighty, it's just not the same.

#gimmethegifwednesday: last gif of the day... requested by LEXI CONROY : 'Can I request the shot from Dracula AD 1972, where Peter Cushing as Van Hesling comforts his grand-daughter Jesscia after a nightmare! Makes you wish everyone had a grand-father like that! Thank you. '....

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