WORK AND GOOD GRACE! CAPTAIN INVINCIBLE : DIANA RIGG AND VALERIE VAN OST

WITH MY APOLOGIES, I have had to spend a few days away from the website and FACEBOOK PCASUK FACEBOOK FAN PAGE, with annoying but 'had to do' matters, so only a few post this last week. However, here are the few that have entertained at the PCASUK Facebook Fan Page, this week. Glad to report, biz as usual here on in 😉😊 - Marcus

ABOVE BANNER:

#ChristopherLee Saturday! A little nugget of good advice, from the late Christopher Lee. He must have had nerves and patience of steel!! When you look through that filmography! One film that comes to mind is Amicus films, 'I Monster' (1971) A film he suggested young and new director Stephen Weeks to step into, after 'House that Dripped Blood' director turned it down. It was a script Lee liked, but the film rode a whole saga of issues in regard of the actual production . . a 3D process didn't work... 'the Pulfrich effect' anyone? Weeks did very well considering, even though the film ran out of lolly, before the last shutter... shut! Lee is VERY good, as is Peter Cushing in the role of Utterson. It's a shame that the film performed poorly at the box office, at the time, but as with many of these 'fantasy films from this time', the passing of the years has been kinder to the film and it is now seen as a very faithful adaptation.

'I MONSTER' BEHIND THE SCENES RARE STILLS  GALLERY

PART ONE: HERE 

I DID A FEW YEARS AGO, post two great galleries of rarely seen photographs from 'I Monster' of Lee and Cushing.. and in these pics you can see, both appear to be having fun..and showing ...good grace! 😊

PART TWO OF 'I MONSTER' BEHIND THE SCENES GALLERY WITH #PETERCUSHING AND #CHRISTOPHERLEE : RIGHT HERE!

#CHRISTOPHERLEESATURDAY: ABOVE IS AN INTERESTING PHOTOGRAPH with Christopher Lee and Australian actress Kate Fitzpatrick doing promotion at the Martin Place Amphitheatre Sydney for their film The Return Of Captain Invincible from July 1983 With The Lord Mayor of Sydney, Douglas Sutherland joining them. This sadly is another of Lee's many 'over-looked' films in his long and movie packed career. This film also gave him a chance to doing some singing on film, with Lee playing the main villain, Mr. Midnight

OVER AT THE  FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE we are asking if you are a fan of this one? or not 😊Please share your opinions in the comments in the comment thread!

ABOVE: ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL rare colour photograph we shared of Peter Cushing, as Capt. Richard Pearson, with Robert Stack in 'John Paul Jones' (1959) .. a 'meh' film, but PC is very good! Although, there's lots of comments about the film on the thread at the Facebook PCASUK Fan Page today HERE! This post comes with thanks to Lucy 😉😊

'WOMAN OF MY AGE ARE STILL ATTRACTIVE. Men of my age are not' ... so said, this amazing icon of entertainment last year. And you know, Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg, DBE...does have point! Many actors from her era have either left us, or look like an unmade bed! We all know the Cushing Connection here, Mrs Peel in the Brit 1960's TV series, The Avengers, where PC played the very dashing Paul Beresford, a smooth operator, pushing all the buttons as romantic interest for Rigg's all action Mrs Peel and a finger on the button of death that commanded his deadly Cybernaut!

READ  MORE ON DIANA RIGG AND PETER CUSHING in the 'Return of the Cybernauts' 'The Avengers' episode in our PCASUK feature : RIGHT HERE!

DIANA RIGG'S CAREER also features the splendid 'Theatre of Blood' with Vincent Price. She also worked with Christopher Lee in the Avengers tv series.in 'Never, Never Say Die' in 1967. Having recently started in the international hit tv series, Game of Thrones, Rigg is in no hurry to retire, and I think like Mrs Peel, she'll be 'socking it to us' for a while yet! We celebrated Diana Rigg's birthday last week at the Facebook PCASUK Fan Page on July 20th! It was a grand Happy Birthday Diana Rigg, who was born in 1938... Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg, DBE is still looking fabulous today!😉😀

YESTERDAY,  marked and remembered the birthday of the lovely Valerie Van Ost who was born July 25th 1944! As reference to her Peter Cushing connections, we mentioned the films 'Corruption', 'Incense for the Damned' and 'The Satanic Rites of Dracula' with Peter.

VALERIE WAS ALSO very popular in the Carry On series of film in the 1960's, in “Carry On Cabby,” “Carry On Don’t Lose Your Head,” “Carry On Doctor” and “Carry On Again Doctor,”. Van Ost’s sad passing was announced by agent Barry Langford who said in a tweet, “A sad goodbye to beautiful Valerie Van Ost, who passed away this week. Valerie gave up her successful acting career to become a respected casting director and was beloved in both profession. A native of Herkamsted, Hertfordshire, turned to acting after she had been a dancer in her teenager at London’s famed Palladium theatre. 

IT'S BELIEVED that at one time, she was once considered to be a possible replacement for Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in “The Avengers,” having once appeared in an episode of the show. In 1973, Van Ost took on her other most famous role, in the Hammer horror movie, “The Satanic Rites of Dracula'.” Van Ost played the role of a Secret Service secretary who is kidnapped by a satanic cult. Van Ost was married to movie producer Greg Smith. Smith had been the producer of Britain’s other great bawdy comedy series, the “Confessions” series of movies in the 1970s.

LATER IN 1985, Van Ost married Andrew Millington, with whom she set up a casting agency. This coincided with Van Ost’s retirement from acting. The pair cast five movies and a television series during the 1980s. Two of those films, “The Boys in Blue” and “Funny Money” were produced by her first husband.
 

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#HOWSYOURHEADHON? SORRY AM I BORING YOU??

#Howsyourhead? #PeterCushing and George Pravda in a scene from #Hammerfilms 'Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed' (1969) ..'clang of name DROP -a-comin' ☹️😴😞😀.. I once had a chance meeting with George back in 1979, we talked about this and his artificial prop head made for this delightful act of trephining 😮👀 He told me how they made his rubber head, that they had to make a whole head plaster cast of his head and 'I spent the whole morning with straws up my NOSE!' ... charming! Peter of course consulted a specialist, just to make sure he had the right drill bit and .. stomach for it! Hmmm, thrilling-drilling! 🤮 - Take care everyone, Marcus

YOU CAN SEE GEORGE PRAVDA, in some neat 'fly-on-the-wall' footage, along with #PeterCushing, #VeronicaCarlson, #SimonWard, #FreddieJones along with director #TerenceFisher, on set and making #Hammefilms 'Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed' in our vintage footage, posted as part of the #Lock-Down #WatchWithCushing films and clips at our Facebook PCASUK Fan Page! 

INTERESTING FOOTAGE, where extra BLOOD is being applied to George Pravda's head make up. Although, his character on screen was never seen with this EXTRA gore in the UK theatrical prints. One must again, add this one to the 'footage for the Continental Print!'  . . .

 

#ROGUEONE TRENDS ON TWITTER!

#VERYHAPPY to see 'Rogue One : A Star Wars Story' trending on Twitter today 😲I can't help thinking that Peter Cushing would have very much loved the film too. Personally, I think #ROGUEONE  is THE most beautiful cinematic #StarWars film of the whole series!

 

The #Sideshowtoys figure of #PeterCushing as Grand Moff Tarkin 'Star Wars' (1977) Quite an impressive figure. Apparently, #ForbiddenPlanet in Shaftesbury Avenue, #London has one in their figure display cabinet opposite the checkouts!

 

 

BEHIND AND BESIDE EVERY GREAT MAN : CUSHING'S KIND MESSAGE TO A NEW BARON

AS PROMISED, here connected to yesterday's post : Back in the 70's, anything to sell tabloid 'newspapers'... Ralph Bates playing Baron Frankenstein, 'taking the role' from Hammer films usual 'Baron of choice' was Peter Cushing and had been since the first Hammer Frankenstein film in 1957 with 'The Curse of Frankenstein' ... HERE is how Peter Cushing took the news... Many thanks again to, Mr G 😊😊

HELEN AND PETER CUSHING... Birgit and Christopher Lee and Coral Browne and Vincent Price 😊All interesting characters, wives and husbands . . despite rumours before and after their passing. If you think or gossip otherwise.. what you didn't see with YOUR eyes, don't witness with your mouth.... 

AND FOR THOSE, who would think anyone would compromise the message of  the 'couples banner' here is Christopher Lee. ' Yup, HE told me that! Christopher Lee is a gossip and compromiser of confidences. . . said NO ONE... ever!' 

 Man... some people . .

FACE TO FACE 'WHEN BATES TRIED ON THE BARON'S BOOTS'

#PETERCUSHINGGEMS!  Here is a amazing pose photograph, posted at the  Facebook PCASUL Fan Page of both Peter Cushing and actor Ralph Bates...taken during a visit by Peter on set, for promo opportunities... 'A Younger Actor Takes Over The Role'! They posed for several, on the set of #Hammerfilms 'Horror of Frankenstein' (1970) but this SIGNED photograph is I think, the best I have seen of the bunch. For sometime during the release and years after, by some 'off target individuals', it was thought that Cushing wasn't really in favour of Bates 'taking over' the role... In our next post, we have some amazing evidence of quite the contrary, which I will be posting tomorrow!😉 Many thanks to Mr G for his assistance with excellent photograph 😊

#ChristopherLee Saturday! Here is a pic you don't get to see that often at all! In this movie, he once again played the opposite to Peter Cushing's characters good nature.... Over at the Facebook PCASUK Fan Page I asked everyone, if they can name the movie .. and if you can, the plot.... do you think it was all real or just all happening in the mind of PC's character?? 😊 There's been quite a reaction and lost of theories! Why not join us and tell us your take on quite a puzzler! - Meanwhile, please take care everyone, and look after yourselves and loved ones 😊- Marcus

ABOVE: Peter Cushing and director Freddie Francis, on set during the making of Tigon films, 'The Creeping Flesh' (1973)

HAIR RAISING ISSUES WITH DRACULA : VINCENT PRICE INTERVIEW 1986 : A THROWBACK-THROWING BACK?

#CHRISTOPHERLEE We HAM and EGGED it!' Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in TWO rare photographs . .Lee here sharing thoughts on his work and long friendship with Peter Cushing . . .

#VincentPrice YESTERDAY, over at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE I shared  a lovely interview with Vincent Price in 1986, rebroadcast in 1993. ..as ever, charming, entertaining and funny 😊 'Madhouse' and 'House of the Long Shadows' were Peter Cushing appeared with Vincent Price, I think are a joy to watch them together! I hope you enjoy THIS INTERVIEW too 😉

 

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY: THROW YOUR MIND BACK about three years ago..... and the rare photograph I posted you can see on the RIGHT. It's an image of writer Chris Knight from Cinefantastque 'behind the scenes' at Elstree Studios, during the making of 'Dracula AD 1972', with Christopher Lee. The photograph, an exposure on a contact sheet from photographer and good friend of Christopher Lee's, Peter Nicolson, wasn't actually titled or labelled. But it looked pretty obvious to me and several others, that this was taken, during the shooting of AD. Nicolson took several amazing behind the scenes shots during filming, some were used in a feature on AD in volume 2 number 2, of Cinefantastique . . an issue until recently, I have never seen before until just a few days ago. Some thought on the Facebook PCASUK Fan Page it was taken during the making of 'Taste the Blood of Dracula'... why not slip along to the page and tell us, what you think? - Marcus

MORE ON THIS ABOVE : RIGHT HERE! 

STILL ON THE STEPS OF POPULARITY WITH AUTOBIOGRAPHIES THAT STILL ENTERTAIN!

#PETERCUSHING : Sherlock HOLMES! This rare photograph was shared this weekend at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE to an enormous response of LIKES and comments! Once again, proving that Cushing's interpretation of  probably the most popular detective in the world... is still just as popular as ever!

PETER CUSHING 'Past Forgetting' . . the publishing of Cushing's First autobiography . . 'Peter Cushing An Autobiography' in 1986.. was such a surprising and success to both him and his publishers, that another volume was quickly written and published in 1988, 'Past Forgetting' contained stories and anecdotes from his career before and after his time with Hammer films and his success appearing in fantasy genre cinema. 

MANY READERS FELT they wanted more, and maybe had his health improved, we may have also have received a third volume? A short time after the Peter Cushing Centenary in 2013 both the volumes were repackaged and published as 'Peter Cushing : The Complete Memoirs', with some new photographs... this book sold out within days, copies flew off the shelves in bookshops and drained the publisher!

ONE OF THE MANY positive things about the publishing of Peter autobiographers was, for both volumes he 'stepped out' and made signing sessions at book stores around the country. After a what was almost a 15 year period of quite reclusive living, leaving home in Whitstable only to work... Cushing was shocked by the love, affection and gratitude he received from the his public.

ABOVE: A LOVELY STORY from one of our followers and friends at the FACEBOOK fan page,  Jake! : RIGHT HERE!

FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS, it was common to see him on his bike in his home town, eating in public and appearing on chat shows and radio.. writing the books would be and were indeed, as his good friend Sir John Mills told him, 'Wonderful therapy'! . .. So, I am curious as to how many of us at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE actually own a copy, of either or both or the combined book..and have read it? I have therefore, requested everyone to feel free to snap a selfie of you or your book and share with us at the page! Who would have thought, so many copies! 😮😀 Stay Safe everyone... love and take care 😉 - Marcus

 

A HAPPY 4TH OF JULY : RARE BACKSTAGE CANDID STILL OF PC AND SCREAM FACTORY RELEASES HELL BLU RAY DATE!

TODAY AND DURING these times... please look after each other, have a good time and a safe time 😉

NEWS: SCREAM FACTORY gives a new release date for the much anticipated blu ray release of Hammer films LAST Peter Cushing / Frankenstein film, 'Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell' (1974)! Scream Factory has announced that they will bring Terence Fisher’s sixth and final entry in the frightening Frankenstein cycle to Cushing and Hammer fans on August 18th, 2020.

US FANS have waited a long time for this one, while the film has enjoyed distribution on blu ray in other international regions, over the last few years

FULL PCASUK REVIEW OF FILM WITH GREAT GALLERY OF COLOUR STILLS! 

RIGHT HERE!

... AND THEY WON'T  be disappointed with an addition of TWO NEW additions to the extras menus, not included on those other region releases : Audio Commentary With Film Historian/Author Steve Haberman And Film Historian / Film maker Constantine Nasr and a new documentary entitled, 'The Men Who Made Hammer': Roy Skeggs . . which one hopes that this is the first in a series of short docs on other Hammer 'men' and 'women' who helped to make Hammer such an amazingly successful production company . . also included are Audio Commentary With Actress Madeline Smith, Actor David Prowse, and Film Historian Jonathan Sothcott, a Theatrical Trailer and Radio Spots

DURING OUR #ThrowBackThursday this week, at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE I posted a rare and wonderful photograph of Peter Cushing back stage, making up and prepping for a theatre production probably around late 1940's early 50's. The title, I am STILL not sure about . . The Silver Whistle (??) but I am sure there are many out there that know much more about Peter's stage and theatre work than I profess to... who may identify the show he is appearing in! 😕 Any ideas?

AND FINALLY, at the Facebook PCASUK FAN PAGE this week, I posted this cute photograph of #VINCENTPRICE ... I loved the films which cast both Peter Cushing and Vincent together. I wish there were more...But, here's one of my fav Vincent Price pics... and as a quick puzzler I am asking, YOU which film does this come from AND who is the actress on the left? Many people did recognise it. Can YOU?