MEMORIES OF 'TWINS OF EVIL' DAMIEN THOMAS BIRTHDAY AND REMEMBERING PETER CUSHING

PUBLISHED, unedited and shared here for the first time, since it's recording in 1980, our first interview with Damien Thomas, who celebrates his birthday today! (See post and everyone's comments at Facebook PCASUK Fan Page) Damien Thomas on Peter Cushing . . - Marcus

 

PLEASE JOIN US at the Facebook PCASUK Fan Page to wish actor Damian Thomas a very happy birthday. Best known here for his role as Count Karnstein, nemesis to Peter Cushing's Gustav Weil in Hammer's 'Twins Of Evil' (1971)..as vampire fiends are rated, against Cushing's 'vampire hunter' both David Peel in #BridesofDracula and Damien in 'Twins' were a pretty good match, I would say... how about you?  

 

FULL FEATURE, review and gallery of rare stills and gifs, can be found at the PCASUK website : HERE! 

 

YOU ARE MOST WELCOME TO JOIN US and over 34,000 others Peter Cushing followers at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE! With posts every day, rare images and photographs, features and prize competitions.. all celebrating the LIFE and CAREER of Peter Cushing  OBE     

CLASSIC HAMMER FILMS 'SOUNDS TERRIFYING' AND THE SOUNDS OF BIRDSONG FROM PETER CUSHING'S WINDOW!

BIRDS MY WINDOW : Peter Cushing : Whitstable, as noted on the Facebook PCASUK Fan Page today by  Anthony Stuchbury, a page from the RSPB members magazine1974. Sadly, I don't have the whole magazine, just that one little page, since the original founder of the society, Gladys Fletcher gave it to me back in 1978! PC seemed to appear in quite a few nature magazines back then...

 

WITHOUT DOUBT, these are amazing recordings, of TWO classic Peter Cushing / Christopher Lee Hammer films, 1957 'The Curse of Frankenstein' and the 58 'Dracula /Horror of Dracula'. For some, the best of the Hammer film scores by James Bernard. Both available in a very neat and impressive package. This is a USA release, with gatefold sleeve containing two vinyl LP'S in ghoulish green and blood red! Here is the listing and you'll find the contact details below - Marcus

 

LINK TO ORDER HERE!

 

World Premiere Recordings of the Complete Scores from Two Classic Hammer Films of the 1950s

 

THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN starred Peter Cushing as Baron Victor Frankenstein and Christopher Lee as The Creature. This outstanding 1957 horror film began a whole series of films starring these two great icons of terror and was one of the best movies from Hammer Productions.

 

DRACULA, made in 1958, also starred Peter Cushing (as Doctor Van Helsing) and Christopher Lee (as Count Dracula). It is difficult to overestimate the significance of DRACULA as it set the tone for Hammer’s movie output over the next two decades when British horror films were among the most admired and popular films.

 

DRACULA created international stars out of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. The music for both these films was composed by James Bernard, who created music for many more classic Hammer films including: SHE * THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT * THE DAMNED * DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS * THE DEVIL RIDES OUT * TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA * THE LEGEND OF THE 7 GOLDEN VAMPIRES 

 

Originally released as a Record Store Day EU/UK 2020 Exclusive, these  2xLP are pressed on RED & GREEN colored vinyl and housed in a gatefold sleeve 

 

DRACULA:
01. Main Title from Dracula
02. Arrival at Castle Dracula
03. Plan Revealed/ Plea for Help/ Dracula's Rage
04. The Mausoleum/ Harker Stakes the Bride/ Empty Casket
05. The Diary/ Van Helsing Finds Harker
06. Sleep Well/ Dracula Seduces Lucy
07. Lucy's Second Encounter/ Garlic Flowers
08. Aunt Lucy/ Lucy is Released
09. Mina Ensnared/ It Was There
10. Allergic Reaction/ Mina's Submission
11. Bloodstained Mina/ The Cellar
12. The Final Battle
13. Rhapsody for Lucy (Lucie)

 

THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN

1. Main Title from The Curse of Frankenstein

2. A Brilliant Intellect/ It's Alive

3. The Gibbet

4. An Offer of Help/ Goodnight Professor/ The Professor's Brain

5. The Creature/ He's Gone

6. The Creature and the Blind Man/ You Shoot Well/ I'll Give You Life Again

7. Justine's Fate

8. Get Up/ Final Confrontation/ The Guillotine

 

YOU ARE MOST WELCOME TO JOIN US and over 34,000 others Peter Cushing followers at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE! With posts every day, rare images and photographs, features and prize competitions.. all celebrating the LIFE and CAREER of Peter Cushing  OBE     

HRH PRINCE PHILLIP DUKE OF EDINBURGH AND PETER CUSHING 1958

VERY SAD TO HEAR of the passing of the late, HRH Prince Phillip this afternoon... I'll miss him. I thought he was quite a character, no nonsense, a little prickly, made ripples, outspoken and certainly a 'got things done' chap. His 'Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme' for young people, started back in 1956, was and still is an amazingly popular scheme, it has helped millions into opportunities and life changing paths. 

 

TWO YEARS AFTER that launch, he attended the premier of a British film that also caused ripples at the time, Violent Playground. Here is a snap of the premier with cast meeting #HRHPrincePhillip, including Peter Cushing, with Stanley Baker and David McCallum. RIP HRH Prince Phillip . . .

 

YOU ARE MOST WELCOME TO JOIN US and over 34,000 others Peter Cushing followers at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE! With posts every day, rare images and photographs, features and prize competitions.. all celebrating the LIFE and CAREER of Peter Cushing  OBE   

WHEN PETER CUSHING MET WITH ROGER MOORE : TARKIN RETURNS : CINEMA FANTASTIQUE AND FRENCH CINEMA AWARDS 71

When #PeterCushing and #RogerMoore met on the set of Hammer's 'The Vampire Lovers' 1970 . . .

CANDID CUSHING: Peter Cushing relaxes during the making of 'House of the Long Shadows' smoking a cigarette, wearing his familiar white cotton glove !

SPOILERS! The upcoming animated series Star Wars: 'The Bad Batch' will see the return of not only Clone Force 99, but also many other characters from the greater Star Wars franchise. . . including Peter Cushing's much loved and respected Grand Moff Tarkin. Sounds exciting, so I will say no more... what do you think?

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on May 4, 2021, Star Wars day, with a special 70-minute episode. The second episode will release on May 7, 2021, with subsequent episodes releasing weekly.

 

FOR SUCH AN ACCOMPLISHED ACTOR, with such a long and varied career, Peter Cushing after his early TV awards in the 1950's wasn't acknowledge, by his peers maybe as much as he should have been. He was very surprised and humbled to be awarded his OBE in 1989 but the award he was presented with in 1971, for his performance as Arthur Grimsdyke in 'Tales from the Crypt' he was particularly proud of.

 

This was presented to him at the 2nd French Convention of Fantasy Cinema. They also acknowledge him with 'Most Popular Actor in France 1971 – 2nd French Convention of Fantasy Cinema (For his roles in Fantasy Entertainment and service to the cinema) too! These awards are now owned by Simon Greetham, who was kind enough to take some snaps and send them to me, to share today... 

 

YOU ARE MOST WELCOME TO JOIN US and over 34,000 others Peter Cushing followers at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE! With posts every day, rare images and photographs, features and prize competitions.. all celebrating the LIFE and CAREER of Peter Cushing  OBE  

STAR WARS : NEW HOPE : FOUND PETER CUSHING 'MOFF' TARKIN SKETCH TO GO UNDER THE HAMMER! EXPERTS FLAP!

NEWS: #STARWARS! Much interest, today over at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE about a discovered page in a Cushing Sketch Book, that Makes Experts Flap! Expect an UPDATE later today . . . . 😏😉 

ABOVE AND BELOW: Peter Cushing personal script for the 1975 Amicus film 'AT THE EARTH'S CORE' with a quick pen sketch that Cushing made inside of his character, Dr Abner Perry, with notes about make up during the shooting of him being chased by a dinosaur type creature, where 'dirt and mud' are to be applied and his umbrella, being used as a weapon to frighten the creature away.. Put BROLLY UP but get it DOWN again'. Also study drawings by Peter of him as Sherlock Holmes, can be found in his personal script of Hammer films 1959, 'THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES' 

 

UPDATE! First, thank you to everyone who 'clicked' with the motive, played along with this load of silliness, when it went up early, early this morning. This drawing I believe was drawn by Scoot Gooder a Star Wars fan when he was a kid and caught my eye. Amazing Scoot, and thank you! Scoot drew this in a diary, with a different date..which as a HINT, I changed to a different one. Peter Cushing did many sketches and artwork, based on his roles and ideas for costumes... the two in the thread are real and legit 😊 Peter was a very accomplished artist and studied under artist Edward Seago (1910-1974)

 

Peter also did in the 'One Way Ticket To Hollywood', say that he wondered what a MOFF was, and asked if it flapped out of closets. I took some licence and just tweaked the quote. There is no auction, at 'Sotheby's' for this drawing, the BFI ain't bidding either. But the Canterbury Auction in July 1996, did take place.

 

 ABOVE: Last years shameful April 1st wind up.....

 

This is only the third time, w have marked APRIL FOOL'S Day (April 1st) ..which kinda has quite a health tradition in the UK, where I am sat, right now...or am I?? 😏😁Maybe we'll do the same, same time, next year. Maybe...... - Marcus  

 

YOU ARE MOST WELCOME TO JOIN US and over 34,000 others Peter Cushing followers at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE! With posts every day, rare images and photographs, features and prize competitions.. all celebrating the LIFE and CAREER of Peter Cushing  OBE     

PETER CUSHING TALKS PSYCHO : LEE PLAYS SANTA AND PLAYS FOR LAUGHS WITH DRACULA

PETER CUSHING TALKS ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S PSYCHO! Yes, you read that title right! Maybe the last film you would ever have thought, you would ever hear Peter Cushing discussing, as he often shared that he didn't watch violent films or even more surprising, 'Horror Fantasies', like the themed films he himself appeared in! But here we are, part of an interview, we'll be sharing in it's entirety, at the   Facebook PCASUK Fan Page  very soon! You can catch this extract at the Facebook Page now,HERE!  

 

ABOVE: From our PCASUK supplement website/blog TheBlackBoxClub.Com, here is a selection of rare on set and scene stills from Hitchcock's PSYCHO, which might just put you in moood to watch the film or indeed if you have not seen the film, see if you agree with Cushing's opinion?  Just CLICK HERE! 

 

LAST WEEKEND on the Facebook PCASUK Fan Page themed #CHRISTOPHERLEE Saturday, I made and shared this little gem image banner! HO HO OH! Who would have thought that Christopher Lee once guested as FATHER CHRISTMAS and entertained children and families at London's Selfridge's department store? I am not sure what year this could have been, but I'll put a guess on late 60's to early 1970's? Maybe you know better? Either way, the sharing of these images has stirred quite an interest on the Facebook PCASUK Fan Page, with some followers making reference to Lee's early working days in the UK store, Simpsons, too.

 

ANOTHER SHARED LEE PHOTOGRAPH, that also stirred up interest this weekend, is this on set still of Lee in his canvas set chair, in a costume or film I couldn't place! We all agreed, we LOVED the coat and the cane. But it took, Nicholas Dubreuil, from France to supply us with the film and role! It is the 1976, ' DRACULA PÈRE ET FILS',(Dracula Father and Son) with Lee costumed as the titled character, here sitting in the forest of Rambouillet near Paris, no less! To my shame, I must admit to never having seen this film, as everytime I tried to get my hands on a copy, it proved to be so bad a print, with even worse audio, it proved unwatchable. But, I hope to remedy this year. One of many Christopher Lee films, I have yet to catch!

 

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YOU ARE MOST WELCOME TO JOIN US and over 34,000 others Peter Cushing followers at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE! With posts every day, rare images and photographs, features and prize competitions.. all celebrating the LIFE and CAREER of Peter Cushing  OBE