Tuesday 12 August 2014

CHRISTOPHER LEE REMEMBERS PETER CUSHING: 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF ACTORS DEATH

 
 Christopher Lee Remembers Peter Cushing

TWENTY YEARS ON TODAY: ROY HUDD REMEMBERS PETER CUSHING:


ROY HUDD REMEMBERS PETER CUSHING:

"I made my first appearance in a feature film mid September 1967. It wasn't quite 'Gone with The Wind', but a small budget horror film called 'The Blood Beast Terror'. I had a smashing little part as the mortuary attendant. I could hardly believe my luck when I looked at the script and saw i had two scenes with Peter Cushing!

I religiously leaned every word of my dialogue, backwards and sideways. Anyway, I arrived a good hour before I was called, around five am, at a tiny studio off the Goldhawk road. Eventually, I was called for make up and there, in the next chair , was the great man himself. "Good morning" he said 'I'm Peter Cushing" - as if I didn't know. "Have you seen the script for today?" he asked, Had I seen it? - Seen it?? I'd LIVED it for the past seven days. "oh yes" I stuttered. "Not very good is it?" said Peter. "Well..." I blustered. "No we can do better than that", he said. "Can we?", I said. "How can we make it funnier?" asked the great man. "Well...." I advised.. And that was the start. Together we rejigged the whole two scenes. Peter was very patient, encouraging, and VERY inventive. It was his idea to have me eating pickled onions from the jar between the legs of the cadaver!

If you have never faced a studio full of camera people, lighting guys, production staff, actors and extras then you don't know what FEAR is! I was, petrified! So anxious not to make a fool of myself. The director shouted, "Lets rehearse" but Peter said, "No, Roy's never done a film before, so I just want him to feel at home" He held up shooting for a good half hour while he showed me the set, where the lights would be, and where the camera would move, the lot!'

He did make me feel at home and that, all too short morning spent in his company has stayed with me for forty odd years. A GREAT star, taking time and trouble to make a raw beginner feel able to give his best.

Thank you Peter. You were a gentle, dear and wonderful man...

Photograph: Peter Cushing and Roy Hudd on right, on set during the making of 'The Blood Beast Terror' (1967)

MARKING THE DAY TWENTY YEARS ON AFTER HIS DEATH: REMEMBERING PETER CUSHING


Veronica Carlson Remembers Peter Cushing:
'My high regard for Peter, allows me to say how happy the days were, that I was privileged to work along-side him. I can only reiterate my deep respect for this wonderful man, who was a perfect gentleman in every sense of the word. I was doubly fortunate to be able to work with him twice - once. before Helen his beloved wife, died, and after her passing. I saw the happy Peter, and the bereft Peter - I laughed with him, and I wept for him. I remember those days with joy, - and with sadness. I regret not a moment of them. I recall them often, especially certain beautiful moments, and I smile. He gave me so much to remember and to be glad I knew him . . .'

Monday 11 August 2014

REMEMBERING PETER CUSHING : MARKING TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF PETER CUSHING'S DEATH


Remembering the passing of a childhood hero is always a melancholy occasion. The 1990s were a wicked decade for me in this regard: 1993 saw the passing of Vincent Price, 1995 took Donald Pleasence, 1996 claimed Lucio Fulci, 1999 saw Oliver Reed succumbing to his demons.  In between Price and Pleasence, however, yet another icon was taken from us: on August 11th of that year, Peter Cushing passed away at the age of 81. And yet, for me, it marked the second time I mourned his passing.


Admittedly, what you are about to read amounts to little more than a trip down memory lane. I’m the first to admit that hearing people wax nostalgic about bygone years can be tedious, but bear with me here. In the summer of 1986, FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED (1969) aired on the WTBS network; it has since been abbreviated to TBS, but it’s the same channel. Anyway, being a horror buff from as far back as I can remember, I made a point of setting the timer to record the film while I was away doing something appropriately outdoorsy on such a sunny day. When I watched the film that evening, I was enthralled: here was a film which showed that Cushing—normally such a gentle man on screen—could play vile with the best of them. It was dark, downbeat, and nihilistic


I was still of an age where the lack of a conventional monster was a bit bothersome, but eventually it became quite apparent: the Baron himself was the monster. Anyway, the next day I was talking with a friend I had managed to “turn on” to these films—he had also recorded the film and was impressed with what he had seen. After a bit, he said something I’ll never forget: “Too bad Peter Cushing just died.”  I was gob smacked, as the Brits say. What?  Where?  When?  “The host said so during the movie.”  No, he didn’t—I saw the opening with him introducing the movie and he said no such thing. “Did you watch the part at the end when he came back on?” No.  I had not. That night, with much trepidation, I popped the tape back in the VCR (remember those?) and found the segment in question—and to my great disappointment and heartache, it was true: according to the host, Bill Tush, Peter Cushing had died earlier that summer. Somehow or other it didn’t make the papers around here—or if it did, nobody told me about it. I was crushed. It was like losing a grandfather.


Fast forward a few years. I was reading a copy of FANGORIA magazine and lo and behold, there was a reference to Peter Cushing. Apparently he hadn’t died after all. It felt surreal, but I was happy to discover that the grim news I had heard a few years earlier had been in error. I still don’t know whether Bill Tush ever corrected this error on his program. In any event, I was certainly pleased by the news but was less than thrilled to read that the reason Cushing had not made an appearance on screen for so long was because of severe health problems. The more I read about the man, the more it became apparent that he had, in effect, truly died in 1971 when his beloved wife Helen succumbed to emphysema. All he was doing was marking time until he could follow the same path. The sense of dignity and melancholy I felt while reading about the man was touching and made me admire him all the more.


Inevitably, the “real” death of Peter Cushing followed in time. It was close to suppertime when I heard my father call for me to come into the living room. “You need to see this,” he said. As I entered the living room, the classic finale of DRACULA (1958) was playing on the news. Clearly this was not good—if the news was airing this clip, it meant one of two things: either Peter Cushing or Christopher Lee had died. Inevitably, it was the former—and truth be told, the sting was far lesser than it would have been if it were the latter. Lee and Cushing were childhood heroes of mine, and they remain my favorite actors of all time, but I knew Cushing was ailing—that he had been lonely and unhappy since the death of his wife… It somehow seemed more “fitting” that he should be the one to leave us. 81 wasn’t a bad “inning,” anyway, and knowing that his suffering was finally at an end softened the blow somewhat. I am not, however, too proud to admit that I still shed some tears.


Twenty years have elapsed since that day—in a sense, it feels like it was yesterday. It’s a hoary cliché, but it’s true: Cushing may be dead, but in a sense he will never die. Like all artists, he has left behind a part of himself that continues to live on thanks to the interest and enthusiasm of fans across the globe. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t see some trace of him, whether it be in film clips, postings on line, tributes, recollections from co-stars, reviews of old films released to Blu-ray… ad nauseum. What would Cushing make of all this reverie? He’d probably be flattered—like all actors, he certainly enjoyed being lauded—but I think he would also be a bit puzzled by the enduring popularity of the films in which he appeared. He was an actor who honed his craft on stage and in “big” films and television productions, but he found his lasting cinematic immortality starring in low budget horror films. It was a legacy he had mixed feelings about. Some overly enthusiastic fans are quick to make the claim that he welcomed his typecasting and never resented it one iota; this is not entirely true.



The fact of the matter is, he deliberated long and hard over accepting this typecasting and only gave in due to the fact that the steady work would make it easier for him to pay for Helen’s extensive medical care and therapy. He sometimes tired of the sub-par material he was given to work with. He could be sharply critical of screenwriters when he felt they were not doing a good enough job. In private moments, he undoubtedly craved for more serious recognition and realized that it would never be forthcoming so long as he appeared in a steady stream of B horror movies.


Had Cushing’s health held out, he may well have enjoyed something of a renaissance along the lines of that of his good friend and frequent co-star, Christopher Lee. Sadly, it was not meant to be: years of multiple-pack-a-day smoking took their toll, and as his desire to cling to life dissipated with the passing of his wife, he gradually withered away to a mere shadow of his former self; the brain was still sharp, but the body couldn’t keep up anymore. He retired to a quiet life by the sea on Whitstable, gave interviews, charmed the local residents, and held on to the hope that, some day, he would get back in the saddle again. It didn’t come to pass, though some sporadic vocal work would occupy him from time to time. We fans inevitably are left wishing he had enjoyed that final “moment in the sun” enjoyed by Lee and his other dear friend and co-star, Vincent Price, but no matter: there’s more than enough material to sift through as it is.


Cushing was not above walking through the occasional role for a paycheck. He sometimes said yes to projects he would have been better off rejecting. Yet, he was seldom less than engaging on screen—and when he was fully committed to a project, he could give a performance of great depth and power. He remains an icon in a genre littered with icons, but he remains one of the best loved because he was so often dedicated to improving the material he was given (where the opportunity was present, of course) and for his charming, gentle, and self-effacing image off screen.


Thus, while we may feel a tinge of sadness at the thought of commemorating 20 years without Peter Cushing, take heart: he has never really left us and never will, so long as fans continue to revisit the many films in which he appeared.


Feature: Troy Howarth
Images: Marcus Brooks


Remembering Peter Cushing

Sunday 10 August 2014

A VISUAL NIGHTMARE : TROY HOWARTH TAKES IN A KEY SCENE FROM AMICUS FILMS 'THE SKULL'


One of the best sequences of THE SKULL (1965) is the extended dream sequence.  Director Freddie Francis handles the transition from reality to fantasy so skillfully that the audience is not even aware of the fact that they are watching a dream. Sooner than rely on distortion filters, a la Roger Corman, Francis lulls the viewer into a state of blissful ignorance as the protagonist, Professor Christopher Maitland (Peter Cushing), drifts into unconsciousness and undergoes a strange and terrifying nightmare.


Francis’ background as a cinematographer is very evident in the film, which is handsomely photographed by John Wilcox in the widescreen Techniscope process. Using sound effects and Elisabeth Lutyens’ score to help build the mood, Francis conveys much through camera movements and artful compositions within the frame. Much like the rest of the film, there’s relatively little dialogue—and this is why the film remains the director’s best film: it is a work of pure cinema, allowing his strengths as a visual stylist to take center stage. For fans of Cushing and Christopher Lee, THE SKULL is a genuine treat: it’s creepy, stylish and quite unlike anything else from the golden age of British horror.












Troy Howarth's 'The Haunted World of Mario Bava' Explanded and Revised: NOW Available $45.00, FULL COLOR 8 1/2 X 11 SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY SALE PRICE! $35.00!   Order Here! Look out for Troy Howarth's 'Tome of Terror' and 'So Deadly, So Perverse' coming soon...all from Midnight Marquee.

A Visual Nightmare : The Skull

20TH ANNIVERSARY : REMEMBERING PETER CUSHING : TOMORROW


TOMORROW August 11th 2014 marks the twentieth anniversary of Peter Cushing's passing...and tomorrow we'll be handing over the website  to you! We will be marking the anniversary with just one post, a simple banner on our page news feed... we welcome you to share your memories, images, thoughts and wishes about Peter Cushing, and we will transfer your comments to the page. Please join us tomorrow in marking this anniversary, your contribution, will be most welcome....

Saturday 9 August 2014

DATE LINE: AUGUST 1983: CUSHING, LEE, PRICE AND CARRADINE : HOUSE OF THE LONG SHADOWS


AUGUST 1983: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Vincent Price and John Carradine, started shooting at Rothersfield Park, East Tisted on 'House of the Long Shadows'

Date Line: August 1983
The House of the Long Shadows

Tuesday 5 August 2014

SUNDAY TIMES : PETER CUSHING INTERVIEW STAR WARS 1977


An interview with Peter Cushing that appeared in the Sunday Times Supplement August 14th 1977. The 'ghoul' mentioned in the interview is of course actor Don Henderson, during the making of Tyburn films, 'The Ghoul'. This would put the interview taking place at Pinewood studios somewhere in March - April 1974 during production... however, this feature didn't appear until 1977 and the inclusion of a Moff Tarkin image and mention of Star Wars, for sure stamps this as part of the massive press and television promotion campaign, ahead of SW opening in the UK... a nice nod to Peter Cushing's chauffeur and stand in, George Molcroft and his housekeeper, Daisey.

Ghoul of the Month
Peter Cushing
Star Wars Interview

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