NEWS : BRITAIN'S FIRST FRANKENSTEIN MUSEUM READY FOR CREATION!

IT WAS THE ROLE THAT nailed #PeterCushing to the movie map and made both him and Christopher Lee into household names, with a mini budget movie produced by an even smaller UK film company called, #Hammerfilms. Jimmy Sangster wrote a scaled down script of the classic novel by Mary Shelley, #Britishfilm director, Terence Fisher called the shots, and 'The Curse of Frankenstein' not only hit huge box office success, it also changed the style of horror films and rebooted the Frankenstein film. Peter Cushing would go on to appear in a further FIVE Frankenstein films for Hammer.  'The Curse of Frankenstein' also presented Christopher Lee as an often child-like but savage 'monster-creation', his appearance compared to that of the traditional Universal #BorisKarloff Jack Pearce make up artist style, was quite a different. Hammer films continued their #Frankenstein series, but again in a different style to the Universal horror films, in a clever turn, they created a focus on adventures of  The Baron himself, instead of the '#TheMonster'. It was a brilliant and box office friendly plan, as not only did the audience get a different creation for every new story and title, but also Cushing's amazing Baron for the price of one ticket!

FOR DECADES the character of Baron Frankenstein has fascinated audiences with new theatre, television and cinema productions being produced every year. And it is maybe this and the fact that that the company behind the Frankenstein Museum , #Bath Attractions . . is based in the very city where #MaryShelley wrote the iconic 'Frankenstein' novel in 1818! READ ON . . .  

PLANS ARE BEING DRAWN UP for ‘Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein’ to celebrate the author’s “extraordinary life and her most lauded work” - much of which was penned in the Somerset city. #Bath Attractions Ltd are planning to convert Grade II-listed offices in Gay Street - a few doors up from the Jane Austen Centre - and hope it could open later this year. The  planning application says: “Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein is a new multi-sensory, fully immersive family-friendly visitor attraction proposed for the City of Bath, and the UK’s first attraction dedicated to #MaryShelley and her novel, Frankenstein, one of the world’s most famous, iconic and lauded creations.

“Exploring her complicated and tragic personal life, literary career and the novel’s continuing relevance today in regards to popular culture, politics and science, the attraction aims to deliver a sophisticated, entertaining and visceral experience like no other, and one which we hope the city of Bath can be proud of.”

THE AUTHOR'S LINKS to Bath are commemorated on a plaque at the site of 5 Abbey Church Yard, where she took lodgings arriving in the city in September 1816, then named Mary Wollstenecraft Godwin. It was there that she wrote much of #Frankenstein , which was published anonymously in 1818 and is now regarded as the world’s first #sciencefiction novel.

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WARNER BROTHERS AND 'FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE' PLUS MARKING THE BIRTHDAY OF JACK PALANCE

TODAY WE REMEMBER ACTOR:  JACK PALANCE, born on this day in 1919....everyone has a favourite Palance movie and there's many crackers to choose from..Shane, Batman, Sword of the Conquer, Hawk the Slayer, City Slickers...or even his performances as Dracula in 74 or Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in 1968.

ABOVE AND BELOW: When Canning and Wyatt were included in our Monday Themed posts, #MONSTERMONDAY a few years ago . .

A RARE STILL: PALANCE STRIKES A POSE  for the studio stills photographer, to be included in the press packs, this shot was not included in the edit of the film, 'Torture Garden'

ABOVE: JACK WITH HIS BROTHER, IVAN in the 1962 film, 'Sword of the Conquer'

 

THE NUTS AND BOLTS of the film and Cushing and Palance's performances is covered in our THE AMICUS FILMS OF PETER CUSHING : PART TWO SERIES! Click that thread and enjoy the skip load of rare images and photographs! 

THE CUSHING CONNECTION would his be crackling performance as Ronald Wyatt in 'The Man Who Collected Poe' story in 'Torture Garden' (Amicus films 1967) A man of few words off the set, he owned his own cattle ranch and displayed other creative sides as a exhibited painter and published poet.

OUR SECOND POST of today at the Released in 1974, Peter Cushing as the 'shop keeper' and Ian Ogilvy as William Seaton in 'The Door' part of the four stories that made the Amicus films portmanteau movie, 'From Beyond The Grave'. I have often thought while walking around Cushing's home-town of Whitstable in Kent, that on turning a corner, up a narrow alleyway, that a little shop called, 'Temptations Ltd' was going to melt out of the sea-side fog!

A WHISPER.... PCASUK is.. fingers crossed... planning a something quite unusual and exciting in that little town in a few months time.

THE FILM'S SCRIPT is adapted from four short stories by R. Chetwynd-Hayes strung together about an antique dealer (Peter Cushing) who owns a shop called Temptations Ltd. and the fate that befalls his customers who try to cheat him. Stories includeThe Gate Crasher with David Warner who frees an evil enity from an antique mirror,An Act of Kindness featuring Donald Pleasence,The Elemental, and The Door. As Warner Brothers still owns this Amicus classic, we have over at the Facebook PCASUK FAN PAGE been discussing, if the success of Warner releasing the Hammer Horror Classic these last few months, might make them think about releasing THIS long time awaiting a blu ray release, soon? 

 

#TOOCOOTUESDAY: THE MAN WHO THOUGHT HE WAS A HAIRDRESSER: CELEBRATED TODAY!

Today, the nineteenth of September we remember the late ANTHONY HINDS, today he would have been his 96th birthday. And we are marking this day in style, a whole new PLAYLIST of vintage INTERVIEW CLIPS with Anthony Hinds, available to watch at our PCAS YOUTUBE CHANNEL and LINKED HERE TOO! There are also EXPANDED features on HINDS films for Hammer, accessible at our supplement website, THEBLACKBOXCLUB.COM For many Hammer film fans, Hinds represents the 'Golden Years' of the studios output and production. Producer and script writer, he was responsible for some of Peter Cushing's most revered work in the fantasy genre.

ABOVE TWO #GIFS FROM HINDS 'BACK TO BACK' PRODUCTION PERIOD, HAMMER FILMS, 'THE PLAGUE OF ZOMBIES' (1966) 

In Hammer's early days, it was Hinds idea to hire country houses and to based the production and shooting in the rooms and grounds of the locations, which saved the the studio huge production costs. He was also the brains behind shooting productions 'back to back'. (See the CLIP ABOVE!) 'The Reptile' and 'The Plague of the Zombies', are two very good examples.

In his private life, Hinds lived in the stock-belt district of London. His family owned a large chain of jewellery stores through-out the UK. But to his friends, the details of Hinds day job was only shared outside of the family, on a 'need-to-know' basis. Hinds told neighbours and acquaintances he was the owner manager of a string of Hairdressing salons in the city, and that the E Type Jag in his drive, was the result of many shampoo and sets! It wasn't that he was embarrassed about his job, but as he explained many years later, he didn't think the daily doings of The Baron, body parts, Dracula and gore, wouldn't go down too well, with the chaps at the golf club . . .  

ORIGINALLY POSTED IN 2013 ON HIS PASSING : OUR TRIBUTE 

TO ANTHONY HINDS  HERE!

His script writing skills, have been picked over by many, but few could doubt his skill in managing tight budgets, and building impressive productions, with very limited resources and finance...and for this, he was indeed, the 'Master Builder and Architect of Hammer films'...and for that, we are very grateful.....

ABOVE ANTHONY HINDS AND HOW HE STARTED AT HAMMER FILMS

ABOVE HINDS ON THE MAKING OF HAMMER FILMS 1958 DRACULA / HORROR OF DRACULA

OUR FEATURE AND GALLERY AT OUR SUPPLEMENT 

WEBSITE CONTAINING RARE IMAGES AND FEATURE : HERE!

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF HINDS 'BACK TO BACK' FEATURES 'THE REPTILE'.

READ OUR FEATURE, SUPPLEMENTED WITH VINTAGE STILLS AT THE BLACK BOX CLUB WEBSITE!

ANTHONY HINDS PRODUCED 'RASPUTIN, THE MAD MONK' (1966) 'BACK TO BACK' WITH 'DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS' (1966) READ OUR FEATURE AND VIEW THE VINTAGE STILLS GALLERY : HERE!

IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA    

#SILENTBUTDEADLY!: SEEING IS BELIEVING! #GIFS

#SILENTBUTDEADLY! : Without giving anything away about this film, you can clearly SEE something very important is going on here HA! The Amicus films #DRTERRORSHOUSEOFHORRORS was a bench mark time for Amicus, that after 'City of the Dead' informed Subostsky and Rosenberg, in which direction they should explore. If you have been watching our uploads of the Donald Fearney excellent mammoth documentary 'The Amicus Vault of Horrors' you see, every time Amicus went off in a different direction, a drama, a different theme..the film bombed at the box office. So, we can be thankful that Cushing's Dr Shreck and Co, were a big hit. Unlike these poor guys, the Amicus future after this scene, wasn't very bleak one!

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY! How was character actor Michael Ripper to know that, when he first read the 'HIDDEN FROM SIGHT, POACHER SEES 7ft TALL FIGURE WRAPPED IN BANDAGES, FROM BEHIND THE BUSHES' simple description in his script, that he would be forever associated with this short scene?. I have sat with friends.. . .we don't get out much.. and examined this shot. To try and discover, what is it that makes it so superbly funny. Ripper was a master of these roles. It was probably the thinnest of descriptions on the page, but from that, scriptwriter Anthony Hinds knew the role would be safe in Ripper's hands and Christopher Lee would supply the fright factor! 

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY! : THE 'I THNK I AM SEEING THINGS OR going Out Of My Mind' and the 'Wife / Husband Driving Their Partner Around The Bend With Set Up's Orchestrated By Their Lover' is as old as the hills. BUT, it's a popular scenario in Horror and thrillers. Despite having watched probably hundreds of these fantasy films over the years, I still have that ability  that many jaded fans lost a thousand films ago. When I sit to watch a film, unless it's a really poorly scripted one, I just let the story take me along. I am not in the biz of playing amateur sleuth, or critic, picking the plot apart after the credits role. I enjoy these movies, that's why I watch them. I still have a certain naivety, when it comes to being entertained. I come to be fooled, mislead, I am the script writers dream audience. I am not busy sat there trying to work it out. Nope. I paid my five dollars / pounds, I want my monies worth... entertain me.

Which is why, in this tale from 'The House That Dripped Blood' : 'Method For Murder', I never saw the REVEAL in this story coming! Ha! I was with Denholm Elliott's  character, Charles Hillyer all of the way. Isn't that the way it's supposed to be? If not, why are you watching?? As I said, from the off, I recognized the set up, but I wasn't expecting the wrap! Neither did I recognize that actor playing Dominick, the voice of UK's Channel Four four years, the late Tom Adams. Yup, I get good value out of most the films I see. Hey, I was the last person during our family viewing of all those terrible murders, to realize it was, Norman!   

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY! And finally, Peter Cushing's Colonel William Raymond SEES Alex Hyde- White's Jim Ferguson, in 'Biggles: Adventures In Time' from 1986. See? It doesn't get any better than that . . . . 

IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA