RECENT POST FROM THE BLACK BOX CLUB

Tuesday 9 August 2011

PETER CUSHING AND CHRISTOPHER LEE: THE LAST MEETING IMAGES AND THE RADIO TIMES


MAY 1994. THE LAST TIME PETER CUSHING AND CHRISTOPHER LEE WOULD WORK
TOGETHER. THE LOCATION, A RECORDING STUDIO IN CANTERBURY, KENT, ENGLAND.
THE OLD FIRM OF CUSHING AND LEE PROVIDE THE NARRATION FOR THE TED NEWSOM DOCUMENTARY: FLESH AND BLOOD: THE HAMMER HERITAGE OF HORROR.


IT HAD BEEN SOMETIME SINCE CUSHING HAD APPEARED IN PUBLIC. NO ONE EXCEPT HIS PERSONAL ASSISTANT JOYCE BROUGHTON AND CHRISTOPHER LEE KNEW HOW TERRIBLY ILL CUSHING WAS AT THIS TIME. THE CANCER HE HAD FOUGHT SO WELL, FOR SO LONG, HAD RETURNED.


DESPITE THIS, CUSHING INSISTED ON MAKING THE SHEDULED RECORDING.
HIS MOOD WAS BRIGHT THROUGH OUT THE DAY, JOKING AND AD LIBBING WITH LEE. BUT THE EXERTIONS WOULD PUT HIM HIM IN BED FOR TWO DAYS AFTERWARDS.

FOUR MONTHS LATER IN AUGUST WHEN THE FIRST PART OF THE DOCUMENTARY WAS BROADCAST, CUSHING WAS ADMITTED TO THE PILGRIMS HOSPICE AT CANTERBURY.


AFTER TWO WEEKS IN THE HOSPICE AND BETWEEN THE TWO INSTALMENTS OF FLESH AND BLOOD, THE LONG FIGHT WITH HIS ILLNESS CAME TO ITS END.PETER CUSHING DIED ON THURSDAY 11TH AUGUST 1994.


THEBLACKBOXCLUB.COM WEBSITE WILL BE POSTING A FEATURE BASED ON THE FINAL WEEKS OF PETER CUSHING'S LIFE. ALONG WITH SEVERAL NEW AND UNSEEN IMAGES, WILL BE MORE IMAGES FROM THE FLESH AND BLOOD RECORDING SESSION AND WHAT COULD BE THE LAST IMAGE, TAKEN CANDIDLY, OF LEE AND CUSHING TOGETHER.


IN THE MEANTIME, ENJOY THESE IMAGES OF THE BOYS LAST MEET. ALONG WITH A COPY OF THE INTERVIEW WITH CHRISTOPHER LEE FROM THE RADIO TIMES AND IT'S TERRIFIC COVER.



5 comments:

  1. I wish I'd been there with my camera! What great shots from a happy event. Thank you for posting.

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  2. Thank you for posting! Keep 'em coming. One nitpick: can't enlarge that last image, the second page of the article.

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  3. Ron Borst showed me the complete set of photos that he took on this occasion back in 1994. It was tough to see Peter Cushing in such dire condition. Like everyone who visits this site, I grew up loving him from the time I saw THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN in its original theatrical release in 1957. Recently, I saw Martin Scorsese's superb HUGO for the second time. Sir Christopher Lee is in it as the bookseller. It made me think how very much I have enjoyed these two men over so very many years. It is not something that I take for granted. Take my word for it, do not miss HUGO!

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  4. BRILLIANT! Please continue uncovering & recovering these gems for the sake of movie history as well as hard-core fans! Featured your excellent site on Princes of Horror (DA group for artists) http://princes-of-horror.deviantart.com/
    - Good job all! Kind regards to the team!

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  5. All Christopher and Peter films are awesome, i love them all. fine actors, its a big shame they never done any biography films of themselves i think it would be awesome.Thank goodness cameras are invented or we would of had no sweet memories of these 2 charming english actors.

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