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No one could say that the Carry On movies stretched their female stars, or paid them generously. But, decades later, Amanda Barrie, Valerie Leon, Sheila Hancock and co have fond memories

I’m watching a clip from the 1969 film Carry on Camping with Valerie Leon. As in, I’m with Leon, in her house in west London, with a plate of Hobnobs, and we’re watching on my phone. But also as in: she’s in the film and she’s watching herself play a sales assistant in a camping shop.

There’s a display tent in the shop, with all sorts of shenanigans going on inside – poking of canvas and cries of: “No, sir, you mustn’t!” before the tent collapses completely. Charles Hawtrey and Leon crawl out, looking guilty and dishevelled. Smoothing down her minidress, Leon explains to the manager: “I’m sorry, Mr Short, but the gentleman kept touching things.

We present our red carpet interviews for Hammer Films’ modern interpretation of Doctor Jekyll. Directed by Joe Stephenson the cast includes Eddie Izzard, Scott Chambers, Lindsay Duncan and Simon Callow.

The film will be released with perfect timing in the UK on the 27th of October, 2023. Sarah Cook and Colin Hart were on the red carpet, here are their interviews.

Doctor Jekyll Premiere Interviews

We also had the chance to speak to two Hammer Horror icons, Caron Gardner and Valerie Leon.

Plot:

A modern interpretation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the movie is a reimagining of the classic story starring Eddie Izzard who plays Dr. Nina Jekyll, a recluse who finds friendship with her newly hired help, Rob, played by emerging actor Scott Chambers (“Chicken”). They must work together to prevent Hyde from destroying her life.

The post Doctor Jekyll Premiere Interviews: Eddie Izzard,...

It kind of makes me sad to think of a film, particularly a horror one, as being “cursed”; this assignation of doom feels somewhat exploitative towards an unfortunate group of events. Having said that, I had no idea of the troubled production of Hammer Films’ Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971) until after watching it, and I’m glad that I didn’t. First of all, you can’t tell by what’s on the screen, and secondly, it shelves the pall that would hang over the whole affair had I known beforehand. Sort of like I’m doing right now for those to whom this is new. Oops.

But we’re here, so I’ll pull the bandaid and move on: Peter Cushing completed one day of shooting before being informed his wife was gravely ill and left the production; director Seth Holt (The Nanny) died of a heart attack...

This week’s horror and sci-fi home media releases feature a stellar array of new and old. Scream Factory is showing some love to a trio of classic titles—Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb, Circus of Horrors and Scars of Dracula—and for those who may have missed it in theaters a few months back, Jim Jarmusch’s zombie comedy The Dead Don’t Die is shambling its way home on various formats. We’re also getting several modern classics released in 4K this Tuesday—Daybreakers and Edgar Wright’s Cornetto Trilogy, and for all you Supernatural fans out there, season 14 arrives on both Blu-ray & DVD, just in time for the final season.

Other Blu-ray & DVD releases for September 10th include Nekrotronic, John Wick: Chapter 3, Paranormal Activity 6-Movie Collection, and Hex.

Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb

A British expedition in Egypt discovers the ancient sealed tomb of the evil Queen Tera.

While Scream Factory is bringing enough horror movies to Blu-ray this summer to keep you entertained after countless barbecues and bonfires, they also have a bunch of titles to look forward to this September, as they've now announced three more Hammer horror films coming to Blu-ray (including the Christopher Lee-starring Scars of Dracula), as well as 1972's Fright!

From Scream Factory: "If you’re a fan of Hammer Films (like we are) then save up for this Sept when we release three films from them on Blu-ray for the first time in North America! (**Correction: We originally included Fright as in the Hammer library. Our "Oops!" on that. Sorry! Its still releasing though.)

Scars Of Dracula (1970) - The legendary Christopher Lee is back as Dracula, bringing unspeakable horrors upon a local village that defies his evil reign. But when a young man and his luscious girlfriend unwittingly visit the Count's castle,...

By Mark Cerulli

Customers at London’s Bond in Motion exhibit could be forgiven for wondering about the steady stream of distinguished-looking people heading through the vehicle displays towards a private area – but they were witnessing a bit of James Bond history in the making. On on Thursday, October 11th, the Ian Fleming Foundation, Eon Productions, Iff founder Doug Redenius and this writer hosted a remarkable book signing for Charles “Jerry” Juroe, the executive who ran publicity on 14 Bond movies, from Dr. No right up to the dawn of the Pierce Brosnan era. His memoir, Bond, The Beatles and My Year with Marilyn is just out from McFarland Press. For 50 years, Jerry knew, worked with or encountered “Anyone who was anyone”. From Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, Mary Pickford to John Wayne, William Holden, Alfred Hitchcock and, yes, the Fab Four. Jerry even crossed paths with the legendary Howard Hughes.

Based on Bram Stoker’s The Jewel of the Seven Stars, this 1971 Hammer release is notable for its troubled production and the presence of zaftig Valerie Leon as a reincarnated Egyptian princess. The cast, led by Andrew Keir, soldiered on and the result was a typically handsome Hammer release thanks to Arthur Grant’s cinematography and Tristram Cary’s score.

The post Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb appeared first on Trailers From Hell.

"Thunderball" co-stars Martine Beswick and Luciana Paluzzi.

Hammer and "Live and Let Die" actress Madeleine Smith.

By Mark Mawston

The London Film Convention, organized by Thomas Bowington was quite literally a Who’s Who of heroes and villains from the small and silver screen. The actual Who came in the shape of a Dr. himself in the guise of Sylvester McCoy, along with Who assistants Katy Manning who played Jo and Bernard Cribbins from both the Amicus film version and the TV version. There was also a rare appearance from Garial Woolf. The other key cult British film genres-the Carry On films, James Bond and Hammer horror- were all represented too, with many of the star guests appearing in all three: from the Carry On Films we had Fenella Fielding, Anita Harris and Amanda Barrie, from Hammer and Bond we had Maddie Smith, Valerie Leon, Martine Beswick, Eunice Gayson, John Wyman,...

Here’s a spicy hot take—I’m as far as one could get from excited for Universal’s new film The Mummy. This isn’t exactly the movie’s fault, per se, as much as it is the world the movie inhabits, a sort of bizarro realm where a Brian Tyler-scored Tom Cruise action spectacle that’s meant to lay the groundwork for a Marvel-style cinematic universe, complete with Dr. Jekyll in the role of Nick Fury, is the most commercially viable way to make a movie about an ancient mummy’s curse. Now, I can see why the film’s being made, and you can’t exactly fault a studio for wanting to chase the money train that is the McU, but personally, I couldn’t care less about the picture being released. Because when I think of mummies, I don’t think of Tom Cruise, or Brendan Fraser,...

“Observe, Mr. Bond, the instruments of Armageddon.”

In celebration of the life of Sir Roger Moore, and to benefit Unicef, there will be a double feature screening of The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only at select AMC Theatres on May 31st at 6pm and June 4th at 2pm. For a list of participating theaters, go Here (the only St. Louis AMC Theater participating is The AMC Chesterfield 14)

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

The Spy Who Loved Me sports a labyrinthine story involving outer-space extortion. The leading lady is sexy Russian secret agent Barbara Bach, who joins forces with Bond to foil yet another megalomaniacal villain, who plans to threaten New York City with nuclear weaponry. Curt Jurgens stars as Stromberg, Richard Kiel costars as ‘Jaws’, and other Bond lovelies include Caroline Munro and Valerie Leon.

For Your Eyes Only (1981)

Roger Moore was back as Secret Agent 007 in For Your Eyes Only,...

Cinema Retro has received the following announcement from Bondstars.com in the UK:

"In 2003, the renowned American artist Jeff Marshall (known for his James Bond work) was commissioned to create a lithograph  for Daleon Enterprises (officially sanctioned by Hammer themselves) featuring several famous Hammer actresses - Ingrid Pitt, Caroline Munro, Valerie Leon and Martine Beswicke.

· The first 100 of these limited edition lithographs were signed and numbered by Jeff himself and have never been available to buy....until now.

· We have 006 - 100 for sale, unfortunately we cannot accommodate requests for specific numbers.

· The lithograph measures 20" x 30" and is printed on museum quality acid-free paper.

· The lithograph will be shipped rolled in a sturdy poster tube."

Click Here To Order...

A Tribute to King Kong takes place as part of the The St. Louis International Film Festival Sunday, Nov. 6 beginning at 6:00pm at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium. The first film screened will be the new documentary Long Live The King, which explores the enduring fascination with one of the biggest stars — both literally and figuratively — in Hollywood history: the mighty King Kong. Produced and directed by Frank Dietz and Trish Geiger, the creative team behind the award-winning “Beast Wishes,” the documentary devotes primary attention to the 1933 classic, celebrating the contributions of filmmakers Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, stars Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, and Bruce Cabot, writer Edgar Wallace, and especially stop-motion innovator Willis O’Brien. But Kong’s legacy is also fully detailed: the sequel “Son of Kong,” the cinematic kin “Mighty Joe Young,” the Dino DeLaurentis and Peter Jackson remakes, even the Japanese versions by Toho Studios.

In 2003, the renowned American artist Jeff Marshall (known for his James Bond work) was commissioned to create a lithograph (officially sanctioned by Hammer themselves) featuring several famous Hammer actresses - Ingrid Pitt, Caroline Munro, Valerie Leon and Martine Beswick.

The first 100 of these limited edition lithographs were signed and numbered by Jeff himself and have never been available to buy....until now.

We have 006 - 100 for sale, unfortunately we cannot accommodate requests for specific numbers. The lithograph measures 20" x 30" and is printed on museum quality acid-free paper. The lithograph will be shipped rolled in a sturdy poster tube.

For more info and to order, click here. ...

Numerous prominent stars from the James Bond films will be appearing this weekend at the Hollywood Collector's Show at Lax. James Bond himself, George Lazenby, will be there as well as some of the loveliest Bond ladies including Lana Wood, Luciana Paluzzi, Maryam d'Abo, Tanya Roberts, Diana Lee Hsu, Valerie Leon and Britt Ekland.  For info and tickets click here. ...

Iconic Hammer actresses Martine Beswick, Veronica Carlson and Caroline Munro. (All photos copyright Adrian Smith. All rights reserved.)

Retro-active: The Best From Cinema Retro's Archives

(The following article was originally run in November, 2014)  

By Adrian Smith 

With around sixty special guests in attendance, the Westminster Central Hall on Saturday the 7th of November was packed to its domed roof with excited Hammer film fans.

Familiar faces including Caroline Munro, Valerie Leon, Madeline Smith and Martine Beswick were providing some glamour, but the organisers managed to make the event extra-memorable by securing the presence of Edina Ronay, George Cole, Freddie Jones and others who had not signed autographs at a fan event before. At times queues to meet them ran out of the building and down the street! Other rare UK appearances were made from Veronica Carlson and Linda Hayden, flown in from the Us to meet their fans. It was...

Marc Buxton Oct 21, 2019

Hammer Films produced plenty of amazing horror Movies, but we take a look at the ones the studio abandoned.

Redder than red blood, international ingénues with deep cleavage, lush settings, elaborate costumes and sets, these are just some of the aspects people think of when they remember Hammer Films and the horrors the studio constructed.

Filmed in eye popping color, Hammer’s horror movies brought the Universal pantheon of monsters to life like never before, adding elements of sensual eroticism and (for the age) intense violence to truly update the clunky creatures of yore. Christopher Lee, Ralph Bates, Peter Cushing, Michael Gough, Ingrid Pitt, Valerie Leon, David Prowse, and Patrick Troughton filled filmgoers with loathing and desire in Hammer’s world famous gothic films. Hammer often produced massive scale features on shoestring budgets, relying on recycled costumes and sets and the skill of their players to bring...

Marc Buxton Oct 11, 2019

You can probably guess which Mummy movie Isn't on this list!

Throughout horror movie history, mummies have seemed like the forgotten classic monster. Lumbering around, covered in bandages, they don’t have the literary cache of Frankenstein’s Monster or the sexual appeal of Dracula. But mummies have a historical edge, a faded part of lost empires, angry at the modern world, desperately longing for the days of their past glories and lost loves.

Despite years of monstrous marginalization, mummies can be and in many cases have been really freakin’ scary and are worthy of recognition in horrordom. In fact, when Universal Studios tried (and failed...miserably) to relaunch its pantheon of monsters into a Marvel-inspired shared universe, they looked to The Mummy to kick it all off.

Allow us to celebrate the Mummy with the 13 greatest Mummy films ever produced. These are the films that...

Whether you’re into Doctor Who and Star Wars or The Wire and Sherlock, there’s a great line-up of special guests coming to the NEC on 22-23 March for McM Birmingham Comic Con and Memorabilia. Here are just a few of them!

British actor, writer and director Phil Davis has appeared in a host of top TV shows including Whitechapel; Sherlock, Being Human, Merlin and Doctor Who, while his movie credits include Alien 3, Quadrophenia, Notes On A Scandal, Secrets & Lies and Vera Drake, for which he was BAFTA-nominated. Paul McGann – Famous for playing the Eighth Doctor in the 1996 Doctor Who television film – a role he reprised in 72 audio dramas and the 2013 mini-episode ‘The Night of the Doctor’ – and for starring alongside Richard E. Grant in much-loved 1987 black comedy Withnail And I. Clarke Peters – Best known as detective Lester Freamon in acclaimed crime drama The Wire, as well as...

The Horror Channel has announced the return of the Hammer double features.

The season, which runs on Saturday nights from February 1 to 22 at 9pm, promises "vampire vixens, creepy castles, mouldy mummies, satanic sadists and Lee & Cushing on top show".

Hammer recently unveiled the trailer for The Quiet Ones, the studio's follow-up to its successful critical and commercial return with The Woman in Black.

The full schedule is below, complete with synopses from the Horror Channel (Sat 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138).

February 1 9pm - Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)

This sequel to the 1958 The Horror of Dracula sees the supposedly dead Count Dracula back in bloody business once his trusty servant Klove entices the English Kents - Charles (Francis Matthews), brother Alan (Charles Tingwell) and their wives Diana (Suzan Farmer) and Helen (Barbara Shelley) - inside his welcoming castle. Directed by Terence Fisher, this is seen as the "quintessential Hammer horror".

February 1 10.45pm -...

The Horror Channel has announced the return of the Hammer double features.

The season, which runs on Saturday nights from February 1 to 22 at 9pm, promises "vampire vixens, creepy castles, mouldy mummies, satanic sadists and Lee & Cushing on top show".

Hammer recently unveiled the trailer for The Quiet Ones, the studio's follow-up to its successful critical and commercial return with The Woman in Black.

The full schedule is below, complete with synopses from the Horror Channel (Sat 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138).

February 1 9pm - Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)

This sequel to the 1958 The Horror of Dracula sees the supposedly dead Count Dracula back in bloody business once his trusty servant Klove entices the English Kents - Charles (Francis Matthews), brother Alan (Charles Tingwell) and their wives Diana (Suzan Farmer) and Helen (Barbara Shelley) - inside his welcoming castle. Directed by Terence Fisher, this is seen as the "quintessential Hammer horror".

February 1 10.45pm -...

Valerie Leon graced the cover of Cinema Retro issue #17 and shared her experiences in an exclusive interview.

Actress Valerie Leon will be presenting her one-woman stage show at the Putney Arts Theatre off the Richmond Road in London on 23 November. Titled "Up Front with Valerie Leon", Ms. Leon will be discussing her career in films and television including her stints as a Hammer Films actress and James Bond girl. Click here for details  ...

Article by Tom Stockman

Though he may have been but an animated model given life through primitive special effects, King Kong, with his doomed loved for the beautiful blonde, has become one of the most beloved of all movie characters, revived in remakes, sequels and knock-offs. But Kong wasn’t the only massive simian to grace the silver screen. Here’s a look at the ten best giant ape movies.

Honorable Mention: A*P*E

The ad campaign for the 1976 Korean film A*P*E warned “Not to be confused with King Kong”. A captive giant ape, after escapes from a freighter and sets his destructive sights on Seoul, Korea where he falls for an American actress (Joanna Kerns ) filming a movie there. A*P*E was originally filmed in 3-D so there are countless shots of a man in a moth-eaten ape suit throwing Styrofoam boulders at the camera.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Whenever a new James Bond film approaches its release date you can be sure that book stores will be brimming with endless tomes retreading the history of the series with exclusive new chapters covering the latest film. With the long running franchise celebrating its 50th anniversary this year there are literally dozens of new Bond books hitting the shelves covering all aspects of the series but one book stands out from the rest offering a totally different take on the series from a completely new perspective, Catching Bullets: Memoirs of a Bond Fan by Mark O’Connell is published by Splendid Books on September 3rd and is reviewed below.

Catching Bullets is O’Connell’s autobiographical tale of how the Bond series has become an integral part of his life since seeing his first Bond film in 1983 aged seven years old. O’Connell has a unique...

As our second annual 31 Days of Horror spectacle is now well and truly underway, check out WhatCulture!’s ten best Hammer Horror picks!

They were one of Britain’s most successful film studios throughout their heyday from the late 1950s to mid 1970s and within that time they produced some of the most memorable horror films ever to be made here. After disbanding in the late 1970s, after a slew of commercial flops, today Hammer Picture Productions is a fully-fledged, working company once again. With their production of The Woman in Black, starring Daniel Radcliffe, eagerly awaited in cinemas next year and in celebration of our 31 Days of Horror spectacular, it’s time to get nostalgic and remember the 10 Best Hammer Horrors! So dim the lights, grab a cushion…you’re in for some sheer terror!!

10. Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971)

This has to be one of Hammer’s greatest films from the advertising campaign alone!

Voluptuous vampire vixens, high society diabolists, meandering mouldy mummies, rapacious reptiles, and zillions of zombies… Sound like fun? Well the new Hammer Horror Halloween season on Horror channel will be most definitely for you then! Showing on the channel from October 1st to October 31st, the Hammer season is introduced by author, broadcaster and critic Kim Newman.

The line-up includes:

Sat Oct 1st | 23:10 | Scars of Dracula (1970)

Christopher Lee’s fifth Dracula picture and was directed by Roy Ward Baker who was determined to do it in as gory a style as possible. The film’s greatest innovation, however, was to present a surprisingly verbose Count as Lee had been given very little dialogue in the previous Dracula movies, Bereft of an American pre-sale, Scars of Dracula and its support feature, The Horror of Frankenstein, were both produced on relatively low budgets

Sat Oct 8 | 23:10 |

Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) One of...

With the much anticipated release of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in theatres today, WhatCulture! were challenged with coming up with our 10 best British ensemble casts. With Tinker’s all star British cast – including the likes of Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, John Hurt, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong and Benedict Cumberbatch – it was a bloody hard challenge to come up with ten that could even come close to rivalling such a solid cast!

Read on to discover what we came up with!

10. Gosford Park (2001)

The murder mystery genre is always one that employs a vast and impressive ensemble cast and Gosford Park is a prime example of how effective a film can be when this is done proficiently. A range of talented British stars fill the screen, disclosing the everyday workings of a 1930s mansion house from the privileged inhabitants and their wealthy guests, right down to the most invisible of servants.

Cinema Sex Sirens, published by Omnibus Press,  is a unique collection of photographs of female stars of the '60s and '70s.

That period marked a new era of frankness in society and the movie industry lost no time in following suit after some 25 years of censorship and self-imposed regulations. The women who became the new erotic goddesses also became world-famous and defined a generation's view of sexuality.

Dave Worrall and Lee Pfeiffer's gallery illustrates a luminous collection of idealized women and offers a fascinating insight into the movies' depiction of female sexuality during the '60s and '70s. From the indisputable legends to actresses whose used their beauty to gain fame in the short-term through exploitation movies, this book provides little-known insights into their lives and careers.

Foreword by Sir Roger Moore

Chapters include:

Hollywood Or Bust: The Early Years

...And God Created the Sex...

“My name is Bond - James Bond". That classic introduction to the cinema’s greatest secret agent is as famous as “I am Dracula, I bid you welcome.” When the box office success of Dr No (1962) turned the unknown Sean Connery into a movie legend, Hammer was never far away from the franchise. With their own films running parallel to the Bond series, Hammer and Eon Productions often made use of the same talent.

Dr No also marked the debuts of Bernard Lee (the first of 11 films as M) and Lois Maxwell (the first of 14 as Miss Moneypenny). Lee had a brief turn as Tarmut in Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1973) and despite never starring in a Hammer horror, Maxwell turned up in their early fifties thrillers Lady in the Fog (1953) and Mantrap (1954).

As doomed double-agent Professor Dent, Anthony Dawson is best known as the vile Marquis in Curse...

By Dave Worrall

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Last night at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London, BAFTA paid tribute to the production designer Sir Ken Adam, who turned 90 last year. Sponsored by the Albert R. Broccoli and Dana Broccoli Foundation, guests enjoyed a champagne reception followed by the event which was hosted by Matthew Sweet who introduced the many guests who took to the stage and honoured the great designer. Among them; Christiane Kubrick, Michael G. Wilson, Nicholas Meyer, Anouk Aimee, Peter Lamont, Sir Christopher Frayling, and Lewis Gilbert to name but a few. Actress Eunice Gayson read out a very funny letter on behalf of Sir Roger Moore, who was unable to attend, and current-day production designers praised Sir Ken Adam for inspiring them to enter the film business. Supplemented by on-screen film clips and visuals, BAFTA produced a first class event worthy of such an iconic and respected technician,...

The full line-up of guests has been announced for the Winter Memorabilia Show 2010, to be held at the NEC, Birmingham, this coming weekend (November 20-21)

They include Angel Coulby (above) and Rupert Young from the BBC series Merlin and Tommy Knight and Anjili Mohindra from Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Hollywood actors coming to the event include David Warner (pictured below left) - whose five decades in the industry have seen him in films such as Time Bandits, Tron, The Omen, Titanic and Planet of the Apes - and David Bradley, best known for playing cantankerous caretaker Argus Filch (below right) in the Harry Potter movies. Also attending is Warwick Davis, who plays Professor Filius Flitwick in the Potter films and whose other credits include Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Willow and the Leprechaun series.

TV stars making the trip to Birmingham include Richard Herd and Andrew Prine,...

The Fan Fast is the talk of the town, as evidenced by this coverage in the Evening Standard. Legions of classic movie lovers are expected to converge on London for the event.

The London Film Museum's Fan Fest, April 24-25, is shaping up as one of the most ambitious classic movie events in memory. The event will be of special interest to James Bond fans, as over 30 stars and crew members from the series will be on hand to sign autographs and participate in panel discussions. Among those attending: George Lazenby, Richard Kiel, Maud Adams, Martine Beswick, Caroline Munro, Maryam d'Abo, Jesper Christensen, Honor Blackman, Shirley Eaton, Britt Ekland, Eunice Gayson, Burt Kwouk, Valerie Leon, Tania Mallet, Margaret Nolan, Blanche Ravalec, Madeline Smith, Shane Rimmer and many others.There will also be an abundance of classic movie props including the original Little Nellie autogyro from You Only Live Twice. There...

Cinema Retro London correspondent Adrian Smith with Hammer actress Vera Day.

By Adrian Smith

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If you’re in London during the next two weeks, be sure to check out this fabulous new festival and exhibition based on Hammer’s legendary horror films.The event was launched on the 27th October at the Idea Generation gallery in Shoreditch, to which Cinema Retro was invited. We were told it was a private view of this exhibition of previously unseen photos and artwork, along with more well known stills and publicity photos. However, it was the most public “private view” we have ever seen. This could have been down to a resurgence in the popularity of Hammer, tied in with new film production, or it could have been the endless bottles of free cider.

Several Hammer-related guests were in attendance, including Paul Cole, John Hough,...

Our old friend Valerie Leon E mailed us to advise she has a one-woman show scheduled for March 19 at the Maltings Arts Theatre in historic St. Albans. Val will reminisce about her fascinating career in the film industry, which includes appearing in two James Bond films (including her-show stopping bikini scenes in Never Say Never Again) as well as her work in the famed Carry On movies. We ran into Val at a cocktail party in London recently and she is not only as sexy as ever, but she's hilarious as well. It should be a memorable night for movie fans. For ticket and theatre info click here ...

 

Former James Bond girls and Hammer stars Caroline Munro and Martine Beswicke reunited at Bray Studios

 

 

If you couldn't be at Bray Studios' historic Hammer Horror reunion last weekend, Cinema Retro's man on the scene Adrian Smith gives you the low-down:

On August 4, over 150 fans and many Hammer stars and personnel gathered at Bray Studios on the banks of the River Thames to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of The Curse of Frankenstein. Amongst the guests were writer-director Jimmy Sangster, director John Hough, Margaret Robinson, the widow of art director Bernard Robinson, and actors Virginia Wetherell, Madeline Smith, Ingrid Pitt, Janina Faye, Vera Day, Caroline Munro, Martine Beswicke, Carol Marsh, Yvonne Monlaur, Valerie Leon, Douglas Wilmer, Damien Thomas, John Cater and Edward de Souza. It was the first time for many of the fans in attendance that they had been able to visit Bray, the spiritual home of Hammer films.