Hammer Glamour November 24-30th

by Kimberly Lindbergs | November 23, 2009

Categories | News, British Cinema, Actresses, Hammer Horror, Hammer Glamour

hamglam

This month marks the 75th anniversary of Hammer Films. In November of 1934 the failed comedian and successful jeweler William Hinds (stage name Will Hammer) formed Hammer Productions Ltd. that would later be known as “The Studio That Dripped Blood.”

I’ve decided to postpone Modern Mondays and all other activity at Cinebeats to spend the rest of the month celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Hammer Films with a special look at some of the female stars of Hammer movies. These glamourous, beautiful and talented actresses often get overshadowed by their iconic male costars but from November 24-30th Cinebeats will be shining a spotlight on them and highlighting some of their best performances and most important movies.

Move over Christopher Lee! Make way Peter Cushing! Roll out the red carpet for Hammer Glamour week here at Cinebeats!

9 Comments »

  1. Rhea Dee says; November 24, 2009 @ 6:48 am

    This is so awesome! Have you heard of Hammer Glamour, the book? It’s a nice tribute to the lovely ladies of Hammer horror, I totally recommend it. It also rekindled my interest for Hammer films so I’m super excited you’ll be covering them!

  2. Neil Fulwood says; November 24, 2009 @ 7:28 am

    I like this idea. It’s usually the villains and the monsters who get all the coverage; let’s here it for the heroines. And the vamps.

    I’ll be putting something on my blog in honour of my personal favourite Hammer starlet - Valerie Leon - before the end of the month.

  3. Peter Nellhaus says; November 24, 2009 @ 8:07 am

    I was ten years old when I saw the preview for a movie titled Brides of Dracula. I thought those were the sexiest women I had ever seen in any movie. I never had a chance to see the film until more than thirty years later when it was on VSH, though.

  4. dave s says; November 24, 2009 @ 8:40 am

    Fantastic, Kimberly. I’ve been recently revisiting a number of Hammer films I haven’t seen in years, and I’ve been struck by how remarkably well they play today. It’s interesting to me how many worthwhile and successful variations on the vampire and Frankenstein themes they were able to produce. Hammer Films was a major part of my development as a movie (and horror movie) fan, and I’m intrigued by what you’ll have to offer on your site over the next few days. Vive la Ingrid Pitt!

  5. Kimberly Lindbergs says; November 24, 2009 @ 10:03 am

    Rhea - I’m really glad you’re looking forward to my spontaneous Hammer Glamour tribute! I just got a copy of Hammer Glamour and posted my review. It’s a terrific book and I really enjoyed it. I’m happy to hear you liked it too!

    Neil - Thanks for sharing you enthusiasm and I’m glad you’re joining me in celebrating Hammer’s 75th anniversary. I’ll look forward to your piece on Leon. She was incredibly gorgeous and I really liked her in Blood From the Mummy’s Tomb.

    Peter - I totally understand. I tend to prefer the male of the species but Hammer women can even make me swoon. They really are some of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen.

    Dave - Thanks, Dave. Hopefully I won’t disappoint. I completely agree with you about Hammer films. It is amazing how creative the studio was even though they often played around with the same themes and characters. Vive la Ingrid, indeed!

  6. Neil Fulwood says; November 24, 2009 @ 2:08 pm

    My piece on Valerie Leon is now online:
    http://misterneil.blogspot.com/2009/11/hammer-glamour-valerie-leon.html

  7. Rick says; November 26, 2009 @ 9:00 am

    Very cool, Kimberly. Some of the sexiest heroines around. And they managed to look good even under the often lurid cinematography and production design.

  8. belle dee says; December 4, 2009 @ 8:46 am

    I’m a huge fan of the Hammer Ladies!! I’m so thrilled about the tribute!

  9. dom says; December 7, 2009 @ 6:48 pm

    I think Valerie Leon in “Blood From The Mummy’s Tomb” is my favourite in terms of physical beauty. In the 1990’s I saw Valerie Leon appear as a special guest on a tv show called “Infatuation UK”, it was a UK version of a US dating game show hosted by Bob Eubanks, the well known US game show host. Valerie was still very attractive & Bob was very taken with her. She wasn’t a great actress & was often revoiced, though she was physically striking & had a naive quality that contrasted with her powerful physical presence.
    I love her hair in “Blood…”, even though it was a wig! That film also has a banana eating scene that could only have been included by a male director.


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