User Reviews

Eamonn Andrews surprises actor Christopher Lee, at 51 still relatively youthful, but having already led a remarkable life, joined by Danish wife Gitte, daughter Christina, Italian mother Estelle, older sister Sandra, and younger brother Nicholas (all the way from South Africa). Lee's war experiences receive some attention before many fellow actors are crowded into the show: Oliver Reed, recent co-star in "The Three Musketeers," discussing Lee's fee for driving the young actor to and from Hammer studios; Charlton Heston, also from "Musketeers," who had played Cardinal Richelieu; boyhood friend Patrick Macnee, best remembered as John Steed from THE AVENGERS, showing off a photo of young Christopher at age 8, adding that he thought the budding young actor would have made a splendid diplomat; a clip from "The Curse of Frankenstein" introduces his dearest friend Peter Cushing, who relates the story of first meeting Christopher in full Creature makeup, then screaming after seeing him without it (this is followed by the climactic disintegration from "Horror of Dracula"); Veronica Carlson, Valerie Van Ost, and Joanna Lumley (Andrews calls them 'the most attractive blood group in pictures'), all female victims of Lee's Dracula; Trevor Howard discusses Lee's prowess in sports, particularly cricket and golf; world famous entertainer and unabashed fan Sammy Davis Jr. showing off his new fangs; saving the best for last, we have the incomparable Vincent Price, who assuredly brings down the house with his tale of being mistaken first for Boris Karloff, then Christopher Lee ("well then who the hell are you?"). Lee's radiant wife Gitte looks ecstatic throughout while 10 year old daughter Christina occasionally seems overwhelmed (she doesn't dream about her father's films, only Donny Osmond). If there were one criticism, it's only that the guests are so numerous that few have much more than a line or two before moving on to the next. Vincent Price had been honored by Ralph Edwards just two years before, while Peter Cushing earned his own accolades with a show in 1990.

The late Christopher Lee was in the middle of some arduous fencing rehearsals during the making of Richard Lester's swashbuckling diptych for Alexander Salkind and based on Alexandre Dumas' literary classics when he was interrupted by the host of this long-running TV show and whisked off to a studio to meet friends and family alike. This provided a then-rare opportunity to watch the Horror genre icon appear not only relaxed (when meeting his wife, daughter, mother, brother and sister) but genuinely amused (when meeting his WWII cronies he had not seen in 30 years) and even humbled at times (upon learning that his friend and genre rival from across the pond, Vincent Price, is there to greet him in person).

Some of his other fellow actors – Charlton Heston and lifelong friend Patrick Macnee (who would himself die just a few days after Lee!) – could not make it to England but have recorded special messages for the genial star. Another co-star from THE THREE MUSKETEERS saga is, however: Oliver Reed and, reminiscing on his early days at Hammer Films where Lee would give him a ride (at a price!), the notorious hellraiser is on his best behaviour. There are some surprising invitees, to be sure – golfing partner Trevor Howard, and the trio of female conquests (including future NEW AVENGERS star Joanna Lumley) in his latest (and last for Hammer) Dracula fling, THE SATANIC RITES OF Dracula (1973). Needless to say, the show would not have been complete without the intervention of Lee's regular sparring partner Peter Cushing, who effortlessly provides the best jokes of the evening in describing his first encounter with Lee under all that make-up of The Creature on the set of THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957). The oddest thing about the entire show was the set design which featured an array of divans for the guests to sit after they've said their piece and basically forgotten thereafter! In fact, Price barely makes it into the studio and he is still standing when the host declares the 27-minute programme to be over!