Dave's Journal, Aug 2022
...was fun, but not as populated by cars as it typically is. Not bad though. As usual the very expensive cars were on top of the hill, packed in and crowded with more people than usual (it seemed).
Meanwhile, inside the museum ....
I saw this when I was 12 and talked about it for years !!
The Curse of Frankenstein is a 1957 British horror film by Hammer Film Productions, loosely based on the 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley. It was Hammer's first colour horror film, and the first of their Frankenstein series. Its worldwide success led to several sequels, and it was also followed by new versions of Dracula (1958) and The Mummy (1959), establishing "Hammer Horror" as a distinctive brand of Gothic cinema.
The film was a tremendous financial success and reportedly grossed more than 70 times its production cost during its original theatrical run.
In the UK, the film earned theatrical rentals of $1.9 million.
In the US the outstanding box office success was a surprise. In its first week at the Paramount Theatre on Broadway Variety reported,"Curse" Wham $72,000" and noted,"it gave the Par flagship its biggest opening week on straight-film policy in the last two years". Variety continued to be impressed with its box office numbers as it opened across the US. "Curse" Terrific $30,900" in its first week in Los Angeles with supporting feature X the Unknown. In an era when horror films typically played for one week, Curse was often held over for two and sometimes three weeks in major markets like Boston.
Since his brain scrambles words and re-assembles them arbitrarily when trying to remember people's names.....
This is Daphne du Maurier ("doo Mau-ree-ay") :
She wrote the great novel that you are trying to remember .....
This is Rebecca De Mornay ....
She did not write a book, and if she does, I hope she doesn't call it "Daphne" or your brain will melt.
.... 
Equal to the great "Curse of Frankenstein" noted above.
Dracula is a 1958 British gothic horror film directed by Terence Fisher and written by Jimmy Sangster based on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel of the same title. The first in the series of Hammer Horror films starring Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, the film also features Peter Cushing as Doctor Van Helsing, along with Michael Gough, Melissa Stribling, Carol Marsh, and John Van Eyssen. In the United States, the film was retitled Horror of Dracula to avoid confusion with the U.S. original by Universal Pictures, 1931's Dracula.
Production began at Bray Studios on 17 November 1957 with an investment of £81,000. As Count Dracula, Lee fixed the image of the fanged vampire in popular culture. Christopher Frayling writes, "Dracula introduced fangs, red contact lenses, décolletage, ready-prepared wooden stakes and - in the celebrated credits sequence - blood being spattered from off-screen over the Count's coffin." Lee also introduced a dark, brooding sexuality to the character, with Tim Stanley stating, "Lee's sensuality was subversive in that it hinted that women might quite like having their neck chewed on by a stud".
In 2017 a poll of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers and critics for Time Out magazine saw Dracula ranked the 65th best British film ever. Empire magazine ranked Lee's portrayal as Count Dracula the 7th Greatest Horror Movie Character of All Time.
I have seen this movie many times over the years, and did not realize this until last night's viewing : Christopher Lee (Dracula) has only a few speaking lines in the early scenes. After that, he does not speak for the rest of the movie ! ? !
At Russ & Fran's house .... my throat is still sore from the politics .... but, that aside, I did pull out a camera and got some shots of Emma and Allison. (E has always been my favorite model.) Got so lost in my "work" I neglected to take pictures of anyone else !!!
HUGE !!! show. Zillions of People. 95o and sunny !
So I remember how I edited that:
This little baby has outlasted at least 5 other vacuums, and it is about 25 years old. We always say "it doesn't owe us a thing". Well ..... the on/off switch has finally broken (litterally broke !!) and it's time to say goodbye.
Kindly imagine a full tavern singing in the background .....
♪♫♩♬♪
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days of auld lang syne?
♪♫♩♬♪
The ladder right in the middle of my picture is an artistic reminder that this is an imperfect world we live in.
As always, a very good time. Last day was active .... time at Mike's to survey the plantation and chat, then a trip to the botanic garden and then to the local vintage car show.
