Any Love for Hammer Films?

[Dr.Mirakle32]

I know another company got the rights to make a Chris Lee Dracula, but as a horror fan, I just want more. Am I the only one who would love it for Sideshow to pick up the licence to produce 12" Hammer stuff? Imagine all of the great possibillitites:

Christopher Lee as Dracula
Christopher Lee as The Creature (Curse of Frankenstein)
Christopher Lee as Kharis, The Mummy
Peter Cushing as Baron Frankenstein
Peter Cushing as J. Van Helsing
Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes
Herbert Lom as The Phantom of the Opera
Oliver Reed as Leon from Curse of the Werewolf

and this could just be a start. Later figures could include
Christopher Lee as The Duc de Richelieu
Charles Gray as Mocata (could easily be redressed as Blofeld)
Michael Gwynn as deformed Karl (Revenge of Frankenstein)
and Christopher Lee as Rasputin the Mad Monk
as well as many others.

I'm really suprised Hammer has gotten the shaft over the years, even when the Universal Monsters, and New Line Horror characters have been so popular. If they can sell, why wouldn't Hammer stuff? Why hasn't a good company like NECA, McFarlane, or Sideshow bothered to pursue the merchandising rights? Sideshow, if you're listening, please take this licence into consideration. I hope I'm not the only one who's intrested!

 

[Gruff Old Bear]

Yep, Hammer has loads of great ones...I think an Oliver Reed werewolf would do especially well; it's a popular garage kit subject. Lom's Phantom had an especially creepy mask...

(Which reminds me, not to change the subject, but why hasn't Sideshow done the "other" Universal Phantom since they already have the license? Claude Raines? That phantom had a very stylish mask, which became the subject of one of Basil Gogos' finest cover paintings.)

Hammer had a few intriguing Frankenstein makeups, and several great vampires -- the blond Count in Brides of Dracula, or the white-robed women in Kiss of the Vampire. Hammer would be a great line.

 

[Anton Phibes]

A rather sticky wicket Dr. Mirakle....

Securing the rights to do a series of Hammer Horror figures may prove to be a rather sticky wicket. Allow me to explain. Peter Cushing has died without heir. I am not sure anyone knows whom to contact regarding the use of his likeness from the Hammer films. A Star Wars licensee could probably find out as they can use it for Grand Moff Tarkin. Unless, of course, it was in the Star Wars contract the late Mr. Cushing signed stating it could be used for said film. As for Mr. Lee...we are darn lucky we got the Product enterprises Lee Dracula 12" figure. Evidently there was no permission given by Mr. Lee to produce the figure and the entire thing was held up in litigation for awhile. The final product differed from the prototype greatly as a result of the judge's ruling. That is why there is no reference to Mr. Lee on the box flap at all and the box is plain and black with no artwork depicting Mr. Lee anywhere either. It would seem that when Product enterprises secured the rights to do Hammer Monsters, it did not include rights to the actors's likenesses. A precedent set by the Universal Monsters and the respective families representing the late icons and actors respectively. I personally would gobble up a bunch of 12" Hammer Monsters.
My wish list:

1. Peter Cushing as Dr. Van Helsing with a bag of vampire hunting goodies. He would have to have the fingerless gloves from Brides of Dracula though.

2. Cushing as Dr. Frankenstein from Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed. Great accessory would be the head of Dr. heidecker in a bucket. Morbid...but waaaay cool.

3. Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires...on horsies!!!

4. Gorgon
5. Reptile
6. Herbert Lom Phantom of the Opera with removeable mask.
7. Lee Mummy
8. Lee Frankenstein Monster
9. The Monster from Hell
10. Zombie Slave and Master from Plague of the Zombies.
11. Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes with The Hound Of The Baskervilles


I have some interesting cold cast bronze sculptures produced in England back in 1997-1998 by Kate Woodlock, limited to about 50 castings each. Also a few pewter figures with a significantly higher production run. Have you ever seen them? You wanna see them? I can post pics!!!

 

[Batty]

I love Hammer films. I grew up watching them in the 70's and they always scared the hell out of me.

Here's the Product Enterprise Christopher Lee:

 

[customizerwannabe]

As a child of the 60's I would LOVE any Hammer items. Those films are real classics of the genre.

 

[wax murderer]

I've got the PE Dracula, and he's pretty nice. His only problem was that he was only 11 1/2" tall!. Fortunately, I had a spare SST body available. The transplant surgery was tricky, but I'm happy to confirm that the patient has recovered splendidly and is now a full inch taller. The short PE body became the basis for a custom Darth Maul, which also turned out great. Interestingly, the clothes still fit the taller body rather well.If there is interest, I have pix of the results that I can post.
And a 'wolfed-out' Leon WOULD be cool...PS

 

[bluesparrow]

I'd kill you all for a 12" Barbara Shelley as a vampire.

ALL

 

[Mark Hazard]

Oliver Reed from Curse of the Werewolf!

 

[Darklord Dave]

PE has a prototype Cushing as VH, but it could be Hammer films don't convey likeness-rights as does the SW and LotR licenses. So we may just have to wait for a Sideshow Tarkin to get any Cushing figures.

 

[bluesparrow]

I emailed PE a few months ago about more Hammer Horror figures and they said they had no plans to continue the line.

 

[abstractharmony]

A Hammer line would be really, really cool. I was gutted to hear that PE won't be continuing this line but as Dr. Who has become a bit of a cash cow for them all of a sudden I can understand that their priorities lie elsewhere.

Hopefully someone else will pick up the gauntlet.

 

[DarkArtist81]

I may not have been born in that era, but I would still love to see the Hammer horror figs. My mother loved those movies, had me watching them since I was a kid. They would be super cool, with many options to choose from for characters.

Probably will never happen, but nice to dream....

 

[Gruff Old Bear]

Licensing Issues

PE has a prototype Cushing as VH, but it could be Hammer films don't convey likeness-rights as does the SW and LotR licenses. So we may just have to wait for a Sideshow Tarkin to get any Cushing figures.

Dave has reminded me of the probable explanation for there being no Claude Raines phantom: contemporary actor contracts give the producing entity all rights to the character image (I'm certain Lucas has all the authority he needs to authorize a Tarkin figure, just as the Bond people could authorize a Scaramanga from Sideshow), but older contracts didn't anticipate modern ancillary products (Hammer didn't have the language in their contracts with Lee, Cushing, or probably anone else). The heirs of Lugosi, Karloff et al established, through lawsuit, a "right-to-image" at a time when every schlockshop on Hollywood Blvd was raking it in selling tee-shirts with Monroe, Gable, Dean, Chaplin, Chaney...with nothing going to the estates and heirs of those people. The court judgement gave the heirs rights not only in relation to the makers of celebrity merchandise, but even the studios who own the pictures, since those early contracts did not assign image rights to the studios. Universal did copyright the distinct makeups of the Frankenstein monster, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Wolfman and so forth, but they must share income from those products with the descendants of the actors underneath the makeups.

Which means the actors we admire may rest in peace. They provided for their progeny on a scale commensurate with their posthumous ability to generate income, though they may have died believing less of themselves and their accomplishments.

It also means the descendants of those actors can prevent grandpa from being immortalized in an inappropriate or degrading manner...no Lon Chaney ashtrays, folks, the man died of throat cancer after all.

 

[Dr.Mirakle32]

Well Sideshow did get the rights to make a Claude Rains Invisible Man figure a while back, so I don't see how doing a Claude Rains Phantom would be a problem. As for Christopher Lee, since he is still alive, maybe Sideshow can show him some of their better work, including Scaramanga, to appeal to him.

So, Peter Cushing dosen't have any living relatives? I'm sure (or, at least, hoping) there is someone out there willing to claim his estate.

If all fails, we can just repaint and redress a Scaramanga to turn him into Dracula, and repaint Tarkin's hair dark brown or black, give him sideburns, dress up in Victorian clothes, and call him Frankenstein.

 

[bluesparrow]

I think Universal Monsters are a special case, I bet someone went back and got all the likeness rights for Universal from the actors some decades ago, they've been heavily marketed for a very long time.

 

[Darklord Dave]

For Universal monsters SSC did have to negotiate likeness rights seperately, hence all the thank yous to the estates of Chaney, Lugosi and Karloff. As for the Invisible Man - there wasn't a likeness for that figure, so no need to go to the Rains estate.

 

[Gruff Old Bear]

I think Universal Monsters are a special case, I bet someone went back and got all the likeness rights for Universal from the actors some decades ago, they've been heavily marketed for a very long time.

The Lugosi and Karloff estates were part of the lawsuit. Since Universal owns the makeups and the families own the actor's images, they co-license. Check a Sideshow box. Same goes for the new John Wayne PF; just check the preview on the Sideshow site, it mentions the Wayne Estate in the copy.

All contemporary contracts give the producer sole rights to the actor's image in character. A star can negotiate approvals, of course. A standard contract just assigns the rights to the company, however.

Now, both Hammer and PE are British. No idea what the legal impediments are over there.

I'd forgotten about the 8" Claude Raines "Invisible Man" figure with the alternate head. Hmmm...so, not to hijack the thread again, but where's the 1:6 Claude Raines Phantom of the Opera, Sideshow?

 

[Dassy]

Of Course!

 

[Alice Adrenochrome]

I love Hammer films. I grew up watching them in the 70's and they always scared the hell out of me.



Now, that sounds sooooo familiar to me...

 

[Dr.Mirakle32]

I'd forgotten about the 8" Claude Raines "Invisible Man" figure with the alternate head. Hmmm...so, not to hijack the thread again, but where's the 1:6 Claude Raines Phantom of the Opera, Sideshow?

As a matter a fact, I posted a thread on that very subject, awhile back!
Great minds think alike!

https://sideshowcollectors.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6472&highlight=claude+rains+phantom