& just the best of friends. I've seen an interview with Christopher Lee where he went on to say that he used to crack up Peter Cushing by imitating the voices of various, & popular at the time, cartoon characters. Voices like Sylvester the Cat, Tweety-Bird, Pepe LePew, Bugs Bunny etc...
The late Mrs. Cushing would know the two were talking in Peter's study on the phone because she'd hear her husband absolutely howling with laughter, often collapsing onto the floor or sofa in hearing Chris Lee do these voices on the other end of the line.
Stories like this just make me smile from ear-to-ear; Van Helsing & Count Dracula actually loved each other in real life & would crack each other up on the phone like children. Amazing.
You're so right ... "pure magic" together. Alone they were great, but when teamed up, the screen crackled with energy. I'm a huge Hammer fan and I can honestly say, it's because of the Lee & Cushing, together.
