A message from Janina: March 2011

Dear All,

Thank you for taking the time to look at my website.

A sad ending to 2010 with the loss of two friends, Carol Marsh and Ingrid Pitt.

Having only just recently had the opportunity to meet up with Carol Marsh again after twenty years, it was quite a shock to hear of her passing.

As for my dear Polish friend, I know she will be dearly missed by all of us.

Regarding the situation concerning the redevelopment of Bray Studios, I have heard nothing more recently about its possible demise. There is a campaign online to halt the sale and demolition of the studio, so sign up. Once it’s done it cannot be undone. With so much interest in Hammer still, it would be a crying shame for a place of such cultural significance to be lost forever.

On the 2nd of May 2011 there will be screenings of “Day of the Triffids” and “Never Take Sweets From a Stranger” at the Southend-on- Sea Film Festival. For details go to www.southendfilmfestival.com

I have been asked to make a personal appearance and there will be a Q&A after the showings

Here are some recent DVD releases that I feature in:

(Albeit briefly) The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll. For a review, and to purchase this DVD for £5.99 go to www.moviemail-online.co.uk

The other long-awaited release is Never Take Sweets From A Stranger (AKA: Never Take Candy From A Stranger). This release is part of a 6-film set called “The Icons of Suspense Collection” but sadly is only available in U.S. Region 1 format. So if your DVD player reads R1 DVD’s you’re in luck! A limited number are available at Amazon.co.uk, and the collection is also available at Amazon.com.

And just when you think some performances from your past are lost for all time (some I wish remained that way!) they suddenly re- surface on DVD.

As is the case with Napoleon and Love: The Complete Series which has recently been released. It’s a veritable who’s who of 1970’s acting talent headed by Ian Holm as Napoleon, so worth a look I think.  It’s available from most shopping outlets and play.com for £16.99.

A few more outings from my career have been released onto DVD. It’s just a shame I won’t get any residuals from them!!

Please Sir – The Complete Third  Series
Episode 2 - Disc 2  - Catch a Falling Drop-Out  

Acting opposite my great friend George Layton:
Doctor At Large – The Complete Series
Episode 1 - Disc 4  -  Pull the Other One

Thriller: The Complete Series Created by Brian Clemens
Series 5 - Episode 5 - Good Salary, Prospects, Free Coffin

School for Unclaimed Girls (original title The Smashing Bird I Used to Know) is available at play.com for £2.99

        Best Wishes,

       Janina

A message from Janina: June 2010

Dear All,

Thank you for taking the time to look at my website.

I have been informed that Bray Studio Management wish to reconvert part of the Studios into housing. That is their right, and far be it from me to tell them how to run their business in these financially troubled times. But it does seem a shame that the studio can not be updated or used as a film school.

I have never understood why guided tours have not been conducted at Bray, as there have been numerous people asking me about it. Realistically, the only way this situation will be rectified is if there is a major investor who is prepared to make some capital investment.

There are campaigns online to halt the sale and demolition of the studio, so sign up. Once it’s done it cannot be undone. With so much interest in Hammer still, it would be a crying shame for a place of such cultural significance to be lost forever.

I would also like to say that I was saddened at the passing of both Lynn Redgrave and Christopher Cazenove. Lynn and I worked at the National Theatre together for four years, and Christopher and I appeared in a stage version of Dracula together in Windsor many moons ago. Both were consummate professionals and shall be sorely missed.

There have been two further DVD releases that I feature in.

(Albeit briefly) The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll. For a review, and to purchase this DVD for £11.99 go to www.moviemail-online.co.uk

The other long-awaited release is Never Take Sweets From A Stranger (AKA: Never Take Candy From A Stranger). This release is part of a 6-film set called “The Icons of Suspense Collection” but sadly is only available in U.S. Region 1 format. So if your DVD player reads R1 DVD’s you’re in luck!   

A limited number appear to be available on sale at Amazon.co.uk, and the collection is also available at Amazon.com.

And just when you think some performances from your past are lost for all time (some I wish remained that way!) they suddenly re- surface on DVD.

As is the case with Napoleon and Love: The Complete Series which has recently been released. It’s a veritable who’s who of 1970’s acting talent headed by Ian Holm as Napoleon, so worth a look I think.  It’s available from most shopping outlets and play.com for £16.99.

A few more outings from my career have been released onto DVD. It’s just a shame I won’t get any residuals from them!!

Please Sir – The Complete Third  Series
Episode 2 - Disc 2  - Catch a Falling Drop-Out  

Acting opposite my great friend George Layton:
Doctor At Large – The Complete Series
Episode 1 - Disc 4  -  Pull the Other One

Thriller: The Complete Series Created by Brian Clemens
Series 5 - Episode 5 - Good Salary, Prospects, Free Coffin

School for Unclaimed Girls (original title The Smashing Bird I Used to Know) is available at play.com for £3.99

        Best Wishes,

       Janina

A message from Janina: January 2009

Dear All,

Thank you for taking the time to look at my website.

A film I can’t say I’m awfully proud of but with a stellar British cast originally entitled “The Smashing Bird I Used to Know” and then renamed “School for Unclaimed Girls,” a British exploitation film about girls in a Borstal, has made its way out onto DVD. I haven’t had a chance to watch it again yet although I now have a copy. However for those of you who are interested it is currently available at Play.com for £3.99 (normally £5.99) 

A few more outings from my career have been released onto DVD. It’s just a shame I won’t get any residuals from them!!

These are:

Please Sir – The Complete Third  Series
Episode 2 - Disc 2  - Catch a Falling Drop-Out  

Acting opposite my great friend George Layton:
Doctor At Large – The Complete Series
Episode 1 - Disc 4  -  Pull the Other One

Thriller: The Complete Series Created by Brian Clemens
Series 5 - Episode 5 - Good Salary, Prospects, Free Coffin

Other exciting news of course is that BBC Wales are to remake “The Day Of  The Triffids” for a two part release in 2009. Although I was expecting a big screen re-imagining to occur, with some trepidation I might add, BBC Wales have been responsible for the revival of Doctor Who and the remake of Terry Nation’s “The  Survivors” which I have greatly enjoyed.

Patrick Harbinson is currently credited as being the writer for the drama with its setting being the not too distant 2011.

I’m sure comparisons will be drawn with the film version and the 1981 TV series but I wish them all the very best and look forward to seeing the end result.

I would also like to recommend for all you Hammer afficionado Wayne Kinsey’s new book “Hammer - A Life In Pictures” in which you’ll find some pictures of me!!

This is a perfect coffee table book with some wonderfully rare photographs which I’m sure would take pride of place in any Hammer fan’s library.

This book is strictly a limited edition of 2500 copies. It can be ordered through the publisher - Tomahawk Press - for £27.50 with free delivery within the U.K.  

        Best Wishes,

       Janina

A message from Janina: September 2007

To all the wonderful Hammer fans,

Thank you all for making yourselves known to me at the Bray Day 2007 and for helping to make it such a successful event for everyone. After such a terrible summer (weather wise) how fantastic that the sun shone on us all day!

This was my second Bray Day event, and like the first, it was a genuine pleasure for me
to be able to meet and greet so many old friends and to be introduced to new ones. I hear the day was so successful that another one is planned in the not too distant future.

Thanks to my friend Wayne Kinsey (who ran around all day with his camera!) you can now see some happy snaps (click here).

For those of you who are interested, there will be a showing of The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll and Never Take Sweets From a Stranger at the book launch on the 27th October at:

The Ciné Lumière Cinema
Queensberry Place, London SW7 2DT
Tel: 020 7073 1350
Tube: South Kensington
Bus: 19/395/59/70/79/C1

I look forward to seeing you there.

Best wishes,

       Janina