A Collection of Writings
Ingrid in Vampire Lovers
I always thought I would go into my ..er... mature years, lying elegantly relaxed on a mattress stuffed with jewels and gold, overlaid with deep folding money of various national currencies for the ultimate in comfort. Why then am I inelegantly working my posterior off in a very unbecoming and unrefined manner. Trouble is I find it hard to say No! It's always been a problem.
When I was young and crispy it was fun. Now I spend hours in front of the mirror contorting my mouth into the unnatural shape it must assume to pronounce the negative. It all comes to naught when my literary agent calls and tells me she's lined up a writing job or the acting agent nails down a fleeting moment in front of the cameras.
At last I've finished the latest book. This started out as the Bedside Companion for Murdering Monsters changed to Manic Murderers and finally hit the presses as THE INGRID PITT BOOK OF MURDER, TORTURE & DEPRAVITY. A title with great literary merit if I do say so myself. It has also been given a rescheduled released date. Around the end of October. Not exactly the most precise time but that's all I've got.
The Romanian adventure rumbles on. Although I had a good time there the less than gentlemanly attitude towards obligations the organises undertook and failed to fulfil makes me a bit sad. It's not just that they don't agree with me - they just ignore all correspondence and become very Draculean - in his misty form - when I write and ask what they are going to do about my film. They ruined putting it through their Mickey Mouse projector although they emphatically denied this when we were talking. A pity. It's a beautiful country but it is going to be a decade or two before they get it in line with other holiday resorts in Europe. And then another decade or two before it becomes acceptable to the Americans.
Did you catch up on the poll in Femme Fatales of the 50 sexiest Hammer women? I had to disagree, of course. I was in at three. If I hadn't already been dumped to second in the Talking Books awards for my autobiography, Life's a Scream, I might have been able to let it go. But I believe in the old maxim that there's first - and the rest. I've been desperately trying to restore confidence in my status by searching for something that I can say makes me definitely Numero Uno. All I could come up with was my name. And then wouldn't you know it, a young lady from Philadelphia wrote and said she had the same name and did I think we were related. All I can cling onto now is my middle name - and I'm not telling anyone what that is.
The Heidi Dress from WHERE EAGLES DARE has gone up on Ebay for auction. I'm going to be doing a joint promotion with the auction house on a number of articles with a movie background. Things like a little piece of Mount Sinai that was mounted on a block and sent to TEN COMMANDMENTS writer, Jesse Lasky Jnr. The plaque attached to the block is inscribed: ‘If the write won't come to the mountain, the mountain will come to the writer”. It is signed Cecil B de Mille. I've had to paraphrase that a bit as I haven't got the item with me right now. I've also got a lot of gear, clothes, scripts, posters etc from the 007 films. That should create a huge interest. Over the years I've given away most of my stuff but I have still got, besides the Heidi Dress, a couple of costumes from my Hammer days.
For anyone whose into collecting there is a new Guru on the block - me! I have just started a column on memorabilia in the top collectors monthly magazine - MODEL MART. So far I've done a skim through Romania, a gripe about the moribund Convention scene in this country and a look at the miniature car collections of the late and definitely great, World Motor Racing Champion, Juan Manuel Fangio and top notch film director John Frankenheimer. And if you are into cricket I've written another of my infrequent looks at the state of English Cricket in the end of year CRICKETER.
From America I've received some really upmarket calendars for 2001. And for once they are not all about me. Although I do get one page all to myself. Its a bit unusual. The pictures are all on monsters from history. It's nice to know I fit in somewhere. I'm flogging them off at £10 including post and packing.
The ANNUAL FAN CLUB REUNION AND BIRTHDAY BASH is rapidly approaching and the venue still hasn't been set. We've outgrown the place we have used for the last three years and have had to look elsewhere. All I can say at the moment is that it will be in the Shepherds Bush area of London on the 18th of November. So if you would like to come along for a great party and sit-down dinner, get in touch either by email or write to me at Pitt of Horror, PO Box 403, Richmond, Surrey TW10 6FW, England for more information.
I shall also be going to the Memorabilia 2000 do at Sandown Park 14 & 15th. October. If you live in Holland and want to have a wow of a time over Hallowe'en, join Caroline Munro and me in Heerlen for two nights of hedonistic pleasure - it says here. I will also be doing my thing at the NEC Birmingham on the 25 & 25th. November. It's a do you'd do well not to miss.
Hope to see you at the Reunion or at one of the Conventions. And there is the promotional tour I'll be doing for Murder, Torture and Depravity. Who knows where that will take me. Where ever it is - come and say hello. I feel a right idiot sitting there with a rictus grin on my face and being underwhelmed and over-ignored.
Luv Ingrid