Happy 52nd Anniversary, Terror of the Tongs

Today marks the 52nd anniversary of the release of Anthony Bushell’s THE TERROR OF THE TONGS (1961) from the legendary Hammer Films. Interesting fact – this is the date of the British release, which is of course Hammer’s home country, yet it was released in the USA 6 months earlier and in 4 other countries in April, May and August. Only Norway had a release after the British opening, in October. October of 1971 that is! WOW!

This was rather quickly shot in April and May of 1960 and reportedly, Christopher Lee had started filming just after a vacation in Italy which made the makeup department’s task of transforming him into the Chinese crimelord Chung King a bit more difficult, due to his new tan.

In several interviews, Lee has said that he uttered one of his most favorite lines in any film he ever made, in this film. As his minions are about to torture the hero, Capt. Jackson Sale (Geoffrey Toone), he chillingly asks, “Have you ever had your bones…scraped?”