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Page 2
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...continued from page one.
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Another time during my stay with Michael, while he was working with Peter Cushing in
The Skull, he anonymously contacted the heirs of the original de Sade family. He wrote:
"Mr. Cushing privately claims to have had inappropriate relations with the actual skull of the
Marquis de Sade, which is being used in this production."
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The de Sade family lawyer contacted the producers, demanding the skull of their ancestor back, even
after Mr. Cushing defiled it. Lawyers for the movie's production company reneged, calling the claim
"preposterous."
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But Michael had prepared for the conflict. A month before production, with money he had made at
Kinsley Greyhound Stadium on a dog race, Michael paid a number of stooges to replace the remains of
the Marquis with a headless skeleton. So, when the family dug up the remains and saw the skull
missing, they threatened to shut the movie down, as well as persecute Mr. Cushing for "unlawful
ghoulish carnal knowledge involving the bone structure of an historic figure."
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Mr. Cushing came to Michael and, oddly enough, admitted to performing some peculiar acts of the
flesh but swore never to have inserted his member into a skull, at least one not covered in flesh
with features and alive.
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The whole thing calmed down when a magistrate read the complaint from the de Sade family and had
the Marquis' body exhumed. By that time, however, Michael had made arrangements to put the
original remains back, so a skull was found in the casket. The case was dismissed and Mr. Cushing
never found out that Michael had perpetrated the scheme and lived his final days telling friends
that this incident was the reason he hated his role in Star Wars.
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I left Britain when I was 17 and Michael would visit me in New York City now and then, always
trying to work out a way to get Mayor Abe Beame to hold a press conference on stilts. The world of
pranks, as well as the world of acting, has lost a mighty participant.
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Frank Cotolo can be found hosting the talk and interview programme Cotolo Chronicles.
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