Colin Firth's suit from The King's Speech on display...

The King's Speech is based on the true story of King George VI of Britain's ascension to the throne and the speech therapist that helped him overcome his stammer, so that he could fulfill his royal duties and master public speaking.

Original outfit worn by Colin Firth in The King's Speech

This hat, coat and suit were worn by Colin Firth as the titular King in The King's Speech and were photographed on display at ArcLight Sherman Oaks cinema on December 8, 2010.

The King's Speech movie poster

Jenny Beavan was responsible for period costume design on the movie which was set in the 1920's and 30's.

Original costume worn in The King's Speech

She won the Oscar in 1987 for Best Costume Design for A Room with a View, plus has also been nominated for the Academy Awards for The Bostonians, Maurice, Howards End, The Remains of the Day, Sense and Sensibility, Anna and the King and Gosford Park.

The King's Speech movie poster

Visit Jason in Hollywood for a movie review of The King's Speech.

Buy the movie: The King's Speech [Blu-ray]

The King's Speech

Buy the original film soundtrack: The King's Speech

Classic Universal monster make-up secrets and movie props on display...

On a recent visit to Universal Studios Orlando I enjoyed the delights of the Universal Horror Make-Up Show which included an array of make-up secrets and props from the classic Universal monster movies. This fantastic display of masks, life casts, props and movie memorabilia was photographed on September 23, 2010.

Make-up and life cast of Lon Chaney Jr. from The Wolf Man

In 1941 Lon Chaney Jr. made his horror film debut as The Wolf Man and was the only actor ever to play all the classic monsters onscreen, with roles in Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula and The Mummy.

The Wolf Man movie poster

The Phantom of the Opera prop and make-up display

Lon Chaney Sr. starred as the titular Phantom of the Opera in the 1925 silent horror classic. The Phantom's make-up was designed to resemble a skull. Lon Chaney attached a strip of thin, translucent material to his nostrils with spirit gum, pulled it back until he got the tilt he wanted, then attached the other end to his bald cap. To create his distinctive look, his ears were glued back, cheeks built up with a combination of cotton and collodion, and the rest was greasepaint shaded in the appropriate places of his face.

The Phantom of the Opera movie poster

Original Dracula movie props

Bela Lugosi starred as the vampiric Dracula in the 1931 Universal horror movie. To create the abundant spider webs in Count Dracula's castle they shot rubber cement from a rotary gun.

Dracula movie poster

Boris Karloff's Frankenstein's Monster make-up display

During the filming of 1935's The Bride of Frankenstein, Boris Karloff sweated off twenty pounds wearing the creature's hot costume and make-up. Early in filming he slipped and fell, breaking his leg. Metal struts used to stiffen his legs (for the infamous 'monster lurch') helped keep his bones in place until they could be set properly.

The Bride of Frankenstein movie poster

Boris Karloff wore heavy boots with lifts to cate the look of the towering Frankenstein's Monster.

Frankenstein movie props on display

Buy classic Universal monster movies: The Phantom of the Opera - The Ultimate Edition (1925 Original Version and 1929 Restored Version)

Frankenstein - The Legacy Collection (Frankenstein / The Bride of / Son of / The Ghost of / House of)

Dracula - The Legacy Collection (Dracula / Dracula (1931 Spanish Version) / Dracula's Daughter / Son of Dracula / House of Dracula)

The Wolf Man - The Legacy Collection (The Wolf Man / Werewolf of London / Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man / She-Wolf of London)

The Mummy - The Legacy Collection (The Mummy/Mummy's Hand/Mummy's Tomb/Mummy's Ghost/Mummy's Curse)

The Batcave from the 1960's Batman TV show...

In the camp and colourful 1960's TV series 'Batman', Adam West starred as the titular hero and Burt Ward was his crime-fighting sidekick, the Boy Wonder 'Robin'.

Entrance to the Batcave

The dynamic duo's super secret headquarters was the 'Batcave' and this is the actual location where the 'Batmobile' would come driving out of the hidden HQ on a weekly basis.

1960's Batman TV series logo

The filming location is at the Bronson Caves (also known as Bronson Canyon) in L.A.'s Griffith Park. You can reach the Batcave from Canyon Drive, parking in the last parking lot on the right-hand side and hiking up the hill.

The real-life back exit of the Batcave

You can actually walk into the mouth of the Batcave and through the short tunnel, don't worry you can see daylight on the other side, and you exit out into a quarry-like area (which itself makes for a perfect filming location and frequently has for TV and movie alike). Then if you walk further out into this area to your left you'll see the infamous Hollywood Sign sat atop Mount Lee.

The Hollywood Sign

I have to say, watching the TV show as a kid growing up, it was quite a thrill to walk through the Batcave and uncovering more secrets of Hollywoodland.

Learn more behind-the-scenes secrets of 1960's Batman TV series with this DVD of documentaries: Batman - Holy Batmania