Classic Movies - Universal Studios Monsters: Mummy - The Mummy's Tomb

Today we will conclude "Monster Mash Month" with Universal Classic Monster: the Mummy. The movie in today's highlight is The Mummy's Tomb (1942) with Lon Chaney, Jr. playing the role as the wrapped fiend. A high priest travels to America with the living mummy Kharis (Chaney) to kill all those who had desecrated the tomb of the Egyptian princess Ananka 30 years earlier.

The Mummy's Tomb begins with a long recap of what happened in The Mummy's Hand as told by Stephen Banning (Dick Foran), the hero of the first film now an old man. The film features many scenes from the last "mummy" film to tell the story. After the recap Banning, the man who found the Ananka tomb 30 years before, is killed in his own house in New England by the mummy after a high priest has vowed revenge on the men who entered the tomb years before. Banning's old partner, 'Babe' Hanson (Wallace Ford), is also targeted. As the Banning family is killed off one by one, the high priest (Turhan Bey) decides to take a young woman (Elyse Knox) as his bride instead of killing her. He orders the mummy to kidnap the woman. Angry villagers, led by Banning's son John (John Hubbard), hunt down the monster and again burn it to death.

So for a scary "Monster Mash Month" selection, we highly recommend Universal's 1942 film, The Mummy's Tomb. Join "Let's Talk Classic Movies" every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for more classic movie presentations and trivia.

**Trivia Question for Today: In how many 'Mummy' movies did Lon Chaney, Jr. portray the mummy, Kharis? Besides his first 'Mummy' portrayal in The Mummy's Tomb, what were the titles of the other movies?

Trivia Answer for Previous Post: The excavation scenes in The Mummy's Hand were shot on the Universal back-lot in a rocky and desert-like section of the natural hills. The name of the area was known as "Gausman's Gulch," named after Russell A. Gausman, set decorator on this film, and many other of Universal's horror films. To give the gulch a more canyon-like and wild appearance, it was augmented with artificial rock-faces and boulders.

Classic Movies - Universal Studios Monsters: the Mummy - The Mummy's Hand

Today we will continue talk Universal Studios Monster - the Mummy. Let's jump ahead a few years to 1940 when Universal brought us The Mummy's Hand with Tom Tyler.

A couple of comical, out-of-work archaeologists (Dick Foran and Wallace Ford) in Egypt discover evidence of the burial place of the ancient Egyptian princess Ananka. After receiving funding from an eccentric magician (Cecil Kellaway) and his beautiful daughter (Peggy Moran), they set out into the desert only to be terrorized by a sinister high priest (George Zucco) and the living mummy Kharis (Tyler) who are the guardians of Ananka^Òs tomb.

So for a scary "Monster Mash Month" selection, we highly recommend the Universal's 1940 film, The Mummy's Hand. Join "Let's Talk Classic Movies" Friday as we conclude 'Mummy' week with Universal's The Mummy's Tomb.

**Trivia Question for Today: The excavation scenes in The Mummy's Hand were shot on the Universal back-lot in a rocky and desert-like section of the natural hills. What was the name of the hills?

Trivia Answer for Previous Post: The Mummy poster holds the record for the most money paid for a movie poster at auction: more than $453,500.

Classic Movies - Universal Studios Monsters: Mummy - The Mummy

This week we will conclude "Monster Mash Month" with another Classic Universal Studios Monster - the Mummy. With the legendary Boris Karloff starring as the ancient Egyptian prince, wrapped and buried alive from the times of the pharoahs, The Mummy (1932) was clearly one of the scariest movies Universal had produced. Even though the Mummy couldn't move as swift as the Wolf Man, it was hard for his victims to escape his wrath as they were spellbound with fear.

The Mummy was set in 1921, when a team of British archaeologists led by Sir Joseph Whemple (Arthur Byron) uncovers the 3700 year old mummy of Imhotep (Boris Karloff). When one young archaeologist opens the scroll of Thoth, he goes delirious and the Mummy comes to life. Ten years later Sir Joseph returns with his son Frank (David Manners). Unknown to them, the Mummy now exists as the mysterious Egyptian, Ardath Bay (Boris Karloff), who helps the expedition uncover the tomb of his ancient love. He then uses his mystic powers mesmerize the reincarnation of his lost love in the form of Helen Grosvenor (Zita Johann). When Sir Joseph interferes, he mysteriously dies. Frank Whemple, with the help of Dr. Muller (Edward Van Sloan), attempts to discover the key to Ardath Bay's powers and get Helen back.

So for a scary "Monster Mash Month" selection, we highly recommend the 1932 version of The Mummy. We also recommend the 1999 remake version of The Mummy with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. Join "Let's Talk Classic Movies" Wednesday as we continue 'Mummy' week with Universal's The Mummy's Hand.

**Trivia Question for Today: The Mummy poster holds the record for the most money paid for a movie poster at auction. How much was paid for the film's poster?

Trivia Answer for Previous Post: House of Dracula was the last of Universal's original FRANKENSTEIN movie series. There were seven films included in this series. The movie which was excluded from this series was Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

Classic Movies - Universal Studios Monsters: the Wolf Man - House of Dracula

Today we will conclude our week of Univeral Studios Monster - the Wolf Man. The movie featured today is House of Dracula (1945), starring Lon Chaney, Jr., John Carradine, Martha O'Driscoll, Lionel Atwill, Onslow Stevens, Jane Adams, Ludwig Stössel, and Glenn Strange. During the 1940s, Universal had created several monsters to scare the public, one movie after another. Several of those movies not only featured one of their monster creations, but two or three, which added to the tension and fear of the film. In House of Dracula, Count Dracula and the Wolf Man seek a cure for their afflictions; a hunchbacked woman, a mad scientist and the Frankenstein monster have their own troubles.

Dracula arrives at Dr. Edelman's (Stevens) office asking for a cure to his vampirism. However, this is a ruse by Dracula (Carradine) to get near Dr. Edelman's beautiful female assistant, Nina (Adams), and turn her into a vampire. Meanwhile, a sincere Lawrence Talbot, AKA the Wolf Man (Chaney), arrives seeking a cure for his lycanthropy. When Dr. Edelman's first attempt fails, Talbot tries to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff, but instead finds a network of underground caves where the Frankenstein Monster (Strange) is in stasis. Chaos ensues as the three monsters fight for dominance of each other.

So for a scary "Monster Mash Month" selection, we recommend watching the 1945 classic film, House of Dracula with Lon Chaney, Jr., John Carradine, and Glenn Strange. Join "Let's Talk Classic Movies" next week to conclude our month of Universal Studios monsters when we feature a week of Universal's 'Mummy' movies. Monday we will be featuring Universal's 1932 film, The Mummy, starring Boris Karloff.

**Trivia Question for Today: House of Dracula was the last of Universal's original FRANKENSTEIN movie series. How many films were included in this series? Which movie was excluded from this series?

Trivia Answer for Previous Post: When The Monster's dialogue was deleted in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, also removed were any references to The Monster being blind - a side-effect of Ygor's brain being implanted into The Monster at the end of The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942). As a result, Lugosi's sleepwalker-like lumbering gait with arms outstretched is not explained and became the subject of ridicule. It also established the Frankenstein Monster-walk stereotype.

Classic Movies - Universal Studios Monsters: The Wolf Man - Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man

Today let's continue talk Universal Studios Monster - the Wolf Man. The film featured in this post is Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), starring Lon Chaney, Jr., Bela Lugosi, Patric Knowles, Ilona Massey, Lionel Atwill, and Maria Ouspenskaya. Larry Talbot (Chaney) chips the Frankenstein monster (Lugosi) out of a block of ice. When Talbot changes to the Wolf Man, the two creatures go into battle.

In Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, Larry Talbot finds himself in an asylum, recovering from an operation performed by the kindly Dr. Mannering (Knowles). Inspector Owen (Dennis Hoey) finds him there, too, wanting to question him about a recent spate of murders. Talbot escapes and finds Maleva (Ouspenskaya), the old gypsy woman who knows his secret: when the moon is full, he changes to a werewolf. She travels with him to locate the one man who can help him to die - Dr. Frankenstein. The brilliant doctor proves to be dead himself, but they do find Frankenstein's daughter, Baroness Elsa Frankenstein (Massey). Talbot begs her for her father's papers containing the secrets of life and death. She doesn't have them, so he goes to the ruins of the Frankenstein castle to find them himself. There he finds the Monster, whom he chips out of a block of ice. Dr. Mannering catches up with him only to become tempted to monomania while using Frankenstein's old equipment.

So for a scary "Monster Mash Month" selection, we recommend watching the 1943 classic film, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man with Lon Chaney, Jr. Join "Let's Talk Classic Movies" Friday to read more about the Universal Studios Monster werewolf in House of Dracula.

**Trivia Question for Today: What fact was not explained in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, which established the Frankenstein Monster-walk stereotype?

Trivia Answer for Previous Post: Makeup artist, Jack Pierce, was responsible for the amazing werewolf transformation in The Wolf Man. Lon Chaney, Jr. was fully capable of doing the makeup himself, just as his father had, but due to professional unions within the motion picture industry, he was not allowed to do his own makeup.

Classic Movies - Universal Studios Monsters: The Wolf Man

To continue "Monster Mash Month", this week we would like to talk Universal Studios Monster - The Wolf Man. The 1940s brought us several movies that we would sit on the edge of our seats in fear when we watched them. The film in today's highlight is The Wolf Man (1941). With his sharp teeth and furry face, we thought he was terrifying as he ran through the mist, sneaking up on his next victim.

Who will ever forget Lon Chaney, Jr. as Lawrence (Larry) Talbot and his lycanthropic alter-ego,"the wolf man"? After eighteen years of estrangement, the unsuspecting, good-natured Larry returns home to his father’s European estate, only to be bitten by a wolf soon after his arrival. It was not just any wolf, mind you, but a werewolf and, once bitten, the victim himself will also become a werewolf. The nightmarish life of blood-lust and horrific transformation thus begins for poor Larry Talbot with each full (autumn) moon. As we are reminded several times throughout The Wolf Man: "Even a man who is pure in heart, and says his prayers by night; may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms, and the autumn moon is bright". (Sequels would change the last line to "and the moon is full and bright”, but the original "autumn moon" indicates that the werewolf only transforms in the fall and not with every full moon of the year, thereby receiving a respite from his wolfish pursuits.)

How we thrilled as Lon Chaney, Jr. changed from man to wolf in this film as well as in the sequels. Whether or not his transformation compares to the technically advanced transformations that appear on the screen today is irrelevant to us. We much prefer The Wolf Man of old, with legendary Lon Chaney, Jr. in the “monster” role that was solely his throughout the 40s (Henry Hull had portrayed a similar character in Universal’s The Werewolf of London in the 30s, but it never achieved the popularity of the 1941 version). With a stellar cast that includes Claude Rains, Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles, Evelyn Ankers, Warren William, Maria Ouspenskaya, and Bela Lugosi, The Wolf Man is definitely a horror classic and one of the all-time favorites of that genre.

So for a scary "Monster Mash Month" selection, we recommend watching the 1941 classic film, The Wolf Man with Lon Chaney, Jr. Join "Let's Talk Classic Movies" Wednesday to read more about the Universal Studios Monster werewolf in Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man.

**Trivia Question for Today: Who created Lon Chaney Jr.’s transforming makeup in The Wolf Man?

Trivia Answer for Previous Post: In Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, the transformation of Count Dracula to a bat and visa versa was animated. The person responsible for this animation was Universal-International's animator, Walter Lantz (of Woody Woodpecker fame).

Trivia Bonus for Previous Post: The villain who appears at the end of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, or shall we say 'who does not appear' is the invisible man. As Chick and Wilbur are escaping Dracula's castle in a row boat, a cigarette lights up in the boat and only a voice is heard. The voice of the invisible man is that of Vincent Price.

Classic Movies - Universal Studios Monsters: Dracula - Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

Today let's conclude talk Universal Studios Classic Monster - Dracula. While Bela Lugosi only portrayed Count Dracula in the original 1931 movie Dracula, he was considered "the ghoul king" because of that portrayal. Others played the part of The Count in several movies throughout the years, but none captivated the character role as well as Lugosi. It wasn't until 1948 that Lugosi returned to the role in the comedic spoof, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Lugosi played the part of Count Dracula, Lon Chaney, Jr. played the wolf man, and Glenn Strange played the part of the Frankenstein Monster for laughs.

Chick Young (Bud Abbott) and Wilbur Grey (Lou Costello) are two hapless freight handlers who work as railway baggage-clerks in LaMirada, Florida. When Wilbur mishandles two crates belonging to McDougal's House of Horrors museum, Mr. McDougal (Frank Ferguson) demands that they deliver them in person so that they can be inspected by an insurance agent. McDougal boasts to Wilbur's girlfriend, Dr. Sandra Mornay (Lénore Aubert), that the crates contain "the remains of the original Count Dracula" (Lugosi) and "the body of the Frankenstein Monster" (Strange). Meanwhile, Larry Talbot (Chaney), alias the wolf man, has taken the apartment across the hall from Wilbur and Chick. He has tracked Dracula and the Monster from Europe, and knows them to be alive. Talbot asks the boys to help him find and destroy the villains. Wilbur agrees, but Chick is a non-believer --at least for a while. Soon they are being chased by the monsters at Dracula's castle. After all, seeing is believing!

So for a scary, yet comical "Monster Mash Month" selection, we recommend watching the 1948 classic film, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein with Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, Jr., and Glenn Strange as the monster trio. Join "Let's Talk Classic Movies" next week to read about the Universal Studios Monster werewolf - The Wolf Man.

**Trivia Question for Today: In Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, the transformation of Count Dracula to a bat and visa versa was animated. Who was responsible for this transforming animation of Dracula?

Trivia Bonus: What villain appears at the end of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein? Who portrays this villain?

Trivia Answer for Previous Post: In The Wolf Man, Bela Lugosi plays the small, but pivotal role of Bela, the gypsy fortune teller/werewolf that bites Lawrence Talbot (Lon Chaney, Jr.), marking him as a werewolf, too.

Classic Movies - Universal Studios Monsters: Dracula

In our last post, we highlighted Bram Stoker’s weird tale about Count Dracula in the 1922 silent film, Nosferatu. Today we would like to forward to 1931 when a Hungarian-born actor named Bela Lugosi cornered the "ghoul" market as the blood-thirsty vampire in Dracula. Lugosi had played the vampire Count on Broadway, and was chosen by Director Tod Browning to portray Dracula in the film version. Black-caped, soft-spoken, and oh-so-sinister, Count Dracula made his daytime home in a coffin, but when he eerily emerged from it, audiences knew that he was ready for action. He was never actually shown at work as the vampire, but once a victim’s head fell back, exposing a "deliciously veined" neck, one knew exactly what was going to happen.

So for a scary "Monster Mash Month", we recommend watching the 1931 classic film, Dracula with Bela Lugosi. Join "Let's Talk Classic Movies" Friday to read about the Universal Studios Monster vampire comedy spoof movie -Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

**Trivia Question for Today: What was Bela Lugosi’s pivotal role in The Wolfman (1941)? The answer will appear in our next post.

Trivia Answer for Previous Post: Director F.W. Murnau found Max Schreck "strikingly ugly" in real life and decided the vampire makeup would suffice with just pointy ears and false teeth.

Classic Movies - Universal Studios Monsters: Dracula - Nosferatu (Prana Film)

For the month of October "Monster Mash Month", let’s continue talk Classic Monster Movies of Universal Studios! This week, let’s talk Universal Monster Classics - Dracula! The film in today's highlight however, is not Universal Studios, but instead is a German made movie produced by Prana Film. Today we are going back to 1922, when a silent film, Nosferatu, was made based on Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, a weird tale about Count Dracula. This is the very first time in film history in which a vampire is killed by sunlight. Director F.W. Murnau knew that he would be sued for borrowing heavily from Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula, without permission so he changed the ending so that he could say this film and Dracula were not exactly the same. This was the first and last Prana Film; the company declared bankruptcy after Bram Stoker's estate, acting for his widow, Florence Stoker, sued for copyright infringement and won.

Vampire Count Dracula moves to Wisburg and brings the plague, which reveals his connection to the Realtor Jonathon Harker, and the Count's obsession with Harker's wife, Nina - the only one with the power to end the evil. The story is narrated from the diary of Johann Cavallius, historian of the city of Bremen, who is wondering if it was the Nosferatu who brought the plague to Bremen in 1838.

Newlyweds Harker (Gustav von Wangenheim) and Nina (Greta Schroder) are saddened when Harker is sent to Transylvania by Harker's employer Renfield (Alexander Grannach) to arrange for Count Dracula's (Max Schreck) purchase of a house across the street from the Harkers' house in Bremen. Harker travels to Transylvania where he stays with the Count, is bitten by him, and eventually escapes from the castle but not before seeing the Count depart on a cart loaded with coffins. While Harker recuperates in a hospital after succeeding in his escape, the Count moves into the house across from the Harkers'. The rise in deaths is accredited to a plague thought to have arrived with Demeter, the ship that Count Dracula sailed to reach Bremen. The "Book of the Vampires" tells Nina what she must do to end the vampire.

The Count meets his doom when Nina manages to keep him until after cock crow. As the sun slowly advances on the houses across the street (visible from the window), the Nosferatu attempts to escape. In doing so, he passes the window and is trapped by the sunlight. He 'vaporizes' into a puff of smoke on the carpet.

Nosferatu is considered the most frightful portrayal of Dracula. So for a scary "Monster Mash Month", we recommend watching the 1922 classic film, Nosferatu. Join "Let's Talk Classic Movies" Wednesday to read about our next featured Universal Studios Monster movie -Dracula.

**Trivia Question for Today: What kind of make-up was used for Max Schreck in Nosferatu?

Trivia Answer for Previous Post: Donnie Dunagan, who portrayed Peter in Son of Frankenstein, provided the voice of young Bambi in Walt Disney's cartoon movie Bambi (1942).

Classic Movies - Universal Studios Monsters: Frankenstein - Son of Frankenstein

For October's "Monster Mash Month", let’s continue talk Classic Monster Movies of Universal Studios! Today we will conclude our Frankenstein week with Son of Frankenstein (1939), the third and final movie in which Boris Karloff portrayed the Frankenstein monster. In Son of Frankenstein, Karloff’s monster no longer speaks and is somewhat upstaged by the wonderful performance of Bela Lugosi as the amusingly sinister, broken-necked Ygor. In the first two films, Karloff’s creature is portrayed with some poignancy and we can sympathize with his plight, but in the third film, the monster is much more violent and destructive.

Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone), son of Henry Frankenstein, returns with his wife (Josephine Hutchinson), to his fathers estate to claim his inheritance. When he arrives with his family he recieves a hostile reception from locals. While exploring his fathers laboratory he comes across crooked blacksmith - Ygor (Lugosi), who asks him to revive his father's creation - the MONSTER who is lying in a coma. The Baron tries to revive the monster and believes he fails but then some of the locals are found murdered soon after who just happened to be part of the jury that sent Ygor to the gallows. The villagers immediately connect the killings to Frankenstein and send the inspector to investigate. He discovers the monster is alive and is being used as tool by Ygor. The Baron then in a fit of madness shoots Ygor. The enraged monster, losing his only friend, kidnaps Peter (Donnie Dunagan), the Baron's son. In the end the Baron tracks the monster to the lab where he swings down on a chain knocking the monster into a sulpher pit and thus his demise.

We’ve heard that the increased violence of the monster in Son of Frankenstein is one of the reasons Boris Karloff decided to give up the role in the sequels that followed and which include Ghost of Frankenstein, Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, House of Frankenstein (Karloff appeared in this film, but not as the monster), and House of Dracula. We like these sequels well enough, but they just aren’t of the same caliber as those with Karloff as the Frankenstein monster.

So for a scary "Monster Mash Month", we recommend watching Son of Frankenstein. Join "Let's Talk Classic Movies" next week to read about our next featured Universal Studios Monster -Dracula.

**Trivia Question for Today: Donnie Dunagan, who portrayed Peter von Frankenstein in Son of Frankenstein, was used for a famous voice in a Walt Disney cartoon movie. What was the movie and what character did Donnie Dunagan voice?

Trivia Answer for Previous Post: In Bride of Frankenstein, Elsa Lanchester's shock hairdo was held in place by a wired horsehair cage.

Classic Movies - Universal Studios Monsters: Frankenstein - Bride of Frankenstein

For October's "Monster Mash Month", let’s continue talk Classic Monster Movies of Universal Studios! Boris Karloff reprised the monster’s role in two more films, Bride of Frankenstein (1935), with Colin Clive and Son of Frankenstein (1939), with Basil Rathbone and Bela Lugosi. Our featured film in today's post is Bride of Frankenstein, which is often considered the best of the three and it is definitely our favorite. We especially enjoy hearing the monster speak, saying such lines as “Food-good”; “Friend-good”; “Drink-good”; and “Fire-no good”.

Bride of Frankenstein follows on immediately from the events of the first film, and is rooted in a subplot of the original novel, Frankenstein (1818). Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, reveals to Percy Shelley and Lord Byron that Henry Frankenstein and his Monster did not die. Both lived, and went on to even stranger misadventures than before. As the new story begins, Henry Frankenstein abandons his plans to create life, and wants nothing more than to settle into a peaceful life with his new bride. But his old professor, the sinister Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger), appears unexpectedly. Henry is tempted and finally coerced by the Monster to continue his work. The Monster wants his creator to construct a mate for him. Henry is forced to give his creature a bride. The monster's tender, yet unreciprocated, love scene with his man-made bride (Elsa Lanchester) is one of the highlights of the film.

For a scary "Monster Mash Month", watch Bride of Frankenstein. Join "Let's Talk Classic Movies" Friday to read about our next featured Frankenstein classic movie starring Boris Karloff - Son of Frankenstein.

**Trivia Question for Today: What held Elsa Lanchester's shock hairdo in place in Bride of Frankenstein?

Trivia Answer for Previous Post: Dwight Frye played the part of Fritz, the hunchback in Frankenstein. He was in many of the horror classics and always added a comedic touch to most of his roles. He played Renfield (the fly and spider-eating slave of the vampire) in Dracula and Karl (one of the grave-robbing assistants) in Bride of Frankenstein. He was one of the hardest-working actors in Hollywood and on stage, a trait that probably contributed to his early death in 1943 at age 44. His nickname was “The Man with the Thousand-Watt Stare”.

Classic Movies - Universal Studios Monsters: Frankenstein

For the month of October "Monster Mash Month", let’s talk Classic Monster Movies of Universal Studios! The monster movies created by Universal Studios during the 1930s and 1940s will always hold special places in our childhood memories. It was great fun to be scared by the likes of the Frankenstein monster, Dracula, the Wolf Man, and the Mummy as we watched Spook Spectacular (St. Louis area) on Saturday night TV in the late 50s, early 60s. We usually watched in the dark as we lay on the floor. A pillow or blanket was always close at hand in case we needed to cover our faces in a hurry. Our favorite legendary actors of the “Universal” horror genre and those featured in this month’s posts are the terrifying trio of Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Lon Chaney, Jr.

This week, let’s talk “Universal” Monster - Frankenstein! In 1931, a British-born, intellectual actor named Boris Karloff appeared in 13 talking pictures. One of them, Frankenstein, Karloff portrayed the flat-topped, knobby-necked creature that was first depicted more than a century earlier in the novel by teen-aged feminist, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.

Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) wants to build a man in his own image, using the body of a dead man, and various parts of other bodies. He and his assistant Fritz dig up a freshly buried coffin and steal the body. When they realize the head and the brains of the body are severely damaged, they decide to steal a brain from Dr. Frankenstein's former teacher Dr. Waldman (Edward van Sloan). When Fritz accidentally drops the glass jar labeled "good brain" on the floor, he is forced to take the glass jar labeled "bad brain". Using some kind of mysterious ray that Dr. Frankenstein discovered, the body is brought to life during a thunderstorm, and the monster of Frankenstein (Karloff) is born.

Later, when Dr. Frankenstein realizes that he has created an aggressive monster, he and Fritz lock the monster up in a cell. When the monster is repeatedly bullied and provoked by Fritz, the monster eventually manages to kill him. When the monster escapes, he reeks havock in the village nearby. In return, the people of the village hunts and seeks to destroy the Frankenstein monster.

For a scary start to "Monster Mash Month", watch the 1931 version of Frankenstein. Join "Let's Talk Classic Movies" Wednesday to read about our next featured Frankenstein classic movie starring Boris Karloff - Bride of Frankenstein.

**Trivia Question for Today: Who is the character actor who plays Fritz, the hunchback who torments the monster in Frankenstein?

Trivia Answer for Previous Post: Ginger Rogers appeared as the Queen in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s TV musical production of Cinderella in 1965. The cast also included Lesley Ann Warren as Cinderella, Stuart Damon as the Prince, Walter Pidgeon as the King, Celeste Holm as the Fairy Godmother, and Jo Van Fleet as the Wicked Stepmother.

Classic Movies - Legendary Couple: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (Ginger)

Today, let’s talk Classic Movies of Ginger Rogers! As the other half of our legendary screen duo, Ginger Rogers also had an outstanding movie career outside of her pairing with Fred Astaire and beyond the realm of movie musicals. She was also a gifted comedienne and dramatic actress.

The pert and pretty actress was Broadway-trained and her appearance in George and Ira Gershwin’s “Girl Crazy” in 1929 is said to have made her a star (at age 19) along with another musical comedy legend, Ethel Merman. Ironically, Fred Astaire was the choreographer of the show. When Ginger went to Hollywood in 1930, she created a considerable stir with one single movie line-“Cigarette me, big boy”- in a small part in Young Man of Manhattan. Although she appeared in several films and shorts, it wasn’t until 1933 that she had her first breakout role as a chorus girl in the Warner Brothers production of 42nd Street, with Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell. The films with Fred Astaire at RKO would begin that same year and would continue throughout the 1930s. (Those films were discussed previously and will not be covered in today’s post.) In 1937, Ginger Rogers would co-star in Stage Door, with a marvelous ensemble cast including Katharine Hepburn and Lucille Ball. The RKO films with Fred Astaire ended in 1939, but there was much more to Ginger Rogers than feathered gowns and dancing slippers. She most definitely proved that when she promptly won the Academy Award for best actress for her non-dancing, non-singing performance in Kitty Foyle (1940). She delivered another outstanding dramatic performance in Primrose Path (1940), with Joel McCrea. We also enjoy her later dramatic performances in Magnificent Doll (1947) in which she portrays First Lady, Dolly Madison and in Storm Warning (1951). Ronald Reagan and Doris Day co-star in this film that takes a stand against the racism of the Ku Klux Klan.

Throughout her career, Ginger Rogers also starred in many delightful comedies. Several of our favorites are the very funny Bachelor Mother (1939), with David Niven; the screwball comedy, It Had to Be You (1947), with Cornel Wilde; and the hilarious Monkey Business (1952), with Cary Grant and Marilyn Monroe. Another favorite comedy and the Ginger Rogers film in the spotlight today is Billy Wilder’s side-splitter, The Major and the Minor (1942). The film follows the exploits of Susan Applegate (Rogers), a small-town girl working in New York who decides to call it quits and go home after a run-in with a “wolf” while trying to give him a scalp massage. Not having the full fare for the train ride back to Iowa, Susan disguises herself as a “big for her age” 12-year-old “minor” nicknamed Su-Su. During the train trip, she meets and is taken under the wing of “the Major” (Ray Milland) who suggests she call him “Uncle Philip”. He is unaware of her deception (due, in part, to his myopic eyesight) and invites her to be his guest for a few days (at his fiance’s house, of course) at the boy’s military academy where he teaches. There the fun and fireworks really begin as all the smitten young men try to woo Su-Su with “battlefield maneuvers” in the moonlight. Especially amusing is the dance with the local girl’s school. All the young ladies and teachers try to imitate actress, Veronica Lake, with her “peek-a-boo bang” hairstyle. Between the Major’s suspicious fiancé and her own growing love for him, Su-Su finds herself in one amusing predicament after another. To see how she worms her way out of the mess, you really must see The Major and the Minor. Note: The film was remade in the 1950s as a vehicle for Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis called You’re Never Too Young. Actress Diana Lynn appears in both film versions; first as a real 12-year-old who sees right through Su-Su’s disguise and then as Dean Martin’s fiancé in the second. Also worth mentioning-Ginger Rogers' real mother, Lela Rogers, portrays Susan’s mother in The Major and the Minor.

Ginger Rogers made a final film with Fred Astaire in 1949 and many other films after that. She also made some TV guest appearances later on shows such as The Love Boat and Here’s Lucy with old friend, Lucille Ball. Her final acting appearance was on the popular TV show, Hotel, in 1987. Ginger Rogers died in 1995 of congestive heart failure. She was an exceptional talent and the “stuff” legends are made of.



Read "Let's Talk Classic Movies" three times a week for more classic movie presentations and trivia. This Monday, October 4, will begin our "Monster Mash Month".

**Trivia Question for Today: In what TV Musical did Ginger Rogers appear in 1965 and what role did she play?

Trivia Answer for Previous Post: Fred Astaire was married twice. His first wife was Phyllis Livingston Potter, the mother of his son, Fred, Jr. and daughter, Ava. (Phyllis also had a son, Peter, by a previous marriage.) She died of cancer in 1954. Astaire married again in 1980 to female jockey, Robyn Smith. She was 35, he was 81.