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: 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: 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 - Fabulous Films of 1939: Son of Frankenstein

Fabulous Horror Film of 1939

Basil Rathbone as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein

Boris Karloff as the Frankenstein monster

Bela Lugosi as Ygor

Today, let’s talk Classic 1939 Horror Movie-Son of Frankenstein! As the third in the Universal Studios series about the man-made monster, Son of Frankenstein was Boris Karloff’s last portrayal of the creature that had made him an overnight sensation back in 1931. In this film, however, much of the pathos of the first two films is missing and the monster is no longer a misunderstood, pitiable character for whom the audience can feel sympathy, but a cold-blooded killing machine seeking revenge on the village of “Frankenstein”. It has long been said that Karloff did not want the monster to become a mere creature of violence and decided to bow out of any future sequels when he realized the direction the series was headed in Son of Frankenstein.

As the movie begins, the people of “Frankenstein” are up in arms to hear that another despised Frankenstein will soon be arriving from America to take over his late father’s estate. Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone), a scientist and college professor, hopes to make amends for the havoc his father’s creation once brought upon the village, but mysterious deaths have recently been occurring that are oddly similar to those of the past and Inspector Krogh (Lionel Atwill), whose arm was once torn off by the Frankenstein monster, is intent on finding the truth behind those deaths.

With only good intentions, Wolf, his wife, Elsa (Josephine Hutchinson) and small son, Peter (Donnie Dunagan) move into Castle Frankenstein, but find they are unwelcome and could be in danger of mob violence. Wolf soon meets Ygor (Bela Lugosi), an amusingly sinister villager whose neck was broken when he was once hanged for grave-robbing. Ygor has a secret to share with the unsuspecting Frankenstein-the monster is still alive, but very sick. Never dreaming that the creature survived the explosion that destroyed his father’s laboratory many years before, Wolf becomes obsessed with restoring the monster to health and rectifying his father’s mistake by giving him a “normal” brain. Ygor, the mastermind behind the recent murders, has different plans for the monster once he’s strong again. Having no interest in giving him a new brain and in total control of the creature, Ygor sends his “partner in crime” to kill a few more villagers, all former jury members who sentenced Ygor to hang. While the monster is out “hunting”, Ygor sits in the tower window, eerily playing his shepherd’s horn.

All’s well that end’s well, however, when Wolf finally pumps several bullets into Ygor and then heroically saves his son by pushing the monster into a boiling hot sulfur pit that lies beneath the old laboratory. Not to worry, the monster always survives and comes back stronger in the next sequel. In fact, so does Ygor in Ghost of Frankenstein. Go figure.

Son of Frankenstein is an enjoyable motion picture, but it really doesn’t showcase Boris Karloff’s monster as well as the two prequels (Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein) do. It is actually Bela Lugosi as Ygor that steals the show from both Karloff and Rathbone. All performances are good, but Lugosi’s is outstanding-probably one of his best. Take a look at this horror classic of 1939 or any of the wonderful horror films produced by Universal Studios. Check our archives for the week of posts on the Universal Studios Classic Monsters. Another Fabulous Film of 1939 will appear in our next post, so read “Let’s Talk Classic Movies” every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

**Trivia Question for Today: Child-actor Donnie Dunagan, who played Peter in Son of Frankenstein, was also the voice of what beloved Disney animated character?

Trivia Answer for Previous Post: Mickey Rooney portrays Lorenz Hart in MGM’s 1948 biopic Words and Music. Actor Tom Drake portrays Richard Rodgers in this star-studded tribute to the songwriting team.

Classic Movies - Universal Studios Monsters: Dracula

Today, let’s talk “Universal” Monster Classics of Bela Lugosi! While Karloff was considered the leading monster of the 30s, a Hungarian-born actor named Bela Lugosi cornered the "ghoul" market as the blood-thirsty vampire in Dracula (1931). Bram Stoker’s weird tale about Count Dracula had been made into a silent film, Nosferatu, in 1922. Years later, Lugosi played the vampire Count on Broadway, and in 1931 Tod Browning directed Lugosi 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.

Bela Lugosi played a similar nocturnal character in Mark of the Vampire (1935), but not as Count Dracula. Like Karloff, Lugosi was forever associated in the public mind with roles of vampires, monsters, and spooks. He even took a turn at playing the Frankenstein monster in Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (1943), with Lon Chaney, Jr. Ironically, Bela Lugosi turned down the original role of the monster in Frankenstein (1931) because there was no dialogue and his classic looks would be hidden under all the makeup. He just didn’t think the part would do anything for his career after his star-making performance in Dracula which was made earlier in the same year. Audiences didn’t really care for Lugosi’s Frankenstein monster portrayal, due partly to bad editing. Lugosi originally spoke lines as the monster, but his Hungarian accent made the character laughable, so the scenes with dialogue, that might have explained such things as the monster’s blindness, were cut out, leaving Lugosi to stumble and growl his way through the film. NOTE: We never understood why the writer of the film didn’t have Lugosi speak as Ygor (whom Lugosi played previously) when portraying the monster. After all, in the prequel, Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), Ygor’s brain was transplanted into the monster’s head. The monster spoke with Ygor’s voice at the end of that film and went blind due to incompatible blood types. The monster was blind in Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, so why couldn’t he continue to speak as Ygor? It makes sense to us.

Bela Lugosi made many movies throughout the 1940s. Most were horror films or comedic spoofs of horror films such as Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) in which Lugosi played the part of Count Dracula for laughs. That comedy was considered Lugosi’s last “A” film. Lugosi’s career and health declined in the 1950s. One of his last film appearances came posthumously in Ed Wood’s Plan 9 from Outer Space (released in 1959), possibly the worst movie ever made and now considered a “camp classic”. (It is not a Universal Picture.) Bela Lugosi died of a heart attack in 1956 at the age of 73. He was buried in the black cape he wore in a stage production of “Dracula”, but it was the 1931 screen version of Dracula that was the ultimate highlight of his “frightfully” legendary career as a Universal Studios Classic Monster.

**Trivia Question for Today: What was Bela Lugosi’s pivotal role in The Wolfman (1941)? The answer will appear in our next post. Check our blog every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for more of Let’s Talk Classic Movies.

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”.