Monthly Archives: October 2015

Day 20 – The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)

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Ghost of Frankenstein posterDay 20: The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)
Cast:      Bela Lugosi as Ygor
Lon Chaney Jr. as The Monster
Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Dr. Ludwig Frankenstein
Ralph Bellamy as Erik Ernst
Lionel Atwill as Dr. Theodore Bohmer
Evelyn Ankers as Elsa Frankenstein

Story by Eric Taylor
Screenplay by W. Scott Darling
Directed by Erle C. Kenton (Island of Lost Souls)

Plot: In the fourth film of the Frankenstein series, Ygor has survived and, courtesy of some overzealous villagers with dynamite, the Monster is resurrected. After being captured for doing a good deed, the Monster is brought to Ludwig, another son of Frankenstein. Ludwig decides to replace his brain in an effort to restore the family name and honor. However, one of Ludwig’s associates and Ygor have their own evil plans.Ghost of Frankenstein 1

Personal Thoughts: This is a good follow-up to Son of Frankenstein (1939) despite the lack of explanation how Ygor survived and why the villagers are all distraught again. Lugosi slips back into the role of Ygor seamlessly. It’s nice to see Lugosi working for Universal again during a time that he was relegated to low budget flicks at such studios as Monogram. As a fun side trip, stop the movie once the Monster regains his energy from the lightning and read the novella Fit for a Frankenstein. Authors Paul McComas and Greg Starrett have fun with the explanation of how the Monster gets a new suit.

Ghost of Frankenstein 2Trivia:

  • The Frankenstein series is now relegated to “B” movie status with reduced budgets.
  • Scenes from Frankenstein (1931) are used in a flashback sequence with Chaney’s Monster replacing the image of Boris Karloff.
  • Sir Cedric Hardwicke portrays the ghost of his father.
  • The Monster regains the ability to speak, this time in the voice of Lugosi. His subsequent blindness explains why he walks with outstretched arms, a now typical way of depicting the Monster.
  • Last time the Monster appears in a Universal film as a solo star.

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Day 19 – The Devil Bat (1940)

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Devil Bat posterDay 19: The Devil Bat (1940)
Cast:      Bela Lugosi as Dr. Paul Carruthers
Suzanne Kaaren as Mary Heath
Dave O’Brien as Johnny Layden

Story by George Bricker
Screenplay by John T. Neville
Directed by Jean Yarbrough (King of the Zombies, House of Horrors)

Plot: When Dr. Carruthers is cheated out of a fortune by his employers, he vows revenge. He creates giant bats and helps them develop a hatred for a particular type of shaving lotion that he invented. A trail of murders brings an investigative reporter onto the scene and all trails lead to Dr. Carruthers.

Personal Thoughts: Tune into episode 425 of this week’s Dread Media podcast to hear my thoughts and random trivia on this fun flick.Devil Bat 1

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Day 18 – Spooks Run Wild (1941) and Ghosts on the Loose (1943)

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Spooks posterDay 18: Spooks Run Wild (1941) & Ghosts on the Loose (1943)
Cast:      Bela Lugosi as Nardo (Spooks Run Wild)/Emil (Ghosts on the Loose)
Leo Gorcey as Muggs
Huntz Hall as Glimpy
Ava Gardner as Betty (Ghosts on the Loose)
Angelo Rossito as Luigi (Spooks Run Wild)

Written by Carl Foreman & Charles R. Marion (Spooks Run Wild) and Kenneth Higgins (Ghosts on the Loose)
Directed by Phil Rosen (Spooks Run Wild) & William Beaudine (Ghosts on the Loose)

Plot: In Spooks Run Wild, the East Side Kids are arrested and sent to a camp for underprivileged youth. There, they discover a killer is loose in the woods and they stumble upon a mansion owned by Mr. Nardo. Is he creating zombies? Is he really a killer or is there more going on? In Ghosts on the Loose, The East Side Kids are fixing up a spooky old house as a wedding gift for some newlyweds but it appears to be haunted.

Personal Thoughts: The East Side Kids/Bowery Boys are an acquired taste. Personally, I have to be in the mood for their movies but Lugosi always helps. These are poverty row low budget flicks that generally move along quickly at just over an hour long. Lugosi is a lot more fun to watch in Spooks Run Wild where he plays a magician with hints of his old friend Count Dracula. Unfortunately, whereas the boys are a lot more fun to watch in the haunted house setting of Ghosts on the Loose, Lugosi turns in a rather boring performance as a spy. These are best seen as a double feature on a cloudy Saturday afternoon. There are some fun moments worth your time.Spooks 1

Trivia:

  • Spooks Run Wild is the second of Lugosi’s nine films for Monogram.
  • Ghosts on the Loose is Ava Gardner’s first film.
  • Leo Gorcey starred in 7 Dead End Kids movies (various roles), 21 East Side Kids movies (as Muggs) and 41 Bowery Boys movies (as Slip) from 1937 to 1956.
  • Supposedly several four-letter words made it past the censors.
  • Both films are in the Public Domain.

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Day 17 – The Black Cat (1941)

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The Black Cat posterDay 18: The Black Cat (1941)
Cast:      Bela Lugosi as Eduardo Vigos
Basil Rathbone as Montague Hartley
Broderick Crawford as Gil Smith
Gale Sondergaard as Abigail Doone

Story by Edgar Allan Poe
Written by Robert Lees, Robert Neville, Frederic I. Rinaldo & Eric Taylor
Directed by Albert S. Rogell

Plot: The wealthy Elaine Winslow is a recluse who lives in an old mansion with her cats. Now that she is near death, her relatives begin to gather in an anticipation of their inheritance. Of course, murder soon follows with all of the usual old dark house trappings.

Personal Thoughts: As far as old dark house films go, The Black Cat is a lot of fun. Along with secret passages and murder, you have the addition of a cat crematorium. Instead of reporters, you have bungling real estate men. The humor gets a little annoying at times but it’s in small enough doses. Basil Rathbone does what he does best but adds only a little to the story. Gale Sondergaard turns in a great performance. And Bela? He’s totally wasted here and its obvious Universal only viewed him as a supporting character by this point. He’s creepy as the gardener with lots of leering through windows and around corners. But with only a handful of lines, it’s easy to forget he’s even in the movie. Well worth watching but don’t expect much from Lugosi.The Black Cat 1

Trivia:

  • Universal’s second attempt at adapting the classic Poe tale, although this one is much lighter fare than the original in 1934.
  • Broderick Crawford and Basil Rathbone were last minute casting changes, causing a delay in production.
  • The cat meows were actually human not feline.

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Day 16 – Invisible Ghost (1941)

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Invisible Ghost posterDay 16: Invisible Ghost (1941)
Cast:      Bela Lugosi as Dr. Charles Kessler
Polly Ann Young as Virginia Kessler
John McGuire as Ralph and Paul Dickson

Written by Helen & Al Martin
Directed by Joseph H. Lewis (The Mad Doctor of Market Street)

Plot: When his wife leaves him for another man, Dr. Charles Kessler becomes unhinged. But his wife is very close, being kept by the gardener in seclusion. Her memory is gone and the gardener’s actions seem genuine. A trail of murder soon develops with false leads and meandering plot points.

Personal Thoughts: While working for Monogram gave Bela Lugosi the opportunity to once again be a lead actor, it also meant he had to deal with substandard scripts. This flick has a script just full of nonsense that never get explained, such as the power Mrs. Kessler holds over her husband…or does she? What saves this movie is the superior direction (for a poverty row production) and the presence of Lugosi, who makes almost any movie better. Not his best but not necessarily his worst.Invisible Ghost 1

Trivia:

  • First of nine poverty row flicks Lugosi made for Monogram Pictures.
  • The film had numerous working titles, including Murder by the Stars and The Phantom Killer.
  • Considered by many to be one of Lugosi’s best efforts for Monogram, mostly due to a superior script and supporting cast.
  • The film is in the Public Domain.

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Day 15 – The Phantom Creeps (1939)

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The Phantom Creeps posterDay 15: The Phantom Creeps (1939)
Cast:      Bela Lugosi as Dr. Alex Zorka
Robert Kent as Bob West
Dorothy Arnold as Jean Drew
Edward Van Sloan as Jarvis

Story by Willis Cooper
Screenplay by George Plympton, Basil Dickey & Mildred Barish
Directed by Ford Beebe (Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe) & Saul A. Goodkind (Terror by Night)

Plot: Mad scientist Dr. Zorka has created many devices, including an invisibility belt and an eight-foot tall robot. He has also used a meteorite to cause paralysis and now other enemy forces are looking to capture him and steal his devices. When his wife is killed while he is trying to avoid spies and government agents, Zorka decides it’s time to quit playing games and rule the world.

Personal Thoughts: You’d think I would have learned my lesson after The Whispering Shadow. Chapter serials can often be long and a little convoluted but there is a formula that tends to work. Taking a four hour adventure and condensing it down to 80 minutes only works if you have an editor who takes a particular storyline and uses it for one of these condensed film versions. Unfortunately, this editor was clueless and the end result is a mess. There are some interesting scenes but the film devolves into a series of events without any cohesive narrative. I cannot recommend this version. Make the time for the full chapter serial.Phantom 2

Trivia:

  • The first chapter serial to use the rolling forward.
  • The film used extensive stock footage, including from The Invisible Ray (1936). Even Boris Karloff can be seen in the film at one point.
  • The last of Lugosi’s five serials.
  • Rob Zombie uses variations of the robot in his music videos and concerts.
  • Adapted in DC’s Movie Comics #6.
  • The condensed film version was actually released in 1949, a decade after the original chapter serial.

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Day 14 – The Gorilla (1939)

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The Gorilla posterDay 14: The Gorilla (1939)
Cast:      Bela Lugosi as Peters
Jimmy Ritz as Garrity
Harry Ritz as Harrigan
Al Ritz as Mulligan
Lionel Atwill as Walter Stevens
Anita Louise as Norma Denby
Patsy Kelly as Kitty

Screenplay by Rian James & Sid Silvers
Play by Ralph Spence
Directed by Allan Dwan (Look Who’s Laughing, Sands of Iwo Jima)

Plot: When wealthy Walter Stevens is threatened by the killer known as The Gorilla, he hires The Ritz Brothers detective agency to save his life and solve the mystery. However, a real gorilla is on the loose in the mansion too, resulting in a madcap caper.

Gorilla 1Personal Thoughts: This full old dark house comedy is more fun than it probably has a right to be. The Ritz Brothers are an acquired taste. I’ve always considered them to be low-rent Marx Brothers rip-offs. They’re funny enough in small doses but they lack the talents of Groucho, Harpo and Chico. Patsy Kelly adds some fun in random scenes, which is more than enough. Anything more and she may have turned annoying. Lionel Atwill is great as always but poor Bela doesn’t have much to do here. He turns in an adequate performance as the butler but nothing more. Well worth a watch on a weekend with your expectations set low.

Trivia:

  • 20th Century Fox bought the rights to the original play by Ralph Spence in October 1938 but various events, including the death of The Ritz Brothers’ father, delayed production. They were sued by Fox for breach of contract, which was eventually resolved. However, it became their last film for Fox.
  • The Ritz Brothers comedy act was often compared to The Marx Brothers but they never achieved anywhere close to the fame and notoriety on screen. However, their stage act lasted from the 20s until the 70s, minus Al, who died in 1965.
  • The film is now in the public domain.

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Day 13 – Son of Frankenstein (1939)

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SOF posterDay 13: Son of Frankenstein (1939)
Cast:      Bela Lugosi as Ygor
Basil Rathbone as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein
Boris Karloff as The Monster
Lionel Atwill as Krogh

Suggested by the story written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Screenplay by Willis Cooper
Directed by Rowland V. Lee (Tower of London)

Plot: The saga of the Frankenstein Monster, started in Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935) continues here though many years later. Baron Wolf von Frankenstein, the son of the Monster’s creator, returns to his family castle with his wife Elsa and son Peter. Wolf wants to restore his father’s reputation but the villagers want no part of it. When Wolf discovers that the criminal Ygor has the body of the Monster in the ruins of his father’s laboratory, he starts down the path of madness to bring life back to the Monster. However, as a trail of murders occur and lead to all things Frankenstein, could history be repeating itself?SOF 2

Personal Thoughts: Lugosi returns to Universal in the supporting role of Ygor that, at times, surpasses Karloff’s portrayal of the Monster. He gives us one of his best and most memorable roles. Thankfully, director Rowland Lee fought hard enough for Lugosi to have the lines he did and to receive the salary he earned. The stellar cast makes this one a classic and Lugosi blends in so well whenever he is on screen, whether in the court room or in the castle remains. Speaking of which, the expansive sets really make this film beautiful to look at. While we see Ygor “killed” at the end, it was Lugosi’s performance that played a big part in Ygor ultimately returning some three years later. Highly recommended!

Trivia:

  • This is the longest of the Universal Frankenstein films, clocking in at 99 minutes.
  • Planned to be filmed in Technicolor but reverted to black and white as production began. Home footage of Karloff as the Monster in color still exists.
  • The Monster loses the ability to speak that he developed in the previous movie (and will regain again in the next).
  • Last time Karloff played the Monster in a feature film.
  • Jack Pierce once again did the incredible make-up work of the Monster.
  • This film revitalized Universal’s horror film genre.

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Day 12 – The Invisible Ray (1936)

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Invisible Ray posterDay 12: The Invisible Ray (1936)
Cast:      Bela Lugosi as Dr. Felix Benet
Boris Karloff as Dr. Janos Rukh
Frances Drake as Diane Rukh
Frank Lawton as Ronald Drake
Beulah Bondi as Lady Arabella Stevens

Story by Howard Higgin & Douglas Hodges
Screenplay by John Colton
Directed by Lambert Hillyer (Dracula’s Daughter)

Plot: Dr. Janos Rukh has invented a telescope that reaches out to the Andromeda galaxy in hopes of finding light rays that will answers the secrets of Earth’s past. Upon seeing, and later discovering, a meteor. Rukh is exposed to the lethal radiation known as Radium X. The result is madness and murder, plus some infidelity and the search for a cure led by Dr. Benet.

Invisible Ray 1Personal Thoughts: Tune into episode 424 of this week’s Dread Media podcast to hear my thoughts and random trivia on this classic film.

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Day 11 – Phantom Ship (1935)

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Phantom Ship posterDay 11: Phantom Ship (1935) aka The Mystery of the Marie Celeste
Cast:      Bela Lugosi as Anton Lorenzen
Arthur Margetson as Captain Benjamin Briggs
Shirley Grey as Sarah Briggs

Story by Denison Clift
Directed by Denison Clift

Plot: The story begins with the classic love triangle as Captain Briggs steals away the lovely Sarah from his best friend, Captain Morehead. But when Briggs later asks Morehead for help on his ship, the stage is set for revenge. An untrustworthy crew, including the unstable Anton, and the scorned Morehead results in a trail or murder.

PS 1Personal Thoughts: This is one of Lugosi’s better efforts from this time period of highs and lows in his career. I found his portrayal of the mentally lost and destitute Lorenzen hauntingly prophetic of his future not too many years down the road. He turns in a very convincing performance and is the highlight of the film. The rest of the cast is adequate and the story slightly average. But the ocean setting and claustrophobic trappings of the ship enhance the murder mystery. Well worth tracking down.

PS 2Trivia:

  • One of the earliest Hammer films and the only one with a Universal horror legend.
  • Lugosi was added to the cast to help market the film in the United States.
  • Stock footage of the ships at sea blends in well and increases the overall visual presentation of the film.
  • Based on the real story of the ship Mary Celeste, found floating near Portugal in 1872 without a crew. Most stories concentrate on a supernatural element.
  • The original UK version, rumored to be some 18 minutes longer, remains lost.

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