classic horror movies | Hollywood Yesterday

Bela, Boris, and Basil in Son of Frankenstein (1939)… Talk about a 1, 2, 3 Punch!

October 30, 2021 By Joi

Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, and Bela Lugosi

Some films boast casts and some films boast ICONIC casts. Son of Frankenstein (1939) is the latter. Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, and Bela Lugosi.. in ONE film?! That’s what I call a film for the ages.

The classic horror was directed by the wonderful Rowland V. Lee and I call him wonderful not just because he was an outstanding (and way ahead of his time) director but also because (as a huge Bela Lugosi fan) I love the extent he went to in order to give Lugosi more respect, credit, and even money while making this film.

Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Basil Rathbone

Sadly, Bela Lugosi’s career was beginning to decline when he signed on to make Son of Frankenstein and his fee reflected this decline. Fortunately, director Rowland V. Lee was VERY much in his corner. He realized that Lugosi wasn’t being treated fairly and was perhaps even being taken for granted, so he gave Bela’s character (Ygor) more dialogue and a bigger role in the film, causing Bela be paid (and respected) more.

This role, IMO, is one of Lugosi’s absolute best performances. He more than rewarded Lee’s wonderful efforts!

You can watch Son of Frankenstein on Prime Video (Amazon link). I’m having a heckuva time finding it on dvd for my collection, but if I’m ever to find it, I’ll let you know.

Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi

Madge Bellamy and Bela Lugosi: White Zombie (1932)

October 14, 2021 By Joi

Madge Bellamy, White Zombie

White Zombie is a horror film you really don’t hear much about. Oddly enough, it was believed to be lost until its rediscovery in the Sixties. I really hate that this movie is hardly ever shown on television because it is very entertaining and Bela Lugosi is, as one would expect, completely mesmerizing.

The plot of White Zombie: A lovestruck young man turns to a voodoo doctor to help him lure a beautiful woman away from her fiancé. He, instead, turns her into a zombie slave!

HATE when that happens.

The 1932 classic horror movie stars Bela Lugosi and Madge Bellamy. It was directed by Victor Halperin.

According to his son, Bela Lugosi, Jr., this was one of Bela Lugosi’s favorite films. He is absolutely and completely wonderful in the role of “Murder” Legendre.

You can find White Zombie on dvd (Amazon link).

Bela Lugosi, White Zombie

Helen Chandler and Bela Lugosi, Dracula (Girl.. RUN!)

October 10, 2021 By Joi

Bela Lugosi and Helen Chandler, Dracula

I remember the first time I saw Dracula (1931)… even as a child I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how anyone didn’t know Bela Lugosi was bad news the minute they saw him! Seriously… how could they not run as far and as fast as they could in the opposite direction the minute they laid eyes on him.

I’m pretty sure I would have outrun a cheetah to get away from his creepy vibes.

Then again, it wouldn’t have made much of a movie, would it?

I read something unusual a little while back. Apparently Bette Davis was considered for the role of Mina but someone “up the line” didn’t think she had enough sex appeal. Really? When the role dictated, she oozed it! Think “In This Our Life,” “Jezebel,” and “The Star” just to name a few.

I mean, her career did okay without this role but I thought the reasoning was preposterous.

You can buy the iconic 1931 film Dracula on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.

Sorry but the Bette Davis fan in me feels compelled to add a particular photo to the post… It’s like she’s telling Mr. Up the Line, “Boy, please.”

Bette Davis, Jezebel

Boris Karloff: One of the Pioneers of Classic Horror Films (The Man Behind Frankenstein and The Mummy)

September 19, 2017 By Joi

Boris Karloff as Frankenstein’s Monster

Hello, handsome! The face above needs no introductions. Frankenstein’s monster is as synonymous with horror movies and Halloween as Fred Astaire is with musicals. You could argue that the wonderful Boris Karloff is the Fred Astaire of horror films and, as far as I’m concerned you’d be right. Dead right. Sorry, I couldn’t pass that one up.

With Halloween right around the creepy corner, I thought it’d be the ideal time to look at classic horror movies and the stars who brought them to life.

When they first hit the scene in 1912, Universal Studios focused primarily on melodramas and action films (such as Westerns). However, in 1923 they found a deliciously fun new niche and rode it like a cowboy on caffeine. This is the year Lon Chaney (one of the studios biggest silent movie stars) rocked the movie world when he starred as Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

It was also around this time (late 1920s – early 1930s) that several actors and directors from Germany immigrated to America and went to work at Universal.

Universal, and the world, would never be the same!

“Most had worked in German Expressionism, which they introduced to Hollywood through low-key lighting techniques, set design preferences, and a penchant for visual symbolism. This was the birth of the American horror genre as we know it.” – Armchair Reader Goes Hollywood

William Henry Pratt was born on November 23, 1887, in London, England. When he entered the entertainment industry, he took the stage name Boris Karloff. When he came to Hollywood, he worked as a truck driver to help support himself while picking up work in the silent film industry.

The Deadlier Sex (1920), Omar the Tentmaker (1922), Dynamite Dan(1924) and Tarzan and the Golden Lion (1927) are a few of his pre-Horror movie films.

His big.. and I mean huge… break came in 1931 when he was cast as “the monster” in Universal’s Frankenstein (1931). While the film ultimately made Boris Karloff a star, he was actually billed as a punctuation mark in this film’s credits! He’s listed simply as “?” in the opening credits. The movie and Boris were hits and he quickly racked up other memorable roles in movies including the The Old Dark House (1932), The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), The Mummy (1932), The Ghoul (1933), and The Lost Patrol (1934).

Karloff returned to his neck bolts in 1935 with the wonderful Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and in 1939 film, Son of Frankenstein, which if we’re being honest, is one we Karloff fans want to forget.

I mean, everyone else has.

The Mummy was directed by Karl Freund, Germany’s greatest Cinematographer. Karloff starred as Im-Ho-Tep (the monster who returns to life). The lighting, angles, and use of shadows Freund employed in The Mummy defined classic horror films for years to come.

Karloff is also remembered for his appearances in several Abbott and Costello monster movies (always FUN!): Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff in 1949 and Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 1953.

While his career included a wealth of interesting roles and movies, he is most associated with his monstrous performances and for being one of the talents that defined the horror film industry.

Personally, I remember him for these wonderful roles and for one another, equally wonderful role… as the narrator of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! “You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch…”

Boris Karloff died in 1969 at the age of 81.