[Above: Autographed picture of Bela Lugosi from the collection of Roger Hurlburt.]

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Many thanks to Roger Hurlburt for sharing the photographs of these gems from his extensive collection.

One of the excellent things about the Classic Horror community is the cool, like-minded people you meet. Over these past few years, I’ve been able to trade stories with Tom Weaver, David Colton, David Del Valle, and Gregory William Mank (Barbara Mank is great, too). I’ve been interviewed by Rondo-winning filmmaker Thomas Hamilton (with the help of Jenny Rae Mettee), Jim Towns and Livio Merino (BORGO PASS HORROR PODCAST), Doug Gibson (PLAN9 CRUNCH), and Tracy Asteria with Bruce Markusen (THE GHOSTLY GALLERY). Frank Dello Stritto has kindly provided me with research materials. Lucy Chase Williams graciously signed the Claude Rains biography that she was instrumental in getting out into the world. Steve Vertlieb sends me articles I might be interested in reading.

I count as friends great writers like Bob Cremer, Sam Irvin, Gary D. Rhodes, Christopher R. Gauthier, Nick Santa Maria, Christopher Lock, Bill Kaffenberger, and Joe Overbay (among others).

And I truly thank the Monster Kids out there who run those great Classic Horror websites on social media, where ideas, opinions, and stories get distributed and hashed out.

It’s an honor to know these folks and I greatly admire their work.

It’s also an honor to interact with other fans of Classic Horror, which, after all, I am…even if I have written a couple of books.

Which brings me to Roger Hurlburt.

[Above: Roger Hurlburt has written professionally about films for years and collected autographs as well. Some of his latest contributions can be found in SCRIPTS FROM THE CRYPT: THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN, available from CREEPY CLASSICS.]

Roger was a film writer and reviewer for more than 20 years with Florida’s SUN SENTINEL.

“I always have loved films, he writes, “and I enjoy a bit of personal memorabilia by the personalities involved—actors, actresses, directors and more.”

Roger’s been collecting autographs for more than 50 years now, and at one point, he relates, “decided to specialize in horror film autographs from 1910-1960—a half century of personalities comprising the monsters, heavies, heroes and heroines from not only the Universal Studios pictures, but all the studios from Paramount and MGM, down to lowly Monogram, PRC and beyond.”

As time has gone on, Roger’s extended his reach to gather a wide variety of signatures associated with the films we love.

“Can't leave out Edward D. Wood Jr.!” he notes. “And what fun it has been to look far beyond Karloff, Lugosi, the Chaneys, Lionel Atwill—even John Carradine, Clive, Zucco, J. Carroll Naish and Glenn Strange…

“Add the thrill of the chase,” he goes on, “the acquisition, the conservation…It only partially defines the nature of autograph collecting, and the pleasure that the collector derives from knowing that an item was handled by the admire person.”

[Ray Harryhausen with Roger Hurlburt and friends. Roger’s Monster Kid life has taken him many places to meet up with a variety of Classic Horror/Fantasy legends.]

Roger reached out to me a while back after reading CHANEY’S AUDITION. We began corresponding and—before I knew it—he was generously sharing with me pictures from his collection…pictures I have no doubt that readers of this blog will enjoy seeing.

So, with a little blurb about each, here…we…GO!!!

Ah, Onslow Stevens as Dr. Edelmann in HOUSE OF DRACULA (1945). Born Onslow Ford Stevenson, the brown-haired actor claimed a height of 6’2” and a weight of 175 pounds. He was also said to be quite the boxer with a mean lead left and a devastating right cross—a talent he utilized in the U.S. Army (which his publicity claimed he’d enlisted in at the age of 14!)

He owed his film career to a screen test with Gloria Stuart (THE INVISIBLE MAN) after essaying 250 parts at the Pasadena Community Playhouse…owned by none other than Samuel S. Hinds.

Glenn Strange, one of the nicest people Hollywood has ever known. A talented musician, the strapping Strange is, of course, considered to be—by many Monster Kids—the second-best Universal Frankenstein Monster. For MUCH more on Strange, see my two-part blog by starting HERE.

The great Dennis Hoey, eternally the bumbling Inspector Lestrade in half of the “Baker Street Dozen” Universal Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Serving in the British Army during the Great War, Hoey was assigned to entertain the troops as a singer.

“Me lost? I like that!”

A young Lionel Atwill, who would become the Lion of Broadway thanks to his Tony-worthy performance in DEBURAU (1920)…had the Tonys existed. Learn more about the suave and mysterious “Pinky” by clicking HERE.

Ilona Massey, born to poverty in Hungary, brought up to hate Communism—and told that she could never be a singer—caught here in a (signed) candid. She was a staunch advocate of self-reliance all her life, and refused to let a jealous Sam Katz—MGM producer and her former lover—torpedo her career.

See my book BELA’S MONSTER for much more Massey…or, if you prefer, Gregory William Mank’s WOMEN IN HORROR FILMS, 1940s.

Dear Boris in 1932, about the time of THE MUMMY. Ironically, the role for which he might be best remembered these days is The Grinch. See my blog on that 1966 classic HERE.

Kathleen Burke, who—at the age of 19—won the prototype Scarlet O’Hara publicity search for an actress to play The Panther Woman in 1932’s ISLAND OF LOST SOULS. She gained screen immortality that year and a jealous husband…who actually came to blows with director Erle C. Kenton on the set. The winner of that fight remains a mystery, though I’m betting on Kenton…he was, after all, a Theodore Roosevelt aficionado and lookalike.

An MGM studio picture signed by pretty much All the Stars in Heaven…including Lon Chaney (see the finger). How many other names do you recognize?

One of Roger Hurlburt’s prized possessions is this signed photo of George Zucco. According to David Del Valle, an addled Kenneth Anger created “out of nowhere a whole scenario where Zucco goes off the deep end and takes his wife and daughter with him to the funny farm” in HOLLYWOOD BABYLON II, based upon an obvious joke Del Valle had made.

“Now, that was bad enough,” De Valle writes in LOST HORIZONS, “but not long after his book came out, I discovered that Stella Zucco was not only very much alive but beside herself over what Kenneth had put out there about her loved ones…I managed to get a letter to her explaining that I adored her husband’s work and that all was a terrible misunderstanding. I, of course, never got a reply.”

Great War veteran and esteemed character actor Ernest Thesiger. You’ll want to read more about him in Bruce Crelin’s excellent book THE GREAT WAR AND THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD HORROR, available HERE.

Christopher Lee as he is best remembered…unless you happen to love the second round of STAR WARS films.

A genuinely warm person one-on-one, Lee disliked crowds and became chilly when he felt “trapped.” But he had a great sense of humor, as this story he told to David Del Valle in L.A.’s Ma Maison restaurant aptly illustrates:

Helen Cushing—beloved wife of St. Peter—apparently had a dislike for Lee.

“Helen did not trust me for many years,” Lee told Del Valle.

“You think you are a bigger star than my husband, don’t you?” Helen once sneered at Sir Christopher.

“Well, my dear,” Lee replied, “I am taller than Peter.”

Oddly, when it came time to go across the dining room and say hello to Orson Welles—who had directed Lee in a TV version of MOBY DICK—the shy Lee chickened out!

Another of Christopher Lee in THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957). According to Hurlburt, Lee hated signing CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN photos.

Lon Chaney, Jr. in the various roles for which he was best known. Lennie Small in OF MICE AND MEN was, of course, his favorite. He was even invited with Burgess Meredith to a screening of the 1939 film for Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the White House on January 17, 1940.

Lon would say of Lennie that he would like him for a friend…as long as he could control him.

Lionel Atwill in one of his greatest performances. In the script, the character was Inspector Niemuller and Bela Lugosi was proposed for the part. But then Rowland V. Lee conceived the idea of Ygor and Lugosi ran with it, leaving Niemuller to morph into Krogh…and Atwill made the most of that.

Some of the cast of CHANDU THE MAGICIAN (1932). Note the presence of Irene Ware, who would later star opposite of Bela in THE RAVEN (1935).

Elsa Lanchester, Mary Shelley and the Bride of Frankenstein herself. She didn’t like Jack P. Pierce—she wrote in her autobiography that if she dared to bid him good morning first, he’d basically snarl and bare his upper teeth!

Very rare photograph of a young Maria Ouspenskaya, inscribed in Russian. Ouspenskaya was a two-time Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee for DODSWORTH (1936) and LOVE AFFAIR (1939). Certain internet sites try to pass off pictures of actress Ann Baxter as being a young Maria…but, fortunately, Roger Hurlburt knows better.

Peter Lorre in 1933. Had Hitler not come to power, Lorre might have made a living as Bertolt Brecht’s favorite actor. See more about being Peter Lorre on my blog HERE.

One of Hurlburt’s greatest personal triumphs was in finally tracking down an elusive Dwight Frye signature. Hurlburt feels that the expansion of AI technology is going to make the collection of legitimate autographs that much more difficult.

The best for last…a gorgeous signed photo of gorgeous Evelyn (pronounced Eee-vel-yn) Felisa Ankers in 1940, around the time she was signed to 20th Century Fox. Her dream was to be a ballerina, but her Show Biz mom pushed her into films. For more on Evie, see my blog ANKERS VS. CHANEY HERE.

I hope you enjoyed these rare photographs from The Roger Hurlburt Collection! I thank Roger profusely for sharing them. He’s certainly done the world of Classic Horror a service.

If you’d like to see more from Roger, drop a note in the comments…or send me an email: billfleckenterprises@gmail.com

My next book—unrelated to Classic Horror—drops on September 1:

Fear not! I return to the Classic Horror genre with a biography of Edward Van Sloan, which I’m hoping to have available early in 2027. 😉

NOTE: The pictures herein are utilized for educational purposes only. I don’t own the copyrights, nor do I profit from this website.

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Check out Bill on THE GHOSTLY GALLERY HERE.

Get your copy of BELA’S MONSTER HERE.

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NOW AVAILABLE: New book, BELA’S MONSTER!

“This is essential reading for all classic Universal Monster and Lugosi fans! Bravo to author Bill Fleck!” — Sam Irvin, director and Rondo-winning author of CONFESSIONS OF A BRIAN DE PALMA PROTEGE

“Monster kids, scholars, and cinema lovers all around will devour this book! A True Triumph imbued with complete heart that Bill Fleck is Famous For!”—Christopher R. Gauthier, Rondo-winning author of DRACULA NEVER DIES, VOL. 2

“What an amazing book (read in one sitting). I’ve loved this movie since a friend in 4th grade shared his 8mm version on a tiny film editor 55 years ago. And you’ve put it in great perspective via the Ygorstein monster…Wow!”—Davie F. Morrill

Get your copy on Amazon.com HERE.

WANT A PERSONALIZED, AUTOGRAPHED COPY? PLEASE DROP ME A LINE: billfleckenterprises@gmail.com

Speaking of Guillermo del Toro…

NEARING COMPLETION:

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Thank you for making this a Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards HONORABLY-MENTIONED website TWO YEARS RUNNING!!

To read previous entries, please click HERE.

I think FRANKENSTEIN (1931) might have been the first monster movie I ever saw.

The one that truly kicked it all off for me was ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948), which I saw on TV while I was in third grade. But I vaguely remember being in the room while my father watched FRANKENSTEIN and BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN back-to-back one time before then…in fact, I thought it was all one long film.

After seeing FRANKENSTEIN again—maybe in fifth grade? (Or maybe my memories of horror that year simply stem from the teacher…?)—I did what a lot of Monster Kids did: I tried to read the book.

Yeah, it didn’t happen.

But, of course, I saw everything “Frankenstein” that showed up on TV.

[Realart re-release lobby card for FRANKENSTEIN (1931). Show anyone a picture of Karloff in makeup, and even today, they’ll say, “Frankenstein!” Photo credit: Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons]

Flash-forward many moons. I’m teaching Advanced Placement English in high school. I’ve long since read FRANKENSTEIN, like it, and recognize it for the ground-breaking influence it’s had on popular culture up to and including (and now surpassing) JURASSIC PARK: “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.”

So, I added FRANKENSTEIN to the A.P. curriculum.

My students generally liked it, once they got the image of Karloff’s creature out of their heads (that’s how influential his performance had become—and yet, most of them hadn’t even seen it). They sympathized greatly with the Creature, and labeled Victor “a deadbeat dad.” The fact that I taught in an economically-challenged area—roughly 20 minutes from where the original Woodstock festival happened—really made this resonate.

Of course, we debated the could/should dynamic as well, and I always made sure that I quoted that other Victor Frankenstein—the one personified by Peter Cushing—when scolding prototype internet trolls:

“Had man not been given to invention and experiment, then tonight, sir, you would have eaten your dinner in a cave. You would’ve strewn the bones about the floor then wiped your fingers on a coat of animal skin. In fact, your lapels do look a bit greasy.”—FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED (1969)

[Prototype know-it-all internet trolls (right) about to be schooled by Baron Victor Frankenstein (left) in 1969’s FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED. Photo credit: IMDB.com]

And so, Kenneth Branagh—who I generally admired—showed up with the purported MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN in 1994…which was certainly closer to the book than anything Karloff did. But Branagh took too many ridiculous liberties, particularly at the end. It was almost as if K-Buff—who’d obviously spent hours in the gym—had decided to make the film as an extended exercise video with De Niro’s so-so monster serving as a subplot.

[K-Buff runs around in his lab…which seems to be designed to give him a cross-fit workout rather than to bring his creature to life in 1994’s MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN. Photo credit: Pinterest. Utilized under Fair Use provisions.]

Along came 2009’s HOUSE OF THE WOLF MAN with Ron Chaney. (Never saw it? Click HERE.) I, FRANKENSTEIN (2014). And I loved Rory Kinnear’s take on the Monster in the series PENNY DREADFUL (2014-2016), which I still think is closest to Mary Shelley’s version.

[Rory Kinnear as Frankenstein’s monster in the series PENNY DREADFUL gets my vote for coming closest to Mary Shelley’s creature. Photo credit: Fityclub.com. Utilized under Fair Use provisions.]

Which brings us to Guillermo del Toro’s version…you know, the one nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award.

Let’s cut to the chase. Should Monster Kids see this film?

In a word, “Yes.” Del Toro has been preparing for this project all of his life.

“I have a room dedicated to FRANKENSTEIN,” he tells Seth Doane of CBS’s SUNDAY MORNING. “I call it the living room.”

“[FRANKENSTEIN’S] in all of my movies,” he goes on. “All 13 movies have elements of the film. PINNICHIO is another prodigal father asking for forgiveness of his child. My first movie, CRONUS, deals with eternal life. THE SHAPE OF WATER, certainly, the idea of the monster being of the same essence [as] the main female character, and the female character recognizing herself in it.”

[Director Guillermo del Toro’s living room is a shrine to Universal’s classic FRANKENSTEIN films. His love and respect for these films informed the making of his own. Photo credit: CBS News, utilized under Fair Use provisions.]

When the project was first announced, the buzz created on the internet was interesting:

• Some wildly applauded the idea.

• Some hated the very thought of it. (These folks might have benefitted from a dressing down by Cushing’s Baron.)

• Many were wondering if the novel would finally be filmed faithfully.

• Debates erupted about whether or not del Toro was the right director for the job.

In other words, typical internet chat—and some scat—of which I am not above participating in (though I try to be nice).

Before I managed to finally arrange a viewing, I checked out James Whale’s version yet again, forcing myself to watch it objectively…if such a thing is indeed possible.

To my delight, the film basically holds up. Lighting, the sets, camerawork, a clear soundtrack—oddly aided by the fact that there’s no background music—and editing (despite a lapse in continuity or two) are all excellent.

As to the performances? Colin Clive is still tragically magnetic. Mae Clark is pretty, but a little stiff; John Boles is solid. Dwight Frye is perfect as the comic but sadistic Fritz. Edward Van Sloan—the wisest doctor to ever die “horror film stupid”—is excellent; he and Clive demonstrate a real chemistry. I even enjoyed Frederick Knott’s buffoonery this time around.

Of course, FRANKENSTEIN is Karloff’s film. Given his work surrounding the movie—his unconvincing gangster in SCARFACE, and the over-the-top mugging he falls into as Van Sloan’s henchman in BEHIND THE MASK—pulling this performance out of his hat at this time is miraculous. The issue with the two Karloff performances I call out here is miscasting. But need I say that he is in no way miscast as the Monster?

To this day, it’s a performance that inspires awe.

[Karloff’s over-the-top mugging opposite of Edward Van Sloan in 1932’s BEHIND THE MASK stands in contrast to the perfection he demonstrated as the Monster just beforehand. FRANKENSTEIN not only made Karloff a star; it generally freed him from being miscast—though typecasting soon became the norm. Photo credit: Screen shot, Public Domain.]

With this in mind, I felt a bit sorry for the 28-year-old Australian actor Jacob Elordi, who del Toro tagged to play the Creature.

I needn’t have. Elordi ended up being Oscar nominated as Best Supporting Actor for his performance.

[The look of FRANKENSTEIN in general is epic, sumptuous, detailed…and a bit cartoonish thanks to CGI. Photo credit: IMDB.com. Utilized under Fair Use provisions for film study.]

Let’s begin with the obvious: a Guillermo del Toro film is going to look gorgeous. Even the violence is going to be somehow beautiful.

FRANKENSTEIN doesn’t disappoint in this regard. The screen is filled with epic, sumptuous, sweeping, and detailed images. The color palette is exquisite. You could pause the movie at any given moment, hit PRT SC, and have a work of art suitable for framing. Each shot is blocked and composed for maximum impact.

However…there is just a little bit of a cartoonish feel throughout. True, the use of CGI allows del Toro and company to go for broke when it comes to indulging his fertile imagination. But the CGI technology—as mind-blowing as it can be—is still about 10 degrees shy of portraying total reality…in my estimation, anyway. Utilized in limited amounts as supplementary—my go-to is 1993’s JURASSIC PARK, which featured about 60 CG shots—the technology can help to put across an incredibly realistic screen experience. But when forced to carry as much of the imagery as it does in FRANKENSTEIN? Well, for me, it was best to adjust my perspective and view the film as a graphic artist’s incredibly well-illustrated version of this classic tale.

Even that adjustment, however, didn’t patch up the CGI scenes involving wildlife, such as deer and wolves. It seems to me that, no matter how well you can do the CG work, realistically organic animals are still just beyond Hollywood’s (or Netflix’s) grasp. For example, there’s an action-packed scene wherein Elordi dispatches a particularly mean pack of wolves. But as it unfolded, I couldn’t help thinking that the scene would have played a lot better in the dark with actual trained animals; the wolves as is were just…well, OFF for me. In this case, I feel that some of the purported $120 million budget could have been spent more wisely.

[There is something still ‘OFF’ about the look of computer-generated animals. The vicious wolves in FRANKENSTEIN demonstrate just that…at least in my view. Photo credit: IMDB.com. Utilized under Fair Use provisions.]

Regarding the story…there are, indeed, a lot of elements of Shelley’s novel present. But there are also MAJOR changes. As I started to watch, I had to make that adjustment, too.

“Dude,” I thought to myself, “this isn’t called MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN. Let it happen.”

The first thing I had to get used to was Victor Frankenstein’s age.

Yeah, like other adaptations, we see Victor as he grows up—many of his early scenes are handled well by Christian Convery. But soon, Oscar Isaac takes over. Isaac was about 46 years old when the film was shot. And he looks every bit of it, especially when he’s playing 22. I have to admit that I was taken a little out of his performance by that.

[A very mid-40’s looking Oscar Isaac plays Victor. The character seems older than he should be, and is not a nice guy on any level. The net effect is to make the Creature that much more sympathetic…which is obviously del Toro’s point. Photo credit: IMDB.com. Utilized under Fair Use provisions.]

Then, too, this Victor Frankenstein is just not a nice guy. Yeah, Frankenstein in the book is no bed of roses, either; he’s downright vicious when it comes to the life he’s brought into the world and wantonly abandoned. But he at least loves his brother William (whose character is much altered here as well), cares for his father, and is obviously devoted to Elizabeth, his betrothed.

Isaac’s Victor is an aloof, nasty, ruthless bastard.

Yes, he’s driven to create life. But in the film’s first half, he seems more determined to snatch Elizabeth away from William—who, in this version, is the one engaged to her—than he is to get going with his work. In fact, the creation of the Monster is actually postponed while Victor sends William on snipe hunts so he can waste his time trying to get Elizabeth to jump ship and marry him.

Honestly, I found these scenes to be tedious, and—with the film’s running time of two-and-a-half hours—they could have easily been eliminated. I was, in fact, reminded of my son James seeing Ron Howard’s overblown version of THE GRINCH (2000) with Jim Carrey when he was five:

“When is he gonna steal Christmas?” he called out in the theater…which resulted in a LOT of knowing laughter, I might add.

And then, the outline of another reference began to form in front of me…

“Who does Isaac remind me of?” I thought. And then it hit:

Ralph Bates as Victor in THE HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN (1970). A ruthless, cold-blooded killer who uses and discards women while pursuing his scientific dream for no other reason than his ego demands it.

[Ralph Bates as the decidedly cold-blooded Victor in 1970’s THE HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN. The similarities to Isaac’s Victor are many. Photo credit: IMDB.com. Utilized under Fair Use provisions.]

Of course, this is certainly del Toro’s intention. One of the film’s taglines more than telegraphs it:

ONLY MONSTERS PLAY GOD

Clearly, the monster here is Victor.

The character of Elizabeth—well played by Mia Goth—is also much changed from the book as well. In a move that would probably please the feminist Mary Shelley, she serves as the conscience of the piece and bonds with the Creature when it’s obvious that his “father” will not. Goth’s performance is moving. This Elizabeth wears her heart out on her sleeve, yet still retains her composure. Her compassion for the Creature humanizes him and the story. I won’t reveal how she dies in this version, but I will say that it’s not the way she exits in the book…or in K-Buff’s film, either.

In fact, it’s more tragic than in either.

[Mia Goth as Elizabeth. The now 32-year-old actress plays the conscience of the piece. Her contempt for Victor and his work—as well as her compassion for the Creature—greatly humanizes the story. Photo credit: IMDB.com. Utilized under Fair Use provisions.]

This brings me to Jacob Elordi as the Creature.

The Australian actor’s publicity lists him at 6’5” and he’s probably very near to that, which puts him up in the air with Christopher Lee. (Among the many Easter Eggs del Toro throws in the film is a nice CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN reference.) Elordi also has Karloff’s deeply-pained eyes, which are enhanced by brown contact lenses in the film (but are hazel in real life). Makeup artist Mike Hill—perhaps taking a page from PENNY DREADFUL’S Nick Dudman and Company—manages to create a horrific, semi-cartoonish look for the Creature (in keeping with the overall visual style) that still allows Elordi to emote.

“The dentures I wore told me exactly what his voice was,” Elordi explains. “I would go into my room and start doing these throat chants in the mirror. Then I put the teeth in, and the Creature just started speaking. There’s a composition of lots of different voices. He learns language from the blind man. It's hard to articulate a singular thing.”

“It was consuming,” Elordi continues. “Your skin gets washed out and covered with something new. Your face, and its structure, change. Then you put the costume on and there’s leather and furs, and the weight — it’s all real. Finally, you walk through the studio doors. Inside, as far as you can see up, is this spire of a castle, and there’s snow falling from the ceiling, and the doors of the castle open, and there’s a fire burning inside. It’s an alive experience.”

Elordi truly sells it. As I mentioned, I still think that Kinnear’s Monster in PENNY DREADFUL is closest to Shelley. But Elordi comes in second. The Creature runs the gauntlet of emotions in this film—love, hate, rage, sadness, self-reflection…it’s all there to be tackled by this newborn who is simply trying to survive without much in the way of guidance. Only Elizabeth and the Blind Man (well played by David Bradley) provide him with a moral direction…a direction his basic decency latches onto for dear life.

And del Toro—who also wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay—is kind to both Victor and his “son” at the end by allowing them to connect just before Victor dies…a satisfaction the Creature doesn’t get in Shelley.

[Mike Hill’s makeup allows Elordi to emote effectively. His voice also contributes to his characterization. The Creature’s self-reflection and basic decency are enhanced by his brief exposure to both Elizabeth and the Blind Man. Photo credits: IMDB.com. Utilized under Fair Use provisions.]

Along the way, we get the epic scenes Frankenstein fans now expect to see. The boat stranded in the arctic. The Blind Man’s hut…which is more of a house here. And, of course, the creation scene…so mysterious in Shelley, but loaded with gadgets and symbolism here. Again, some of these are cartoonish—particularly Victor trying to affix equipment properly during an intense storm, and depictions of the Creature’s decidedly Marvel Universe-like strength.

[The obligatory creation scene is loaded with symbolism. Victor, the Monster who plays God, brings his “son” to life on a cross-like device in a reverse-crucifixion, only to cruelly try to burn him to death when his brain doesn’t develop as quickly as Victor would like. Photo credit: IMDB.com. Utilized under Fair Use provisions.]

But, all in all, the excess plays into the “graphic artist illustration” feel, which will appeal to younger viewers…and give everyone plenty to discuss following the closing credits.

In short, it’s the human element that makes Guillermo del Toro’s FRANKENSTEIN noteworthy.

“Forgiveness is a key part of the film, and it’s a key part of the Creature’s journey in life,” Elordi summarizes. “You can’t really move forward from a trauma until you’ve faced it and gone through the feelings and learned to forgive whatever caused that. Through forgiveness, the Creature learns that he can finally be human. He can be a person, but the way he discovers that is not through violence or revenge. It’s through actually seeing another person, understanding them, and understanding his father’s flaws—that his father came from somewhere as well. We have three generations of men. You meet Victor’s father and see Victor acknowledge the terror that his father was. But then Victor becomes that terror. The Creature becomes the terror, too, but is able to take the trauma and turn it into something else.”

Fans of Classic Horror need to check this film out, if only because it’s made with love by one of us.

SOURCES

Doane, Seth. “Guillermo del Toro on FRANKENSTEIN and remaking a monster.” CBS NEWS. October 26, 2025. www.cbsnews.com. Accessed July 23, 2026. Web.

Romero, Ariana. “Jacob Elordi Transcends with His FRANKENSTEIN Transformation.” TUDOM BY NETFLIX. November 5, 2025. www.netflix.com. Accessed July 24, 2026. Web.

NOTE: The pictures herein are utilized under Fair Use provisions for film study. I don’t own the copyrights, nor do I benefit financially from this website.

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I’m psyched that my newest book BELA’S MONSTER is finally available! Check out the PROMO VIDEO:

BELA’S MONSTER is available as an Ebook (KINDLE), soft cover, and hard cover.

The most affordable is, of course, the Ebook. The hard cover is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL, but because of printing costs and royalty splits/publishing overhead, it’s unavoidably expensive.

The soft cover is a more affordable physical option…and looks damn good, too.

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR COPY!

And…if you’d like a personalized autographed copy, please drop me an inquiry: billfleckenterprises@gmail.com

Whatever the format, I’m sure MONSTER KIDS will enjoy it. I was amazed at how little I knew about Bela until I wrote this one.

CHECK OUT THE EXCERPT BELOW!!

From BELA’S MONSTER…Hedda Hopper interviews Lugosi and Karloff at Karloff’s house in January of 1940.

INERLUDE: BOGEYMAN NO. 1...AND NO. 2

[Above: Karloff in the 1940s, Bela in THE DEVIL BAT (1940), and Columnist Hedda Hopper in 1930. Hedda conducted a “spontaneous” joint interview with the Bogeymen in January of 1940. Credit: Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons.]

“It was a dark and stormy night,” gossip columnist Hedda Hopper writes, knowingly playing off the cliché. “Mist hung over the mountains like a halo in search of a hero. It was the sort of dreary California evening Miami papers boast about in headlines. And it made me think of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi; and when you think of either or both of them, you can’t sleep anyway.”

It’s early in January, 1940. Hopper is about to interview Karloff and Lugosi at Karloff’s “Coldwater Canyon castle” at 2320 Bowmont Drive…

[B]y the time Hopper is climbing the “hilltop...completely surrounded by woods” to Karloff’s castle on this January evening, she’s one of the most feared personages in Hollywood. Everyone knows that it’s far better to have Hedda Hopper in your corner. Some negative words from Double-H can spell doomsday for your livelihood.

Luckily for Karloff and Lugosi, Hedda Hopper likes them both.

As it happens, Hopper’s visit finds both Boris and Bela in the middle of filming BLACK FRIDAY (1940) for director Arthur Lubin (Bela’s old English tutor). A precursor to the brain-switching theme perhaps more famously employed by THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (as we’ll see), Monster Kids know BLACK FRIDAY is a tale of college professor George Kingsley who is the unfortunate victim of a car crash involving Red Cannon, a notorious gangster. Dr. Ernest Sovac, Kingsley’s friend, manages to transplant part of Cannon’s brain into Kingsley, saving the professor’s life...but causing a definite Jekyll-Hyde syndrome.

The production—budgeted at $130,750—is a hassle from the get-go. Karloff is initially slated to play the dual role of Kingsley/Cannon, with Lugosi set for Sovac. But, according to screenwriter Curt Siodmak, Karloff himself puts the kibosh on those plans.

“Karloff didn’t want to play the dual role in BLACK FRIDAY,” Siodmak will assert years later. “He was afraid of it; there was too much acting in it, it was too intricate...Karloff was smart enough to know that he might not come off too well in the role.”

Others—including Richard Gordon—have denied this over the years, but something sets off a last-minute game of musical chairs. When the dust settles, 49-year-old former Broadway song-and-dance man Stanley Ridges has the “intricate” part; Karloff is Sovac; and Bela gets handed Marnay, a thankless gangster role…

[Above: Director Arthur Lubin with actress Mary Pickford in 1943. Lubin helped coach Lugosi in the English language on THE RED POPPY, and also directed Abbott and Costello in their first five starring features, beginning with the mega-successful BUCK PRIVATES (1941). Lubin was directing Bela and Boris in BLACK FRIDAY when Hedda Hopper came to call. Photo Credit: Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons.]

Hopper paints the encounter as being spontaneous, claiming to have called the actors and arranging to meet with them. This means that Bela would have had Lillian drive him the almost nine miles southwest from their house on Whipple Street in North Hollywood to Karloff’s place. [2]

Half-an-hour later, granted entry by Boris, Hopper is pleased to find “Bogeyman No. 1” and “Bogeyman No. 2” sipping sherry and smiling at her.

“The Karloff estate is a showplace,” she notes, “and Boris is proud of it because he planned and did most of the garden with his own hands. There is no wallpaper nor stucco work anywhere within the home; the walls are white brick, plain, solid, substantial looking...Incongruous are the nursery touches trailing through the living room, sun parlor and bar—rattles, dolls, and hobby horses. Karloff’s happiness is centered upon Baby Sara Jane...”

The opening chit-chat centers on the baby’s birth, with Boris having to deny once again that he’d burst into the hospital dressed as Frankenstein’s monster.

“That was just a Hollywood legend,” he says with a smile—though he does admit to being nervous that day.

“I know how it was,” Bela interjects. “I went through hell when our boy was born. It gave me such a scare and I was so nervous I took to smoking cigars.” [3]

“But Bela,” Karloff says, “I thought cigars made you more nervous.”

“Not me,” Bela responds. “I smoke cigars without nicotine. It’s the nicotine that makes you nervous!”

After chiding Bela a bit about his marital history—which is interesting, given that her own ex-husband has by now married and divorced for a sixth time (and also interesting in that the multi-married Karloff doesn’t chime in with anything like, “You know, Dear Hedda, Dorothy is my fifth wife”)—Hopper finds a duck brushing up against her feet.

“Don’t let Abigail get to you,” Karloff laughs. He then mentions that he also has a parrot, a Persian cat, and a Scottish terrier named Whisky. If Lugosi mentions his beloved dogs, Hopper doesn’t note it.

What he does mention is how proud he is of having become an American, something Karloff hasn’t considered.

“This was the land of opportunity for me,” Karloff admits, “but it never occurred to me to take out papers.”

He never will.

Still, both Bogeymen—and need we mention whom Hopper labels as No. 1 and No. 2?—admit to enjoying biographies and Shakespeare as opposed to detective stories. They also ruefully admit that they get a lot of crank mail. And they have shared experiences of being recognized and stopped on the street:

· “Scare me!” they’re asked.

· Or, “I didn’t sleep for weeks after I saw your last picture!”

· Or, “You really are normal, aren’t you?”

Both enjoy the bogeyman pay, though—as Hedda writes—“it’s no cinch to work in heavy makeup for those grotesque characterizations.”

And then, Karloff gets into FRANKENSTEIN.

“Any credit that I got on the make-up in FRANKENSTEIN should go to Jack Pierce, Universal’s ace make-up man,” [4] he explains. “When director Whale saw me in THE CRIMINAL CODE, he thought I might be just the one he wanted for FRANKENSTEIN; but when I auditioned for the part, it was Pierce’s genius and not mine that won.”

Interesting here is Bela’s silence. No complaints about the Monster being a scarecrow. No mention of the makeup or a test reel. No mention of turning down the part. No mention of seeking out Karloff for the role. No mention, in fact, of any involvement with the project on his part whatsoever.

Instead, he tells an oft-repeated anecdote about being profoundly disturbed by a little blood from an infected finger while shooting DRACULA. [5]

“The company was so charming,” Hopper writes, “I didn’t realize it was getting really late—too late for a woman to be alone on the road.”

Promise me, she says to the two actors as she gets ready to go, that if ever a romance takes place between your children, I’ll be given the scoop.

“I can see the headline now,” she writes:

“PREACHER TIES KNOT FOR DRACULA’S DAUGHTER AND SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, or, better still:

“BOGEYMEN GIVE AWAY DRACULA’S DAUGHTER AND THE SON OF FRANKENSTEIN.” [6]

***

Or—I think—better still: WHAT BORIS AND BELA TALKED ABOUT AFTER HEDDA WAS GONE...

Want the rest? Grab your copy of BELA’S MONSTER!! Thank you!!

NOTES

[1] William DeWolf Hopper, Jr. will later play Paul Drake, private investigator, on TV’s PERRY MASON with Raymond Burr.

[2] Hmmm...nine miles. So much for Hollywood being too sprawled out to see Bela, eh Boris?

[3] Bela is spinning tales here; he’d smoked cigars long before Bela George was born.

[4] Many early reviews of FRANKENSTEIN do credit Karloff with the make-up.

[5] Interestingly, not only is the DRACULA “infected finger” story almost word-for-word what Bela tells Hy Gardner in the spring of 1939; so is his detailed marital history, and a story about not being frightened at night until he moved to the U.S. alone. Either Bela has these stories down pat, or Hopper is drawing from Gardner’s work, Readers are invited to compare the two columns and decide for themselves.

[6] Of course, the daughter would be “Frankenstein’s,” and the son would be “Dracula’s,” but tant pis.

SOURCES

“Another DeWolf Hopper Marriage Ends in Failure.” THE EVENING TELEGRAM. January 30, 1924, p. 1. Print.

Fleck, Bill. BELA’S MONSTER. Guilford, CT: Just Pay the Ransom Publishing, 2026. Ebook.

Hopper, Hedda. “Horror Men of Screen Just Pair of Home-Loving Folks After All.” THE LOS ANGELES TIMES. January 14, 1940, p. 45. Print.

“Mrs. Hopper Gets Divorce and Nick’s Comedian’s Wage.” DAILY NEWS. January 30, 1924, p. 4. Print.

“The Gossip Columnists’ Feud Is Ended.” ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. February 7, 1966, p. 36. Print.

Weaver, Tom and Michael and John Brunas. UNIVERSAL HORRORS, 2^nd ed. Jefferson, NC: MacFarland & Company, Inc., 2007. Ebook.

NOTE: The pictures utilized herein have been licensed from Alamy, Inc. or are in the Public Domain. AI colorization licensed through Shutterstock.

[Above: What have we HERE lurking behind the scrolling letters of the trailer for THE WOLF MAN (1941)? Perhaps some shots that didn’t make it into the movie? Find out MORE below…]

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Something GOOD is brewing in LONDON…and it ain’t just tea…

You’ll be AMAZED at some of the NEW INTERVIEWS that will be going into the film. (HINT: One of them MAY be pictured above…)

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ABOVE: Hey, that’s ME being interviewed by THOMAS HAMILTON at MONSTER BASH for VINCENT PRICE & THE ART OF LIVING! Tom is the Rondo-winning fillmaker behind BORIS KARLOFF: THE MAN BEHIND THE MONSTER.

If you caught last month’s entry, you know we broke down the “missing” TALBOT vs. SAMPSON THE BEAR scene in THE WOLF MAN. (If you need to freshen up, you can catch it by clicking HERE.)

So…we have kind of a Classic Horror STEW happening this month.

I’ve got a quick review of Christopher Lock’s book THE WOLF MAN: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE 1941 HORROR CLASSIC.

I’ve got a quick review of Sam Irvin’s CONFESSIONS OF A BRIAN DE PALMA PROTEGE.

I’ve got a quick review of THE THING EXPANDED, a new 5-hour documentary covering John Carpenter’s 1982 classic.

I have some news that THIS GUY will be interested in:

(He looks happier already!!!)

BUT FIRST…

I remember seeing the shot on the LEFT in William K. Everson’s book CLASSICS OF THE HORROR film. “The Wolf Man is wearing SOCKS?” I thought. I didn’t encounter the shot on the RIGHT until a few years later, in some obscure horror film history book that I bought only so I could have the picture. (Remember those days?)

Anyway, I was intrigued when I bought my first Super-8 silent Castle Film’s digest version of the movie:

“Ha!” I thought. “THAT scene’s not even in the film!”

And then, not long ago while watching the original theatrical trailer for THE WOLF MAN, I spotted…er, something rummaging around behind the scrolling sentences. So…I zoomed in (check it out):

Sure enough, that’s our buddy THE WOLF MAN hovering over Richardson’s body…mutilating it further? (Haha!) And HOWLING his triumph…

And it’s a nice long shot that—for whatever reason—didn’t make it into the finished film.

So…between the movie, the publicity shots, and the trailer, here’s my simplistic reconstruction of how the scene could have played out (red lines outlining the Wolf Man’s silhouette are obviously my additions):

Pretty cool, right? Even if he IS wearing socks…

SIDENOTE: Actor Tom Stevenson plays Richardson here, as well as the taller graverobber in FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN.

Tom Burnap Stevenson was born on February 22, 1910 in Pasadena, California. He had a brother named Richard, and was married in 1936 to Jessica Salmon. Around that time, he began his career in films, starting with 1937’s WELLS FARGO, directed by Frank Lloyd (1935’s MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY) and starring Joel McCrae.

By 1950, Tom had wracked up appearances in more the fifty films, mostly in uncredited bits. Some of the better-known titles include John Huston’s ACROSS THE PACIFIC (1942), THE SONG OF BERNADETTE (1943), GASLIGHT (1944), THE MIRACLE OF THE BELLS (1948), and THE BABE RUTH STORY (1948).

[Above: (TOP) Tom Stevenson with Ronald Regan, Joan Perry, Howard Hickman, Cliff Clark, and James Gleason in NINE LIVES ARE NOT ENOUGH (1941). (BOTTOM) Stevenson in 1944’s GASLIGHT.]

Tom died in Santa Barbara on October 30, 2004, at 94. There was no service, but it was requested that donations in his name be made to TAKE THE LEAD, a non-profit organization “dedicated to provid[ing] direct services, support and care for all qualified participants in the sport of dogs who suffer from the devastating realities of life-threatening or terminal illnesses.” (www.takethelead.org)

His remains were handled by Welsh-Ryce-Haider Chapels in Santa Barbara.

“NEW STUFF” REVIEWS

Okay, it’s always cool when new stuff related to Classic Horror hits the marketplace. This month, I’d like to hip you to THREE excellent things:

• THE WOLF MAN: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE 1941 HORROR CLASSIC by Christopher Lock

• CONFESSIONS OF A BRIAN DE PALMA PROTEGE by Sam Irvin

• THE THING EXPANDED documentary, directed by Ian Nathan

Let’s start with the books.

When Christopher Lock says THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE 1941 HORROR CLASSIC, he’s not kidding!

Is anybody else here old enough to remember those Prego commercials? “It’s IN there!”

That phrase kept running through my head while I was reading Christopher Lock’s book.

Lon Jr. bio? It’s in there. Analysis of Siodmak’s various scripts? It’s in there. Details regarding the production? It’s in there.

There’s even a brand-new novelization of the film that treats Larry Talbot far more sympathetically than did ‘Carl Dreadstone’ back in the 1970’s.

Plus, pictures galore…

The two on the left are cleverly captioned: “Not only can lycanthropy shapeshift a human being into an animal, it can select a new wardrobe as well.”

I like that Lock has a sense of humor about such things, and doesn’t let his obvious love for the film blind him to the errors in continuity…which he tackles reasonably but head on.

The 502 pages are packed with such a variety of information—including box office reports, critical reviews, follow-up films and the like (have I mentioned it’s in there?)—that I really can’t telescope everything here. But I would like to point out Lock’s general attention to detail in two specific instances:

The first involves the timeframe of the film. Using a variety of context clues, Lock determines that Larry Talbot died “at the youthful of of 31” on October 9, 1938. He makes a good case that readers will find to be interesting.

Second—Lock argues that the Wolf Man passing out while clamped in the bear trap is a case of thanatosis, defined as an “involuntary, reflexive state of extreme motor inhibition triggered by intense fear or stress when an animal is cornered and cannot escape.” He cites the Wolf Man’s similar reaction while trapped in a jail cell in HOUSE OF DRACULA.

Given that in FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN, the beast rolls around in the snow to dampen his scent (and avoid the Vasarian mob), I’m inclined to trust the Wolf Man’s animal instincts and go with Lock’s explanation.

Oh, and how about the cartoon (above right) that Lock unearthed in his research from the BALTIMORE MORNING SUN (December 15, 1941)? These are the kinds of “Easter Eggs” Lock throws in that even somebody like me—who, without bragging, really knows a LOT about THE WOLF MAN—can appreciate…because in my case, I’d never seen it before.

I’ve read and enjoyed some of Lock’s previous works, particularly JACK PIERCE: HOLLYWOOD’S MAKEUP MASTER, which I’d say is the definitive Pierce biography by a country mile. But I think THE WOLF MAN: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE 1941 HORROR CLASSIC is Lock’s best book yet.

Which brings me to…

CONFESSIONS OF A BRIAN DE PALMA PROTEGE

This book is just INSTANT FUN. And I expected no less from Sam Irvin.

I figured I was in the big chips right away when I opened the package. My brother (fellow Monster Kid Steve Fleck) makes his living in print advertising, and he happened to be around.

“What’s THIS?” he asked as I unwrapped the book.

“It’s a new book by—”

I couldn’t even finish. He’d grabbed the book out of my hand and started rifling through it.

“Oh, it’s about DE PALMA?”

“Yeah, kinda. Sam Irvin—”

“LOOK AT THIS LAYOUT! WOW—this is pretty COOL!”

“Sure, it looks—”

“Check out these PICTURES!”

“Yeah…Uh, can I have it back now?”

Honestly, CONFESSIONS has such a lively look, I’m thinking it busted out of the UPS truck and delivered itself.

But it ain’t just a pretty face.

Much like Lock’s tome on THE WOLF MAN, Sam Irvin has packed a LOT in these 335 coloful pages. HOME MOVIES. DRESSED TO KILL. THE FURY. SCARFACE. I figured I knew more about De Palma than the average bear.

Yeah…no.

And Sam’s directed his own films—ELVIRA’S HAUNTED HILLS. KISS OF A STRANGER. And about 50 more. Monster Kids, you need to read about this stuff.

As long as we’re doing CONFESSIONS, well, I’ll confess that my favorite De Palma film is SISTERS. Still. And I haven’t forgotten THE UNTOUCHABLES (love that Odessa Steps homage, by the way).

I mean, c’mon. Margot Kidder at her smokin’ (most dangerous) hottest. Jennifer Salt—I’ve been in love with her since GARGOYLES. And they had me at Bill Finley. Plus the mood, the camerawork, the suspense…

So it was great to learn the Irvin got into De Palma thanks to SISTERS as well.

And Irvin goes into detail on your favorite “De Palmas” entertainingly for sure. He was there for a ton of it! His style is conversational, but I got a lot of information—the phrase, “I was having so much fun I didn’t realize I was learning anything” comes to mind.

One of my favorite parts of the book is Sam’s tribute to Vincent Price. (I don’t think I’m telling tales out of school if I divulge that Sam’s been interviewed for Tom Hamilton’s upcoming VINCENT PRICE & THE ART OF LIVING documentary.) Price fans are going to be thrilled with his tribute in CONFESSIONS.

I loved reading the background on DRESSED TO KILL as well. I remember the controversy when that one came out—and I thought Johnny Carson was going to fall out of his chair when he interviewed a flirty Angie Dickinson on THE TONIGHT SHOW about her…uh…revealing scenes. There was a TON of screaming going on in The Shadowland Theater in Ellenville, NY that movie played.

Irvin also gets into his friendship with Nancy Allen, that excellent actress who was actually married to De Palma for about five years…and brought so much to the films she acted. (Another crush; I remember yelling at Tim Matheson for hitting on Nancy in Spielberg’s 1941…lucky for me, I was pretty much alone in the theater, or I might have been escorted out.)

In short, Captain Samouflage has really delivered with CONFESSIONS. There’s a reason why he’s won 8 Rondo Awards over the years. If you aren’t familiar with Irvin’s long and storied career—which is far from over—CONFESSIONS OF A BRIAN DE PALMA PROTEGE is a great place to start.

And now…

I saw John Carpenter’s THE THING five times in the theater during the summer of 1982.

Yeah, I was the one. (My brother was there with me.)

I really enjoyed the documentary they did for the DVD release, oh, how many years ago? Well, Bill Lancaster, Charles Hallahan, and T.K. Carter were all still alive. So I really didn’t think this revisit would bring out much more.

But—and I’m finding myself writing this a lot this month—the five-hour THE THING EXPENDED documentary is PACKED with great stuff.

Carpenter’s here. So’s Larry Franco. Richard Masur is back and incredibly candid. Kurt Russell is featured, and exuberantly delivers excellent—and humorous—insights. Keith David is a force of nature. (I didn’t know THE THING was his first film.) David Clennon tells the “You gotta be ******* kidding!” story like nobody else. Thomas G. Waites tells us why his character was rechristened “Windows.”

I just wish that Rob Bottin had sat down for an interview again.

THE THING EXPANDED is a crowd-funded project. (Not gonna lie—I contributed.) Along the way, a number of interesting topics come up:

• Whose shadow is on the wall when the Thing—in dog form—enters that first bedroom?

• Who got to the blood?

• If you’re the Thing, do you know you’re the Thing?

• When did Blair become the Thing? (And why did Wilford Brimley have to shave off his trademark mustache?)

• Who planted MacCready’s “busted through” undergarments in the trash?

• Who—if anyone—was the Thing at the End…Childs? Or MacCready?

Carpenter in particular—with nothing to lose now—is extremely entertaining. I love his take on E.T.—THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL:

If you’re like me, THE THING EXPANDED is…well, the THING to have! The five hours flies by like you’re in The Twilight Zone.

Last, but not least…

LOOK what will be available on JULY 10….

I’m really psyched! Ebook, softcover, and hardcover editions will be happening. Keep your eyes right here for more about BELA’S MONSTER.

SOURCES

“Death Notices: Stevenson, Tom.” SANTA BARBARA NEWS-PRESS. November 3, 2004. p. 14. Print.

Irvin, Sam. CONFESSIONS OF A BRIAN DE PALMA PROTEGE. Knuckle Samwitch Books, 2025. Print.

Lock, Christopher. THE WOLF MAN: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE 1941 HORROR CLASSIC. CenterLine Publishing & Consulting LLC, 2026. Print.

Nathan, Ian (director). THE THING EXPANDED. CreatorVC Studios, Inc,. 2026. Video.

Stevenson, Tom. IMDB.com. Accessed June 29, 2026. Web.

Stevenson, Tom Burnap. MY HERITAGE FAMILY TREES. Accessed June 26, 2026. Web.

Note: The pictures and videos herein are utilized for educational purposes only; I do not own the copyrights, nor do I profit from this website.

By Bill Fleck, author of the Rondo Honorably-Mentioned CHANEY’S AUDITION and the Rondo-nominated CHANEY’S BABY.

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[Above: Some exciting new interviews are happening, which will push the final release of VINCENT PRICE & THE ART OF LIVING back to the early fall…but it will be WORTH THE WAIT! Click HERE to see how YOU can help get these important documentaries made. Thank you!]

[Above: I was interviewed by Two-Time Rondo Award-winning filmmaker THOMAS HAMILTON for VINCENT PRICE & THE ART OF LIVING at MONSTER BASH. This year’s MONSTER BASH is happening JUNE 12-14, 2026 at the Pittsburgh Marriott North: 724-772-3700!]

JEFF BRIDGES: A RELUCTANT STAR—a documentary from ZETA PRODUCTIONS—is out in France, and should stream in the U.S. this coming fall. On the basis of my book NOT THE DUDE: JEFF BRIDGES AND THE SEARCH FOR SELF (Part 1), I was interviewed extensively. Follow the link below for a YouTube clip.

[Click HERE to see my interview clip from JEFF BRIDGES: A RELUCTANT STAR.]

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To catch earlier entries of this blog, please click HERE.

[Above: Larry Talbot seems reasonably happy at the carnival in honor of Bela the Gypsy’s accidental death. But when Lon Chaney, Jr. saw the bear he was expected to fight later in the scene, that smile faded.]

Lon Chaney, Jr. is not happy.

He senses that there’s a problem with Sampson the bear.

Yes, a bear.

Chaney’s shooting what will be THE WOLF MAN for director George Waggner at Universal Studios in the fall of 1941. He and Waggner already have MAN MADE MONSTER under their collective belt, which has hauled in a half-million bucks against a budget of roughly $85,000. Figuring the standard expenditure on promotion and the split with theaters, Universal’s bagged about $165,000 on the film—worth a bit less than $3.7 million at this writing. Not spectacular, but not bad.

Before MAN MADE MONSTER is even finished editing, Universal has sewn up both Chaney and Waggner with contracts.

But the studio isn’t sure what to do with Lon. Trying to capitalize on his dumb-guy persona—thanks to OF MICE AND MEN (1939)—they’ve put him in some comedies. They’ve also loaned him to MGM for BILLY THE KID.

And then, one day, Waggner has news. He’s got a project he says will make Chaney a star: a werewolf picture he calls DESTINY.

Curt Siodmak writes it up. Waggner wants changes. Lon goes off to shoot NORTH TO THE KLONDIKE with Brod Crawford, Andy Devine, and Evelyn Ankers for producer Paul Malvern and director Erle C. Kenton. It’s there that the enmity between Evie and Lon begins. (To read all about that, check out my article ANKERS VS. CHANEY.)

Then it’s back to Universal City to face DESTINY.

“In THE WOLF MAN,” Richard G. Hubler will write for THE SATURDAY EVENING POST, “Waggner had a scene which everyone thought superb. Chaney, disintegrating, would be watching a tame bear at a gypsy camp, gradually grow more bestial and finally rush in to wrestle the bear. The scene was to end with the bear running away and cowering under a wagon.”

[Above: Screenwriter Curt Siodmak, who was always proud of his ability to “construct a story out of the blue sky.” His script for THE WOLF MAN has become a classic.]

The scene as written for THE WOLF MAN in Siodmak’s script, dated October 9, 1941.

SHOTS 143 TO 168

GWEN

Look…A bear!

The men turn and look. Gwen pulls Frank out of the scene, Larry following.

EXT. - MARKET SQUARE - A GYPSY WITH A BEAR - MED. CLOSE

The gypsy holds the bear on a chain, fastened to the animal’s nose. The gypsy makes the bear stand up and bow.

EXT. - MARKET SQUARE - THE CROWD - MED. CLOSE

watching the gypsy and the bear, amused, interested.

EXT. - MARKET SQUARE - GYPSY AND BEAR - MED. CLOSE

After putting the bear through some little tricks, the gypsy turns toward the crowd and announces a contest:

GYPSY

Who will dare to wrestle with the bear? A florin reward for anyone who can throw him!

EXT. - MARKET SQUARE - THE CROWD, THE GYPSY AND BEAR - FULL

The crowd is surprised and thrilled at the thought of wrestling with the bear; but nobody stirs to take up the challenge.

Larry, Gwen and Frank enter the scene. The gypsy is making the bear throw kisses to the public, while the gypsy shouts:

GYPSY

Such a gentle animal—nothing to be afraid of! A florin to any man, young or old, weak or strong, who can throw the bear!

EXT. - SQUARE - ANOTHER ANGLE - SHOWING LARRY, GWEN & FRANK IN F.G., GYPSY AND BEAR AT EDGE OF CROWD IN B.G.

While the gypsy displays the bear to the interested crowd, Larry forces himself to forget his fright over the wolf and enter into the spirit of the festivities. He turns to Frank and says:

LARRY

Show us what you can do without your gun!

FRANK

Not very much, I’m afraid—but what about you?

The look at each other in friendly rivalry. The gypsy approaches Gwen and says:

GYPSY

I bet you a florin, lady, neither of your brave gentlemen will dare to fight the bear!

Gwen does not take him seriously—just smiles politely and shakes her head. But Larry looks at the bear.

[Above: Publicity shot from THE WOLF MAN with Claude Rains, Ralph Bellamy, Sampson (the bear), Kurt Katch, Chaney, Ankers, and Patric Knowles. Sampson was brought out of hibernation to shoot the scene, apparently standard practice for him. But he didn’t like it.]

EXT. - SQUARE - THE BEAR - CLOSE

The bear bows toward Larry.

EXT. - SQUARE - THE GROUP - SAME AS 148 - MED. CLOSE

Larry suddenly drops his stick, and jerks off his coat—but before it can fall to the ground, Frank catches it. Larry steps forward, a wild expression in his eyes.

LARRY

I’ll take that bet!

Frank and Gwen are surprised.

EXT. - SQUARE - FULL SHOT - A GYPSY AND BEAR IN F.G. WITH LARRY, GWEN AND FRANK - CROWD IN B.G.

The crowd, surprised, thrilled, makes way for our three main characters as they push toward the cleared center. Gwen tries to dissuade Larry from fighting the bear, but he disregards her. Frank looks amused. The gypsy is pleased to have found a challenger. He says:

GYPSY

Ha! A brave man steps forth to match his strength and skill with the wrestling bear!

The crowd murmers excitedly. Frank, holding Larry’s coat, and Gwen, watch as Larry steps into the cleared circle with the gypsy and the bear. Gwen suddenly calls out:

GWEN

Larry—don’t! You’ll get hurt!

Frank looks at her, jealous again, but she does not notice. Larry has not heard her. The gypsy silences the crowd and speaks:

GYPSY

Now—all who love good sport—throw out a bit of silver to buy the bear some honey…!

CUT TO:

EXT. - SQUARE - CLOSE ON FRANK AND GWEN

Frank is concerned because Gwen looks so anxious about Larry’s safety. OVER COMES THE MURMER OF THE CROWD AND THE GYPSY wheedling coins out of them.

GYPSY’S VOICE (O.S.)

Money for honey, money for honey, just a little money will buy the bear some honey!

[Above: “Hold my beer—er, CANE!” Larry passes Frank his cane to hold while he goes off to wrestle the bear in this lobby card from THE WOLF MAN.]

CUT TO:

EXT. - SQUARE - CLOSE ON LARRY

looking at the bear. He looks strange, tense, as if he were beginning to go into a trance.

OVER COMES THE NOISE OF THE CROWD AND THE GYPSY.

CUT TO:

EXT. - SQUARE - GYPSY AND EDGE OF CROWD - MED. CLOSE

Coins being tossed toward the gypsy from the spectators. He picks up a few with a broad smile. The crowd is roaring for action.

CROWD (ad lib)

Let him earn his honey…! Never mind the money—let’s get on with the fight! Ten to one on the bear! (Etc., etc.)

The gypsy hurries toward Larry and the bear.

[Above: Richard G. Hubler article for the SATURDAY EVENING POST (May 23, 1942) mentioning how the bear fight scene in THE WOLF MAN went awry. “The scene finally ended with Chaney running and hiding under the wagon,” he wrote.]

EXT. - SQUARE - LARRY, THE GYPSY AND BEAR IN F.G. - CROWD IN B.G. - GWEN AND FRANK IN FRONT OF CROWD

The trained animal turns and looks at Larry, the suddenly withdraws backwards, slowly, as if in fear. The gypsy, amazed, tries to prod the bear forward toward Larry, who steps up to it, fists clenched like a boxer.

LARRY (beginning to look cruel)

Come on, you brown beggar!

He dances lightly around the bear, taunting it. The crowd murmers in surprise and disappointment at the unwilling bear. Gwen and Frank exchange looks.

CUT TO:

EXT. - SQUARE - CLOSE ON GWEN AND FRANK

Frank says scornfully:

FRANK

Why, the bear’s so old, there’s no life left in him!

But Gwen isn’t so sure…She shakes her head doubtfully.

CUT TO:

EXT. - SQUARE - BACK TO LARRY AND CROWD

The crowd is murmering angrily as the bear continues to disappoint them by trying to draw back fro Larry who continues to tease it. The gypsy, embarrassed, gets hold of the chain and yanks the bear forcibly toward Larry. And the animal, reluctantly following the chain which hurts his nose, suddenly stands on his hind legs and in desperation tries to grab hold of Larry. Larry quickly side-steps and hits the bear—who finds himself embracing the empty air.

EXT. - SQUARE - FLASH - THE CROWD

as it howls in delight. Gwen grabs Frank’s arm in tension and fear.

EXT. - SQUARE - BACK TO LARRY AND BEAR

The bear, furious now, turns and tries to attack Larry who, side-stepping again, hits him hard on the head. The bear turns away for a moment, hurt.

EXT. - SQUARE - CLOSE - LARRY’S FACE

His expression becomes ferocious, his teeth bared in a cruel grin, his eyes wild with the lust to kill. He looks more like an animal than a man.

EXT. - SQUARE - BACK TO LARRY AND BEAR - MED. CLOSE

Larry rushes at the bear in a furious attack, hitting him, stepping back light-footedly, then charging in again. The bear, too plump to move fast, and seeming to be strangely frightened too, tries to defend himself, clumsily, growlingly…

This is a one-sided battle, and the crowd senses there’s something unnatural about it. The people are quiet, tense…

The bear is never able to reach Larry, who, always faster and more elusive, hits the animal with powerful blows…The helpless beast finally stops defending himself—and a last walloping blow topples him over. Larry rushes in to hit him again.

(Inter-cut above scene with close shots of Larry, the bear, the crowd, Gwen and Frank, and the gypsy, who is afraid for his animal.)

[Above: Earl Metzen (real name: Earl Rae Steinmetz) doubles for Chaney in the fight scene. Chaney—who normally griped about being swapped out for stunt men—was happy to let Metzen take over in this instance.]

EXT. - SQUARE - CLOSE TWO SHOT - GWEN AND FRANK IN FRONT OF CROWD

Frank watches Gwen, who is biting her fist to keep from crying out in her excitement and strain. She is appalled at the way Larry looks and acts—but she never takes her eyes off him. Frank’s face shows his jealousy and bitterness. Gwen suddenly can’t stand the strain any longer. She cries out:

GWEN

Larry…!

EXT. - SQUARE - MED. CLOSE - GWEN, FRANK & THE CROWD

Before Frank can hold her back, Gwen dashes forward, while the crowd howls with excitement.

EXT. - SQUARE - MED. CLOSE - THE BEAR AND LARRY & GWEN

The bear is sitting helplessly on the ground, and Larry is bending over him, looking as if he’s ready to finish him off—but Gwen rushes in between Larry and the animal, to stop the fight.

EXT. - SQUARE - CLOSE - LARRY AND GWEN

His fists ready to strike out, Larry stares at Gwen, glassy-eyed, as if about to hit her, too.

GWEN (in despair)

Larry!

He stops, petrified.

EXT. - SQUARE - FULL SHOT - CROWD IN B.G.

The crowd, scared now, is suddenly silent. Larry, seeming to come back himself, drops his arms, and suddenly pale and weak, whispers:

LARRY

I’m sorry…

The gypsy rushes in to take the bear away, while Larry turns, walking back with Gwen to Frank. The crowd silently steps back and slowly disappears, as if in fright.

EXT. - SQUARE - MED. CLOSE - LARRY, GWEN AND FRANK

Larry and Gwen reach Frank. Gwen takes Larry’s coat and picks up his stick, which he had dropped. Larry tries to recover his self-possession. He says apologetically, ashamed:

LARRY (slightly dazed)

I don’t know what came over me. I hope I didn’t hurt that poor thing!

and with a wan smile to Gwen:

LARRY (cont’d)

You saved his life…

Gwen looks at him, puzzled. But Frank does not see anything unnatural in Larry’s behavior. In a sudden fit of envy and jealousy, Frank says:

FRANK (sarcastically)

I don’t think he was in that much danger, old man!

and to Gwen:

FRANK (cont’d)

Fun’s over, Gwen…let’s go.

But Larry looks only at Gwen and says softly:

LARRY (to Gwen)

Thank you…

Before Gwen can answer, Frank takes her arm and pulls her around.

FRANK (rudely)

Come on…

GWEN (submissively, her thoughts far away)

Yes, Frank…

Then, realizing the situation, she nods sadly to Larry and walks off with Frank.

EXT. - SQUARE - CLOSE - LARRY

He looks after Gwen and Frank, sadly, wearily. He passes his hand over his forehead, upset by all the turmoil of the day’s emotions. Then, taking a firm hold on his walking-stick, he starts off in the opposite direction to that taken by Gwen and Frank.

[Above: Chaney’s credit in THE WOLF MAN trailer is a shot from the excised bear scene. The trailer also contains a shot not seen in the film depicting the Wolf Man’s murder of Richardson, the Grave Digger. But that’s a story for another day.]

According to Evelyn Ankers, the bear Larry Talbot is set to fight at the Gypsy carnival is 600 pounds, old, and stinks to high Heaven. Though the presence of John Mars—the bear’s trainer—is meant to be reassuring, Chaney smells a rat.

Now…Chaney is no coward. He’s strong. He gripes when he can’t do his own stunts. And he has no problem going toe-to-toe with his buddy Broderick Crawford. Their “shin-kicking” contests—where they kick each other with cowboy boots on until one calls “Uncle” (the loser buys the drinks)—are legendary.

Still, Chaney—an animal lover, but also a hunter and fisherman—gets a bad feeling around this bear. His honed instincts scream that there’s something ‘off’ about Sampson…

“He wouldn’t get within 20 feet of the old bear while it was on the set,” Ankers says.

Then, Sampson himself isn’t overly cooperative during the two-day shoot. To begin with, he’s been roused from hibernation at the zoo to do the scene. So, his system is a bit off-kilter from the get-go.

True, he has a supervisor from the ASPCA ensuring that he’s properly fed and gets a nap in the afternoon. And he’s likely been trained to wrestle humans in the traditional way—by engaging his instinct for play as a cub and rewarding him with honey and praise.

But he might have also been subjected to some of the crueler methods as well, including muzzling, declawing, and having his sharp teeth removed—all practices that have been outlawed today. And—like the bear in Siodmak’s script—he might also be dealing with a ring through his nose in an attempt to ensure pain compliance.

[Above: This is what I imagined years ago when my father—Jack Fleck—told me that there had been a scene cut from THE WOLF MAN where he fought a bear. I never dreamed it would be Larry in HUMAN form.]

Whatever the case may be, Sampson is clearly not happy with the variety of ropes and wires he’s harnessed with in an attempt to guide him under the wagon for the scene. And the wrestling action—against Earl Metzen, Chaney’s double—doesn’t improve his mood.

For his part, Metzen is cool with the gig. An aspiring actor, he’s been working in films for roughly five years. He and Chaney become friends.

As such, the husky 26-year-old—born Earl Rae Steinmetz in Eugene, Oregon on July 17, 1915—will not only wrestle Sampson for Chaney in the long shots on THE WOLF MAN; he’ll serve as Chaney’s stand-in on THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN as well. [1]

This is all well-and-good for Universal; as noted, Chaney is known for wanting to do his own stunts, which can be dangerous. Having Metzen do battle with the bear makes a lot of sense. Chaney is so grateful that he gifts Metzen with seven-hundred turkeys (you read that right) from his poultry farm, which Harrison Carroll dubs the “biggest bonus ever received by a Hollywood stand-in.”

[Above: My sarcastic mash-up captures the gist of Lon Chaney, Jr.’s feelings about doing scenes with Sampson the bear. As things turned out, LCJ’s instincts were spot on.]

But there are scenes leading up to that battle that need to feature the actual leads.

The premise (as we’ve seen in the script): Talbot, Gwen, and Frank are wandering through the crowded carnival when Gwen spots a Gypsy—played by Kurt Katch—with a bear on a chain.

“Later, Lon was to wrestle the bear when the werewolf personality began to overcome his human side,” Ankers explains.

When Ankers passes by, Sampson apparently sees something he likes…

Suddenly, the cast breaks character. The crew drops their equipment. In a split second, chaos erupts—seemingly everyone is running.

Chaney glances behind him. He grabs Ankers by the arm and starts to run as well.

Ankers is completely confused. She’s sick of Lon’s practical jokes as it is. He’s fond of jumping out at her in his full Wolf Man regalia, and is not above goosing her. Now he’s got a hold on her arm.

Is Chaney pulling another one of his stupid jokes?

Evie breaks free of his grip. Lon keeps running anyway.

And then Ankers turns…

“I am greeted by this great beast,” she recalls, “standing on his hind legs, almost seven feet tall!”

Sampson doesn’t seem so old now…

Evie bolts as well. But the bear keeps coming, dragging trainer Mars behind him.

In an adrenaline-fueled panic, Ankers virtually flies up a ladder. A sympathetic electrician pulls her onto a lighting scaffold while grips blind Sampson with floodlights. Mars manages to recover and finally gets control of the animal.

“Getting down those wooden scaffolds was a lot harder than it was going up them,” Ankers notes.

As for Lon?

“The scene finally ended with Chaney running and hiding under the wagon,” Hubler cracks.

Later, when Talbot fights the bear, Metzen does the rough stuff as planned, while Chaney—no doubt extra-grateful now, given Sampson’s rampage—appears only in close-ups. [2]

With the scene wrapped, Waggner orders the set cleared. But according to Hedda Hopper, Sampson isn’t having it.

“Sampson just sat in front of the camera and refused to budge,” she writes.

What—if anything—can be done about this?

Mars coolly turns to the still photographer.

“Take his picture,” he instructs.

“Camera clicked,” Hopper says, “and Sampson got up and walked off the stage. How’s that for a ham?”

[Above: John Mars with Sampson from THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, January 5, 1936. Apparently, rousing Sampson from hibernation was standard practice…though it made him “ill-humored.”]

As is the case with many legendary “missing” scenes from Classic Horror films, the fight with the bear in THE WOLF MAN has stirred up its fair share of controversy.

I first heard about it from Jack Fleck, my father, who claimed to have seen it in the theater. He was 12 when THE WOLF MAN came out. But the way he described the scene to me, I got the impression that Chaney was in werewolf form when it happened.

And then, Calvin Thomas Beck’s HEROES OF THE HORRORS threw gas on the flames.

“A strange and unfortunate occurence later developed,” Beck wrote, “an original scene in THE WOLF MAN, showing Chaney wrestling with a six-hundred pound bear, somehow myseteriously vanished when the film became available for TV and has never again been seen.”

That certainly seemed definitive to 13-year-old me. But wait…

“However, this claim has never been proven,” Christopher Lock points out in THE WOLF MAN: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE 1941 HORROR CLASSIC, “nor did it make sense.”

[Above: The shooting gallery scene replaced the fight with the bear in the finished film. As Christopher Lock points out, the scene as a whole is more realistic…and it certainly reinforces Larry’s torment, keeping him sympathetic.]

Lock goes on to (correctly) note that the scene in the shooting gallery—when Larry is unable to hit the target shaped like a wolf—is not in Siodmak’s script…and was in fact added at the last minute when it was decided that the bear scene wouldn’t work.

“[T]he wolf target emotionally upsetting Larry seems a more realistic approach,” Lock writes, “even though it was improvised and required another day to film.”

Of course, when THE WOLF MAN was first being prepared for video, a search for the bear scene took place…but yielded nothing.

Which, of course, brings up the question…

WHY was the bear scene left out?

The most frequently cited explanation is that, in beating up a bear, the audience would lose sympathy for Larry Talbot. [3] And, given Siodmak’s depiction in the script, there’s certainly merit in that thought:

• LARRY (beginning to look cruel): Come on, you brown beggar!

• CLOSE - LARRY’S FACE - His expression becomes ferocious, his teeth bared in a cruel grin, his eyes wild with the lust to kill. He looks more like an animal than a man.

• This is a one-sided battle, and the crowd senses there’s something unnatural about it. The people are quiet, tense…The bear is never able to reach Larry, who, always faster and more elusive, hits the animal with powerful blows…The helpless beast finally stops defending himself—and a last walloping blow topples him over. Larry rushes in to hit him again.

• CLOSE - LARRY AND GWEN - His fists ready to strike out, Larry stares at Gwen, glassy-eyed, as if about to hit her, too.

Killing in werewolf form is one thing; harming an innocent creature while looking like you’re possessed by a demon is another.

My own personal view?

I’m just speculating here…but I don’t think the finished scene would have been that realistic anyway. True, I probably shouldn’t judge an entire missing scene based upon one still. But Earl Metzen looks a whole lot pudgier in that shot than Lon. I don’t believe an audience would have been convinced that he was the same man.

Plus, we know Sampson wasn’t overly cooperative…

That said, if the footage ever turns up, I’d sure be interested in seeing it.

Oh, speaking of unused scenes in THE WOLF MAN…

What do you think of THIS (below) from the trailer?

Stick around…we’ll deal with it shortly.

NOTES

[1] Sadly, Steinmetz will have his neck broken while playing an air warden in SHERLOCK HOLMES SAVES LONDON, released as SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE VOICE OF TERROR (1942). In a freak accident, the wingtip of an airplane catches him in the head, killing him. He was only 26. Steinmetz is interred at Forest Lawn in Glendale, California.

[2] These are likely done with prop bear “parts,” a la the werewolf prop head used when Chaney is bitten by Bela.

[3] And if you REALLY want to hate Larry, read the scene as depicted by Carl Dreadstone in that 1970’s novelization of THE WOLF MAN.

SOURCES

Beck, Calvin Thomas. HEROES OF THE HORRORS. New York: Collier Books, 1975. Print.

“Earl Rae Steinmetz.” FIND A GRAVE. www.findagrave.com. Accessed May 30, 2026. Web.

Fleck, Bill. CHANEY’S AUDITION. Wurtsboro, NY: Just Pay the Ransom Publishing, 2024. Print.

Fleck, Bill. CHANEY’S BABY. Wurtsboro, NY: Just Pay the Ransom Publishing, 2021. Print.

Lock, Christopher. THE WOLF MAN: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE 1941 HORROR CLASSIC. Centerline Publishing and Consulting LLC, 2026. Print.

Riley, Philip J., ed. THE WOLF MAN (UNIVERSAL FILMSCRIPT SERIES, VOL. 12). Absecon, NJ: MagicImage Filmbooks, 1993. Ebook.

Note: The pictures herein are utilized for educational purposes only. I don not own the copyrights, nor do I make any money on this website.

Thanks for supporting this website!

Once again, we scored an HONORABLE MENTION in The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. That’s TWO YEARS in a row. Pretty cool. With any luck, I’ll get a nod for this year too, and maybe take home the statue this time!

Check out previous entries HERE.

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A lot is going to happen in the remainder of 2026.

For example, next month, we’ll look at a scene or two that didn’t make it into the final cut of THE WOLF MAN.

My next book, BELA’S MONSTER, is getting close to being done—it examines Lugosi’s “relationship” with Frankenstein’s creation, particularly as related to FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN. (This means I get to write about LCJ again, too—always a win for me.) I’m working on the closing chapters now.

VINCENT PRICE & THE ART OF LIVING by two-time Rondo Winner THOMAS HAMILTON at VOLTAGE FILMS is shaping up nicely. As one of the producers, I’ve seen some edited sequences he’s worked up with JENNY METTEE, and MAN! Are Monster Kids gonna LOVE this when it comes out this year! (See info below.)

[Get involved! Click HERE. Thank you!]

My upcoming book editing projects include works by the prolific JOE OVERBAY. He’s about done with an offshoot of his last novel, THE NIGHT OF THE DEMON. Let’s just say Sargoth is back in relentless action…

And following his recent Rondo win for DRACULA NEVER DIES, VOL 2, I know CHRISTOPHER R. GAUTHIER is getting ready to put bloody pen to parchment for VOL 3…which promises to be a masterpiece.

On the evaluation front, I’ll be diving into CHRISTOPHER LOCK’S new book on the making of THE WOLF MAN and doing a video review here. Upon first examination, this 500-pager seems like a must-read.

I’ll do the same with SAM IRVIN’S new book CONFESSIONS OF A BRIAN DE PALMA PROTEGE, which—so far—is an amazingly entertaining, informative read…incredibly colorful with a spectacular layout and compelling stories.

Meanwhile, the documentary JEFF BRIDGES: A RELUCTANT STAR is still making the rounds on European TV. Streaming in the U.S. should start in the fall. Click HERE for a clip from my interview on YouTube.

All pretty cool for a Monster Kid in the last third of his life…unless Dr. Mannering just HAS to see me at my full power…

Thank you again for sticking around. See you RIGHT HERE.

Note: The pictures herein are utilized for educational purposes only. I don’t own the copyrights, nor do I make any money in this website.

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[Click HERE to learn how you can be involved in the making of THOMAS HAMILTON’S HORROR ICONS Series! Thank you!]

[Above: A clip from my interview in VOLTAGE FILMS’ upcoming VINCENT PRICE & THE ART OF LIVING, shot at MONSTER BASH in Cranberry, Pennsylvania in July of 2024.]

To see previous entries of this RONDO HONORABLY-MENTIONED BLOG, click HERE.

To read PART 1 of CLASSIC HORROR MYTHS, click HERE.

HEY! I’m interviewed in the documentary JEFF BRIDGES: A RELUCTANT STAR from Zeta Productions in Paris, France! It’s airing on French TV. Click HERE for a clip on YouTube!

Once more we venture like Professor Challenger into the internet breach to examine claims made by folks on popular Classic Horror websites…

As we saw in Part 1, there are many EXCELLENT stories out there about Classic Horror films and the people who made them…some of them true, some of them that SHOULD BE true (but aren’t), and some that are just plain ol’ WRONG. 😎

So, okay…

Did Bela Lugosi say, “I never drink…wine” in DRACULA (1931)?

Of course he did.

Is there actually NO shot of—nor any MENTION of—the full moon in THE WOLF MAN (1941)?

Yes, that’s true. (But the AUTUMN moon is bright.)

Was Fay Wray told by Merian C. Cooper that she would have “the tallest, darkest leading man in Hollywood” when cast for KING KONG (1933)?

Yup—and, depending on the day, she said she thought it would be either Clark Gable or her friend Cary Grant.

[Above: Clark Gable may have been “The King of Hollywood,” but this is ridiculous! However, Fay Wray thought of Gable and/or of her friend Cary Grant when Merian C. Cooper told her that she’d have “the tallest, darkest leading man in Hollywood” opposite her in her next picture.]

(Oh, and how’s THIS for a bit of trivia? Cary Grant served as Best Man for screenwriter John Monk Saunders—Fay Wray’s first husband—at their wedding. Susan Cary (Saunders) Riskin, John and Fay’s daughter, was given her middle name in Grant’s honor. No kidding!)

Now…

Did Universal executives think that Bela Lugosi was DEAD when casting HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944) and/or HOUSE OF DRACULA (1945)?

Well…

[Above: EXHIBIT A, entered for your consideration in the case INTERNET RUMORS vs. ACTUAL CLASSIC HORROR HAPPENINGS. Please refrain from reading any books by TOM WEAVER while the evidence is presented.]

The short answer is NO, as the variety of sources cited in EXHIBIT A (above) bear out.

However, there are other reasons put forth on the internet as to why Bela wasn’t cast, including the idea that Lugosi’s performance as the Monster in FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN (1943) was SO bad that Universal decided against ever using him again.

Well, maybe…but probably not.

According to producer Paul Malvern, there was actually a SCHEDULING conflict with Bela for HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. (See Malvern’s statement reproduced in EXHIBIT A.) And, indeed, when cameras began to roll on the film, Bela was in New Jersey playing Jonathan Brewster in ARSENIC AND OLD LACE on stage.

[Above: Bela Lugosi as Jonathan Brewster in ARSENIC AND OLD LACE. His commitment to the play made him unavailable for HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN.)

Now…Malvern goes on to say that Bela also harbored resentment toward Universal and the Laemmles regarding DRACULA’S DAUGHTER (1936). But this doesn’t seem to be accurate. Reliable sources report that Bela was supposedly paid $4000 for his time on the film—worth almost $95,000 at this writing—even though he didn’t appear. [1] And he was put under contract by the studio (which was no longer run by the Laemmles) following SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939).

As to HOUSE OF DRACULA?

When the project was first announced as WOLF MAN VERSUS DRACULA in April of 1944, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES explicitly mentioned Lugosi’s name:

By the time the film morphed into HOUSE OF DRACULA (1945), columnist Edward Schallert announced that Bela was “enlisted” (see EXHIBIT A), though he obviously didn’t do the film…a situation Malvern again blamed on a conflict in scheduling.

What about the idea that Universal thought Bela was dead when casting THE BRAIN OF FRANKENSTEIN…which, of course, later became ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948)?

No cigar on this one, either. As Arthur Lennig pointed out in THE IMMORTAL COUNT:

“Studio records show that Lugosi had been penciled in for the part when the project first came under development in 1947…” (Lennig, p. 358).

Still, as long as we’re doing all of this “Dead Bela” talk…

Were Peter Lorre, Vincent Price, and/or Boris Karloff cracking jokes at Bela Lugosi’s funeral? And did Frank Sinatra pay for it?

Picture the scene…

Saturday, August 18, 1956. 2:30 PM. It’s a sunny day with a high of 82.

Bela Lugosi’s body is lying in state at the Strother Chapel in the Utter McKinley Hollywood Mortuary on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. He’s been dead for two days.

Present at the service? Hope Lugosi, the actor’s fifth wife and widow. Lillian Lugosi, Lugosi’s fourth wife and the mother of their son, Bela George, 18, who is also in attendance. So are film directors Zoltan Korda, Steve Sekely, Edward D. Wood, Jr., and Scotty Beale.

Also present? Art director Robert Boyle. Wood’s wife Kathy and ex-wife Norma McCarty. Film producer George Weiss. Magazine editor Forest J Ackerman. Actors Tor Johnson, Carroll Borland, Paul Marco, Conrad Brooks, Dudley Manlove, and Loretta King. And Don Marlowe, Bela’s former agent.

The mourners are respectfully chatting in low voices. Sharing memories. Praising singer Frank Sinatra who—though not in attendance—has allegedly paid for this ceremony. Teenager David Katzman, a fan and acquaintance of Bela’s, snaps candid photos. Those present are trying to come to grips with the death of a legend—a legend they all knew so well…

And then—suddenly—a complete hush falls across the room.

Two distinct entities are slowly making their way to Bela’s casket.

One is short—maybe five-three?—and getting plump, with distinctively heavy-lidded yet bulbous brown eyes. An ever-present cigarette slants across his puffy chin.

The other is the exact opposite—an angular, blue-eyed, brown-haired giant more than a foot taller, dressed sharply and radiating class.

“Hey!” someone whispers. “It’s Lorre and Price!”

Yes, acting legends Peter Lorre and Vincent Price. Lorre of MAD LOVE. THE MALTESE FALCON. CASABLANCA. THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS. Price of THE INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS. LAURA. THE SONG OF BERNADETTE. HOUSE OF WAX.

Together, they lean over the casket. They take in the sad yet bizarre scene.

Bizarre because the body is dressed in a tux and cape. Around the neck is a medallion.

Bela Lugosi is being buried in his Dracula wardrobe. Exactly as he’s supposedly stipulated in his Last Will and Testament.

There is a pause. Lorre glances up at Price, his eyebrows slightly raised. He doesn’t intend for everyone to hear what he’s about to say, but his unique voice carries…

“Gee,” he muses. “Do you think we should drive a stake through his heart just to make sure?”

It’s a wonderful story that falls under the category of THIS SHOULD BE TRUE. But it’s not.

Nor is the alternate take wherein Boris Karloff comes in, leans over the casket, and says with his famous, pronounced lisp:

“Bela…you’re not fooling anyone, you know.”

Because Boris wasn’t at Lugosi’s funeral. Neither was Price. Nor Lorre.

Nor, for that matter, were Edward Van Sloan, Lon Chaney, Jr., Basil Rathbone, John Carradine, David Manners, or Carl Laemmle, Jr.

The funeral guest book—combined with Ackerman’s determination to catalog exactly who came out to pay respects—wipes these wonderful stories away.

Also not true:

Frank Sinatra paid for the funeral.

While Ol’ Blue Eyes was indeed a Bela fan, the funeral bill was split between Lillian (ceremony) and Hope (casket). Frank DID send Bela a friendly note and a basket of gourmet eats while Lugosi was in rehab, however.

“It was a wonderful surprise,” Bela said. “I’ve never met Sinatra, but I hope to soon. He was the only star I heard from.”

Lugosi stipulated in his Last Will and Testament that he was to be buried in his Dracula cape.

Hope told the press at the time that the clothes were Bela’s “wish.” They weren’t. According to Bela George in David J. Skal’s documentary THE ROAD TO DRACULA (1999; see below), he and his mom made the decision. They thought Bela might have liked the idea. There was nothing at all in Lugosi’s will relating to how he was to be dressed.

[Above: Bela G. Lugosi (AKA Bela Lugosi, Jr.) remembers how he and his mom decided to have Bela buried in a Dracula cape. From THE ROAD TO DRACULA (1999), written, produced, and directed by David J. Skal.]

As it happens, we’ll be getting back to Bela again in what follows below. BUT…for a change of pace…

Did a preview audience REALLY SEE the famed spider pit scene from KING KONG (1933)?

[Above: Merian C. Cooper surrounded by planning elements (drawings, models, miniature sets) for the famed SPIDER PIT SCENE. Some tests were done by Willis O’Brien (right) and his team. But did the scene make it all the way into previews attended by theatrical audiences?]

I remember reading about it in the Ballentine paperback edition of THE MAKING OF KING KONG by George Turner and Orville Goldner.

Kong has Ann Darrow stowed at the top of a tree. He’s shaking the men pursuing him off a tree trunk bridging a vast ravine “like they were flies.”

It’s bad enough that they plunge who knows how many feet to the bottom. But then, those who are ‘lucky’ enough to somehow survive the fall face something infinitely worse:

Attack by a gruesome crew of giant, hungry bug-like creatures…including a fearsome spider…

[Above: Fallen sailors from THE VENTURE are attacked by a variety of loathsome creatures in Peter Jackson’s 2005 recreation of the “lost” Spider Pit scene from KONG ‘33. Some believe this to be the ACTUAL scene rediscovered. It isn’t.]

According to MAKING OF, producer/director Merian C. Cooper ordered the scene cut, because…

A. It was too horrifying and stopped the show; and

B. Members of the audience ceased to think about what Cooper WANTED them to be thinking about—Ann Darrow’s tense situation.

Cooper said he had the scene destroyed by fire—standard practice at the time. But over the years, there are those—including famed author Ray Bradbury—who claim to have actually viewed the scene in a movie theater.

“In saw KONG in Tucson in the spring of 1933, when I was thirteen years old…” Bradbury writes in 2000. “And about that legendary giant-spider sequence: It’s very short. It’s only about four or five seconds, I suppose. It was in the film then—and it has disappeared since. Some people say it never existed. Well, I don’t think I could remember something like that, that vividly…I can’t prove that the scene exists—but I know I saw it. The memory is just too vivid. You can’t make that up.”

Then too, in 1974, FAMOUS MONSTERS #108 included a photo of Marcel Delgado’s spider model on a miniature set. This lit a new fire under the rumors.

[Above: A picture published in FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND #108 in 1974. It certainly generated excitement among Monster Kids at the time. Ray Morton, author of KING KONG: THE HISTORY OF A MOVIE ICON, will later explain that this was a test photo.]

According to Michael H. Price, who revised and expanded THE MAKING OF KING KONG in 2018, a version of the scene with Kong shaking “the men off the log into a pit filled with huge voracious spiders and other creatures” WAS filmed as part of the “semi-improvised” $10,000, ten-minute test reel authorized by David O. Selznick…which also included a scene of actor Ralf Harolde chased by a Triceratops lifted from the abandoned CREATION project.

“The test reel was shown to studio executives [RKO’s Board of Directors],” Price, Turner, and Goldner recount, “along with illustrations made by Mario Larrinaga and Byron L. Crabbe depicting other highlights envisioned for the final picture.”

The reaction to the test reel was “predominantly enthusiastic, although several highly placed executives were not sympathetic…” But when Selznick weighed in with a “yes,” Coop’s KONG project was approved.

But was a FINALIZED, MUSICALLY SCORED VERSION of the Spider Pit scene included in preview prints? Or even in first-run prints upon KONG’s release…which would have been the case if Bradbury’s memory is correct?

According to author Kenneth Von Gunden, a version of KING KONG with an intact Spider Pit scene WAS sneak previewed in San Bernardino, California—roughly 65 miles east of Hollywood—in January 1933.

“The movie elicited all the excitement and enthusiasm Cooper could have hoped for,” Von Gunden recounts, “except for the scene with the spiders, centipedes, and lizards. The scene was so terrifying that many in the audience got up and left, while those who stayed were so affected by the graphic horror that they kept up a steady stream of comments for several minutes, completely forgetting about the plight of Fay Wray.”

“It stopped the picture cold,” Ron Haver of AMERICAN FILM quotes Coop as explaining. “So, the next day back at the studio, I took it out myself. [2] Obie [Willis H. O’Brien] was heartbroken; he thought it was the best he’d done, and it was, but it worked against the picture so out it came.”

Unfortunately, I can find no corroborating evidence of a San Bernardino showing of KING KONG in January of 1933—see EXHIBIT B. (It would have helped me if Von Gunden had provided a date and/or the name of the theater, but he might not have been privy to that information, either.)

What I DID find is that on January 9, 1933, columnist Edwin Schallert of THE LOS ANGELES TIMES was reporting that KING KONG “is likely to reach completion by the end of the month” (i.e., the END of January 1933).

Would RKO preview an INCOMPLETE film? It’s doubtful.

[Above: EXHIBIT B. My research indicates that a January 1933 preview of KING KONG in San Bernardino—sneak or otherwise—was unlikely. A “first preview” was announced for the State Theater in Long Beach on February 13. Of course, should “new **** come to light” (thanks, Dude), I’ll be more than happy to change my opinion. Also of interest: Warner Brothers studio chief Jack Warner screened KONG at a private party on February 19!]

Monday, February 13, 1933. The LONG BEACH PRESS-TELEGRAM.

“A studio preview is announced by Milt Arthur for the State Theater tonight,” columnist Verne Wickham informs readers.

Noting that the preview is an RKO production, but that the title is a mystery—“No amount of questioning could determine the name for tonight’s preview”—Wickham goes on to make his best guess:

“According to the production sheet on the activities of the studio two very interesting pictures have been completed in the past week and should be ready for previewing. One is KING KONG…and the other is TOPAZ, featuring John Barrymore.”

Of course, the preview turns out to be KONG.

Tuesday, February 14, 1933. DRACULA is released. (Just kidding.)

THE LONG BEACH SUN:

“KING KONG, the film which has been two years in the making, was given its FIRST PREVIEW [emphasis mine] last night at the State theater.”

“What a picture!” Wickham concludes. “Thrills coming so fast they take your breath, chills that freeze the spine, horror that makes you afraid to go out into the cold dark night…after making KING KONG there is nothing left in the way of wierd [sic] crazy thrillers to be made…these horror pictures should leave the screen.”

[Above: Columnist Verne Wickham announces a sneak preview at the State Theater in Long Beach, California on Monday, February 13, 1933, which he guesses will either be KING KONG or TOPAZ. It turns out to be KONG.]

Based upon this evidence, I’m concluding that Cooper’s recollection of a San Bernardino preview in January is inaccurate. I’m also taking an educated guess and concluding—for now—that IF the Spider Pit Scene was still in the film for the February 13th State Theater preview, it was at this time that Cooper had it taken out.

The problem for me with that? This scenario requires that a fully scored, integrally edited Spider Pit scene was included in this preview cut. But Ray Morton—author of KING KONG: THE HISTORY OF A MOVIE ICON has some facts we need to consider.

“The Spider Pit sequence,” he tells Byrd, host of the KAIJU TRANSMISSIONS Podcast, on July 17, 2021. “Never filmed. That’s it; end of—it was never filmed; there is no lost Spider Pit sequence, and that’s that.”

(KONG fans can listen to this excellent episode by clicking HERE.)

What did Morton’s research into this matter reveal?

A. “Cooper made up a lot of stuff…He was a storyteller; he made up stories,” Morton says.

B. Any photos of the models were test photos.

C. The Spider Pit sequence was one of three in the original script that wasn’t shot, the other two being Kong fighting a Triceratops near a tar pit, and Kong jumping from rooftop to rooftop tracked by spotlights before getting to the Empire State Building.

“There are some production illustrations because they were planning to do the scenes,” Morton says, “and most of the sets were built for it, and there were test sequences…”

But the overwhelming costs of KONG—double the usual A-Budget for a feature at the time—caused the money men to panic.

“Basically, they [Cooper and Schoedsack] were told, ‘You have to cut back on some of the sequences, ‘cause this movie is just costing way too much,’” Morton explains. “And Cooper made the decision. He cut the Tar Pit sequence, he cut the Spider Pit sequence, and he cut the Jumping from Rooftop sequence.”

“From a pacing point of view, I understand why they cut it,” Morton says.

“If you look at the production reports, it was never on the schedule. All the scenes in the movie that are in the film are on the production schedule…” he elaborates. “They never filmed it; it’s not in any of the production reports. And if you look at the production screenplay, those three sequences are all X’d out in the production screenplay, because they knew they weren’t going to film them.”

Morton has also pointed out that Max Steiner never wrote music to accompany the Spider Pit scene—further proof that it didn’t make it into the finished film.

The bottom line is…well, the bottom line. Tests were shot, but when the movie started to get too expensive, plans had to be changed. And if any test footage existed, it would have been destroyed.

“Maybe that’s what Cooper DID burn,” Morton muses.

In summary? Spider Pit sets were built. Models were crafted. Test shots were made. There was some seminal version of the scene included in the ten-minute test reel. But a fully-realized, intact, musically-scored, polished final sequence as an integral part of KING KONG? Never happened.

But what about Ray Bradbury’s vivid memory of viewing the scene in a Tucson, Arizona screening in 1933?

[Above: EXHIBIT C. Did Ray Bradbury see the Spider Pit scene in KING KONG in Tucson, Arizona in the spring of 1933?]

There are two reasons to confidently say NO…and possibly three. (Please use your Christopher Lee Dracula voice when reading the next three paragraphs)…

The FIRST: If Morton is correct and the scene was never shot for the completed film, it wouldn’t have been in the print screened in Tucson—the first instance of which I can find being a May 13, 1933, 10AM showing at the Fox Theater…for “Kiddies,” no less (See EXHIBIT C.)

The SECOND: If Morton is wrong and the scene WAS shot and included—but taken out after the preview, as Cooper claimed—then it was gone for at least three months before Bradbury could have seen KING KONG in Tucson. (Again, see EXHIBIT C.)

The THIRD: Memory is a funny thing. Regular readers of this blog—and I thank you for being one—will remember that it was my dad who got my brother and me into these movies in the first place. And Dad was old enough to catch DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN in the theater on their 1938 run—he would have been nine—plus THE WOLF MAN and the rest later.

Well, Dad always “remembered” a dramatic shot in DRACULA just before Bela was staked.

“No, no, please,” the Vampire King allegedly intoned, begging Van Helsing for mercy.

And in THE WOLF MAN? Dad remembered Larry facing the full moon while strapped to the chair, turning into the beast, and snapping the belts that held him.

“They cut it out!” he’d always moan when the films would run on TV.

But of course, they didn’t. Neither scene ever actually existed, no matter how vividly they lived in Jack Fleck’s memory.

Me? I’ve had the same thing happen myself. Many’s the time I’ve seen a film after a long period in between viewings…and damned if certain close-ups, lines of dialog, bursts of music, and/or complete scenes just aren’t there! Like Bela’s closed-circuit security camera system that I swear his character (Dr. Paul Curruthers) utilized in THE DEVIL BAT…which, upon recent viewing, I discovered he didn’t.

I’m guessing that Mr. Bradbury was victim to this very human foible himself.

“Search your feelings; you know it to be true.”

Speaking of human foibles…

Was Lon Chaney, Jr. REALLY born dead? And did his father actually REVIVE HIM by dunking him in freezing lake water?

It’s another great story that SHOULD BE true…

Lon, Jr. began telling it around 1960. It goes something like this…

He’s born prematurely on February 10, 1906 in a cabin in the Oklahoma Territory. (Oklahoma will become a U.S. state the following year.) He’s a whopping two-and-a-half pounds, and “black” because he’s not breathing.

In some versions, there’s a doctor present who can’t do anything to revive this tiny creature, and is about to give up the ghost (of Frankenstein?)…

But then, Lon, Sr. leaps into action. He grabs the baby from Cleva—his wife—runs outside into the frigid air, smashes the ice on a body of water (usually a lake), dunks the baby in…and shocks him to life!

Amazing, right? Except it isn’t true.

[Above: EXHIBIT D: The many reasons why Lon Chaney, Jr.’s birth story—as told by Lon, Jr. beginning in about 1960—just isn’t true. Note that THE EVENING NEWS reports the temperature as being 45 degrees Fahrenheit on Feb. 10, 1906.]

Hey, I love Lon Chaney, Jr. But that doesn’t blind me to the fact that he loved to tell stories at least as much as Merian C. Cooper…sometimes Kong-sized stories.

To begin with, a quick internet search reveals that dunking a newborn who isn’t breathing into cold water is far more likely to cause harm than to do any good:

“No, you should not dunk your baby in cold water. Instead, immediately begin CPR by providing five rescue breaths followed by chest compressions. If the baby is unresponsive and not breathing, call emergency services and begin CPR. Cold water immersion can worsen the condition and may cause further harm” (www.snuggy-mommy.com).

Okay, you don’t believe everything that you read on the internet? Good. Neither do I. Plus, CPR wasn’t invented until 1960, though other artificial respiration tactics were in play. You couldn’t dial 9-1-1 either, though Cleva may or may not have had a doctor or a midwife present.

However, that freezing cold/frigid day thing? Nah. Weather reports indicate “fair,” “warmer” weather for that day. THE EVENING NEWS specifies a temperature of 45 degrees Fahrenheit (See EXHIBIT D.)

Was Creighton—Lon, Jr.’s birth name (but of course, you knew that)—born prematurely? Yes, it seems that he arrived a couple of months early. And his mom Cleva Creighton—who didn’t marry Lon until three months after their son was born—seems to have indicated that he had some trouble breathing early on…but got past it.

“Yes, he was born like two months premature,” Ron Chaney—Lon, Jr.’s grandson—tells Gilbert Gottfried and Frank Santopadre on the AMAZING COLLOSAL PODCAST in 2015. “My great-grandmother, they refer to it, he looked like a little, what a cube of butter looked like, you know, and he was revived.”

Then, there’s the fact that Stella Bush George—Cleva’s daughter with William Bush, her second husband, hence Lon, Jr.’s half-sister—told Chaney, Sr.’s biographer Michael F. Blake that Lon, Jr.’s birth story was a complete fantasy…as did Lon Ralph Chaney, Junior’s oldest son. Presumably, they’d both heard this from Cleva herself, who died in 1967.

(Interestingly, something Lon, Jr. DIDN’T mention is the fact that the MOON was FULL the night before he was born. No kidding!)

Again, the story feels like it SHOULD be true. Both Gottfried and Santopadre certainly wanted it to be.

“Great story,” Santopadre said to Ron. “I hope it's true.”

“You like that, huh?” Ron replied before recounting how Lon, Sr. made an incubator for his son out of shoe boxes lined with cotton…which could actually be true. It would certainly have saved the Chaney family some money.

Speaking of money…here’s our last one for the day.

Did David Manners REALLY make $2000 a week on DRACULA (1931), FOUR TIMES as much as Bela Lugosi?

It’s another in a long line of “Universal kicked Bela in the teeth” stories, and sadly, many of them are true. But this one isn’t.

[Above: EXHIBIT E: Gary D. Rhodes—with an important assist from Gregory William Mank—did the heavy lifting and debunked the claim (made by David J. Skal, no less, generally a stellar scholar) that Manners made $2000 per week.)

It certainly sounds aggravating. Pretty-boy Manners—playing a part he doesn’t even like—makes $2000 a week while Junior Laemmle stabs Lugosi in the back at $500 per because he knows Bela is desperate for the role. And David J. Skal of HOLLYWOOD GOTHIC fame (and plenty of other great books for that matter) supports the claim.

Except Skal apparently didn’t look at the actual contracts. Gary D. Rhodes—with an important assist from Gregory William Mank—was able to track down the paperwork and—lo and behold!—the Manners Money Myth disappeared into the Transylvanian mist.

The salient points, as revealed by Rhodes in TOD BROWNING’S DRACULA:

A. Manners was borrowed from First National at $500 per week with a four-week minimum, for a TOTAL of $2000.

B. Manners was paid $300 per week. First National received $200 per week.

C. Universal paid First National an additional sum of $1500 as a “reimbursement for salary accumulation.” Manners didn’t see a penny of this.

All told? David Manners made $1200 on DRACULA. First National made $2300 on Manners making DRACULA. Ironically, when the figures are added, Universal’s cost to have Manners in the film was exactly what they paid Bela: $3500.

Bela, you are AVENGED!!

GOT A MONSTER KID MYTH QUESTION? DROP ME AN EMAIL (billfleckenterprises@gmail.com) OR LEAVE A COMMENT. WHO KNOWS? MAYBE WE’LL DO A PART 3…

NOTES

[1] Interestingly, when the Lugosi family sued Universal beginning on Feb. 3, 1966, they claimed that Universal paid Bela NOTHING for DRACULA’S DAUGHTER. Thanks to Frank J. Dello Stritto for providing me with a copy of LUGOSI v. UNIVERSAL PICTURES CO., INC.

[2] Is Coop to be taken literally here? Is he actually saying that HE went to the cutting room and physically snipped out the scene? If Cooper is accurate in his recollection, it’s more likely that he ORDERED editor Ted Cheeseman to handle it. And then, there would be music and almost assuredly sound effects issues to be ironed out.

SOURCES

(In addition to those cited in the Exhibits A - E)

Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast: Ron Chaney and Janet Ann Gallow, Nov 2, 2015. Web.

“Legacy of Kong with Author Ray Morton, The.” KAIJU TRANSMISSIONS Podcast. Byrd and Matt (Hosts). July 17, 2021. Web.

Lennig, Arthur. THE IMMORTAL COUNT. Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky, 2003. Print.

LUGOSI v. UNIVERSAL PICTURES CO., INC. Filed February 3, 1966.

Price, Michael H. (author and ed.), George E. Turner and Dr. Orville Goldner. THE MAKING OF KING KONG (Revised Edition). Pulp Hero Press, 2018. www.PulpHeroPress.com. Ebook.

Showgoer, The. “KING KONG Preview at State Thrilling.” THE LONG BEACH SUN. February 14, 1933, p. 6. Print.

Sinatra, Nancy. FRANK SINATRA: AN AMERICAN LEGEND. Santa Monica, CA: General Publishing Group, Inc., 1995. Print.

Skal, David J. (Producer-Director-Writer). THE ROAD TO DRACULA (1999). Documentary.

Von Gunden, Kenneth. FLIGHTS OF FANCY: THE GREAT FANTASY FILMS. Jefferson, NC: MacFarland & Co., Inc., 1989. Print.

Wickham, Verne. “The Playbill.” LONG BEACH PRESS-TELEGRAM. February 13, 1933, p. 12. Print.

NOTE: The pictures/videos herein are utilized for educational purposes only. I don’t own the copyrights, nor do I make any money from this website.

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COMING ON CLASSIC HORROR BEHIND THE SCENES on May 1, 2026:

Did Universal think that Bela Lugosi was dead when casting HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN?

Did a theatrical audience see a preview of KING KONG (1933) with an intact Spider Pit scene?

Was Lon Chaney, Jr. born dead and revived by his father?

THE ANSWERS WILL BE RIGHT HERE!!

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[Bill updated this entry on May 24, 2026.]

Ah, the internet. There are so many positive things to say about it.

To begin with, I’ve been interested in Classic Horror films since I was in third grade. (I think Imhotep was my librarian.) That means I’ve been collecting books and magazines on the subject for years. And years. And years…

Yet—thanks to the internet—I’m seeing pictures of Classic Horror Icons that I’ve never seen before. When I was a kid, I wished that I could have access to every picture of the Wolf Man ever taken. And now, I think I do.

Just the other day on one of the Classic Horror pages on Facebook (I think it was LON CHANEY, JR. FILMS AND TELEVISION), someone posted a picture of Chaney in FACE OF THE SCREAMING WEREWOLF, a hodgepodge of a film assembled by Jerry Warren out of two Mexican horror flicks—LA MOMIA AZTECA (1957) and LA CASA del TERROR (1960)—plus some footage of Lon Chaney, Jr. which may or not have been shot by Ed Wood. A couple of the commentators lamented that they’d never even heard of this film, much less seen it…

And whaddaya know? It’s available on YouTube. Through the magic of copy-n’-paste, I was able to share the link with the morbidly curious. And so far, no angry viewer has come looking for me. (If you haven’t faced FACE yourself and want to, click here. “Well…we’ve warned you.”)

[Above: Where else but the internet can you have INSTANT access to the likes of FACE OF THE SCREAMING WEREWOLF (1964)? Unless, of course, you’re the one who owns it on home video…No, wait; that’s ME!]

However, if you’re reading this, I’m sure that you’re familiar with the downside of the internet as well. (I hope this website isn’t part of that.) Aside from endless “I know you are, but what am I?” political arguments—and longwinded back-n’-forths regarding what criterion qualifies a musician to be considered an original member of a rock group—there is also the misinformation component.

And while misinformation regarding Classic Horror topics isn’t of life-or-death importance—except, perhaps, for certain egomaniacs—it can get me to spend too much time gently correcting errors when I should be writing something else. Like this blog correcting errors, for instance.

So…let’s have a look at some of these myths and see what we can do to determine their legitimacy.

Here goes…

Was Lon Chaney All Set to Play the Lead in DRACULA (1931) Before Dying?

Over and over and over again, it comes up:

“Lon Chaney was going to play Dracula, but he died before production started and Bela Lugosi got the part instead.”

Except it’s not true.

Chaney biographer extraordinaire Michael F. Blake has done the heavy lifting on this, and I went in-depth about his findings—as well as those of Gregory William Mank, Gary D. Rhodes, and David J. Skal—in my earlier blog entry, WAS LON CHANEY REALLY GOING TO PLAY DRACULA? If you’d like a detailed account, that’s a good place to start.

But, if you’d like the short version, here it is:

No.

Prefer a quick summary? Okay, I’ll do my best…

By the time Universal was negotiating rights to DRACULA with Bram Stoker’s widow (Florence), Chaney was under contract to MGM. And he wasn’t happy with Universal anyway, because—on or about December 15, 1929—the Laemmles put out a hodgepodge sound version of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925) that he felt was misleading—Universal was initially happy to let people think it was CHANEY speaking when it wasn’t. [1]

Chaney wasn’t happy with MGM either. They were in the middle of contract negotiations and Chaney was already fighting the cancer that would kill him the following August. MGM knew he was sick—they just didn’t know how bad it was—and had suspended him until he was well enough to work again.

[Above: Through the magic of modern-day photo editing, Edward Van Sloan, Dwight Frye, and Lon Chaney appear together in DRACULA (1931). In actuality, my admittedly doctored-up picture here is closer to Chaney being in DRACULA than anything that ever happened in real life.]

Chaney wasn’t even Universal’s first choice. That would have been Conrad Veidt (1928’s THE MAN WHO LAUGHS). But Veidt’s English wasn’t too good, so he went back to Germany when sound became the rule.

It’s true that Chaney and Universal producer Carl Laemmle, Jr. engaged in negotiations for DRACULA; there was even talk of Chaney playing a dual role. But a contract was never signed. Universal lawyers were sure that Chaney was too sick to pass an insurance company physical. Junior thought about insuring Chaney himself, but the lawyers talked him out of it.

Chaney ended up re-signing with MGM, and it’s doubtful that they would have lent him out to Universal under any circumstances. They could have purchased the rights and made DRACULA themselves, but there doesn’t appear to have been any interest in that idea.

The truth of the matter is, the shrewd Chaney was probably dangling Universal and DRACULA in front of MGM’s nose in order to get them to the bargaining table. And it worked.

So where did the rumor come from? The idea that Chaney was all set to go on DRACULA when he died appears to have originated with FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND editor Forrest J Ackerman.

And why not? It’s a nice idea.

Okay, so, as long as we’re on the subject of Dracula…

Was the Film DRACULA Actually Released on Valentine’s Day In 1931?

Well, technically, it was playing on February 14, 1931. But was it unleashed on the world for the first time ever that day?

No.

It’s another great story, attractive—I’m sure—because of the irony. Bela Lugosi, once dubbed “The New Valentino” on Broadway, is the person most responsible for the current idea that vampirism and sex provide some sort of unprecedented ecstasy. The vampire’s kiss brings death, yet life eternal.

What do lovers mean when they say “forever,” anyway?

I’m sure the fact that Lugosi was deluged with letters from female admirers seeking his Dracula kiss helped the Legend along.

[Above: DRACULA’S Valentine’s Day premiere myth busted. The film played in at least three venues before its legendary opening at the Roxy in New York City…and even THAT was on February 12, 1931, not February 14.]

But no. DRACULA had its world premiere at Keith’s Theater in Portland, Maine on February 5, 1931. Why Portland, Maine you might ask? I haven’t nailed that down—though maybe they knew that Stephen King would be born there 16 years later…?

But…I’m guessing it may have had to do with Edward Van Sloan, who was incredibly popular in the state while touring in stock. He and his wife Myra even owned property in Maine. (For more on Van Sloan, click here and here.)

From there, DRACULA went to the Opera House in Bangor, Maine, opening on February 9. And it had its “New England Premiere Presentation” at the Capitol in New London, Connecticut on February 11.

On February 12, it opened at the Roxy in New York City—the “premiere” everybody thinks happened on Valentine’s Day. It also opened at the Paramount in Abilene, Texas that same day—February 12.

Still desperately clinging to a DRACULA-Valentine’s Day connection? Well, I do have some good news for you…

SIDE NOTE: DRACULA (THE VAMPIRE PLAY) with Raymond Huntley DID open in London, England on Valentine’s Day In 1927

Yup, that’s right. There is an actual DRACULA-February 14th connection. In fact, this may be why some people think the FILM opened on Valentine’s Day.

After touring for three years, the play version opened in London, England on February 14, 1927, at the Little Theatre in the Adelphi.

[NOTE: The paragraph above is a correction. My original post of April 1, 2026 named the incorrect venue and star for the February 14, 1927 opening.]

In the United States, the play with Bela Lugosi made its debut at the Sam S. Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut on Monday, September 19, 1927.

[Above: The play DRACULA with Bela Lugosi premiered in the United States on September 19, 1927 at the Sam S. Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut before going to the Fulton on Broadway for a successful run. The renovated Shubert still stands; I braved a windy and cold Friday the 13th in February of 2026 to check it out. NOTE: Graphic corrected on May 1, 2026.]

The kinks were worked out, the pacing upped, and the play in general got into Broadway shape…where it opened at the Fulton Theatre on October 5, and ran for 261 performances.

The renovated Shubert still stands, and so on one cold Friday the 13th in February of 2026, I took the 20-minute ride down to New Haven, risking life and limb to snap some pictures for you, my beloved readers.

(Well, okay—that, and I wanted some New Haven pizza. If you know, you know.)

SIDENOTE TO THE SIDENOTE: We’ve lived through another Friday the 13th this March as I write this…and we have still another one coming up in November! You look out for Jason, and I’ll watch out for his mom…

But wait…there’s more! Now how much would you pay?

Was SON OF FRANKENSTEIN Really Going to Be Shot in Technicolor?

The short answer?

Maybe. But unlikely.

[Above: A lobby card for SON OF FRANKENSTEIN. Lobby cards in general were colored after the fact. Of course, we Monster Kids have always heard that—but for the appearance of Karloff’s makeup—the film would have been shot in Technicolor. Well, maybe…and maybe not.]

Early on in the planning stages, Producer/Director Rowland V. Lee floated the idea that he’d make SON OF FRANKENSTEIN in Technicolor. As the story goes, a test reel was shot by Director of Photography George Robinson, but the idea was scrapped when it was determined that Karloff’s makeup just didn’t look right—“poor effect” is the term Tom Weaver, Michael Brunas, and John Brunas use in their book UNIVERSAL HORRORS.

And, indeed, some genuine color footage of Karloff in makeup and wooly costume stalking, posing, sarcastically sticking out his tongue, and playfully strangling Jack Pierce has made its way to the internet. There are many who believe these shots have been culled from Robinson’s test.

[Above: According to Sara Karloff, her mother Dorothy took 16mm silent “home movies” in color on the set of SON OF FRANKENSTEIN. These aren’t test shots by George Robinson (note the worker with a bucket in the window behind Karloff, top left), but they offer a glimpse into what the Monster might have looked like had the film actually been shot in Technicolor.]

In actuality, the footage currently circulating on the web is a home movie, supposedly shot in 16mm on Kodachrome. According to Sara Jane Karloff, her mother Dorothy is responsible. [2]

It certainly isn’t a formal color test. To begin with, it’s silent. Plus, the casual settings and the random feel of most of the action—featuring a crew member visibly working with a brush and bucket behind Karloff in the first shot—is proof-positive of that. And we have Sara Karloff’s word on it.

It’s still valuable, however, and if you haven’t seen it, check it out here.

This begs the question: Where is the actual color test shot by Robinson? Does it exist? Did it ever?

A color test does appear to have been made. Producer/director Ted Newsom (100 YEARS OF HORROR) is on record as saying that studio documents—as well as Josephine Hutchinson and Rowland V. Lee—confirm the idea.

But if this is accurate, when was the last time anyone saw it? And—if it still exists—where is it now?

According to writer Jan Alan Henderson, it may have been languishing on a shelf for some time in New Jersey.

“As to the issue of the color footage,” Henderson writes, “the late George Turner [THE MAKING OF KING KONG], then the editor of AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER Magazine, told this writer over lunch that at a private screening of the restored FRANKENSTEIN at YCM Laboratories [c. 1986], a technician showed him a reel of color film and asked, ‘Do you know what this is?’ Mr. Turner replied, ‘No,’ and the tech said, ‘This is the color test of THE SON OF FRANKENSTEIN.’ [sic] At that moment, a Universal employee walked in and took the reel, placed [it] in the box with the restored FRANKENSTEIN, and it was shipped to Universal’s storage unit in New Jersey. Many attempts have been made over the past two decades to relocate this priceless reel, but all have failed.”

[Above: My mocked-up version of what might have become of the SON OF FRANKENSTEIN Technicolor test reel. Of course, I’m joking…Indiana Jones couldn’t find it, either.]

Whatever the case may be, Greg Mank feels as if Lee was never truly serious about shooting the film in Technicolor anyway.

“It was probably just one more trick of Rowland V. Lee,” he writes, “to put the front office on the defensive, to throw it off balance so he could proceed to shoot SON OF FRANKENSTEIN in his own way.”

Seriously, Vivian Leigh’s blue eyes were made a vivid green for GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) through the use of lighting, filters, and maybe even some post-production gimmicks. Surely any problems with Karloff’s makeup could’ve been worked out if Technicolor was truly the way Lee wanted to go.

Speaking of SON OF FRANKENSTEIN tricks…

Was SON OF FRANKENSTEIN A Huge Box Office Smash?

The comfortably solid box office numbers for SON OF FRANKENSTEIN are often credited with kicking off a second cycle of horror films. But, as Greg Mank points out in ANGELS AND MINISTERS OF GRACE DEFEND US—and, as usual, he’s done the deep-dive—Rowland V. Lee’s “basically winging the script with [screenwriter] Wyllis Cooper” on the set (which includes expanding Bela Lugosi’s part as Ygor—I deal with this extensively in my upcoming book BELA’S MONSTER) was responsible for doubling the initial budget. As such, SON—scoring a respectable $921,000 in rentals against the final cost of $420,000—“likely...barely broke even.”

[Above: My mash-up, basically telling the story of SON OF FRANKENSTEIN’S solid box office performance versus its cost…and the lessons it taught Universal executives. Thereafter, studio Monster Flicks like THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN became well-produced B-Pictures…and, as such, more profitable.]

The lesson for Universal? New horror films could indeed attract patrons. But studio president Nate Blumberg—along with Cliff Work, head of production—decided that budgets needed to be kept in line. As such, MAN MADE MONSTER (1941) cost $84,000, THE WOLF MAN (1941) cost $180,000…and THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (1942) came in at $11,000 more than its $200,000 budget.

The results? THE WOLF MAN scored $1 million in profits in five months. GHOST made as much as SON at less than half the cost.

Want to know why Universal treated Monster flicks as B-Pictures in the 1940s? There’s your answer.

Up next…a good one…

Was Ygor a Shepherd?

Let’s answer this one in Ygor’s voice:

“Nnnnn-NO!!”

[Above. Leather apron. Forging hammer. A statement from the man himself. Ygor was a blacksmith who stole bodies…“They said.” Misguided Universal publicity materials are responsible for the myth that Ygor was a shepherd…a myth that dies “LIVE!”]

From my upcoming book, BELA’S MONSTER:

“One of the enduring Classic Horror myths is that Ygor is a shepherd. The blute Ygor plays—and wooly vest-like coat Karloff sports as the Monster in SON (which Boris didn’t like)—obviously fired the imagination of Universal publicists, who issued this mistaken information to columnists like Ina Sullivan, Harold Heffernan, and Boyd Martin…who, in turn, repeat this fallacy in their reports.”

As such, Ygor becomes a “grisly shepherd” who’s supposedly made this garment for his dormant friend. A shepherd who wears a leather blacksmith’s apron and carries a blacksmith’s forging hammer, right?

“I am blacksmith,” Ygor states plainly when hauled in by the authorities—including Inspector Krogh—for questioning.

And Ygor wouldn’t lie, would he? (Don’t answer that.)

Henry Hull Refused to Wear a Heavy Makeup for WEREWOLF OF LONDON

Ah, yes…Double-H the diva. Afraid of being inconvenienced by a little extra yak hair.

So, he complained so much that producers Stanley Bergerman and Robert Harris—as well as director Stuart Walker—decided to shut him up by forcing Jack Pierce to shelve his precious complex makeup design for six years…until the ultra-cooperative Lon Chaney, Jr. came along…

“But, noooooooo!” (Thanks here to John Belushi.)

[Above: The first (not pictured) and second heavy makeup (left) that Jack Pierce developed for Henry Hull in WEREWOLF OF LONDON caused an issue…but not the issue most people think. Rather, Hull noticed that the script called for Paul Ames—played by Lester Matthews—to be able to RECOGNIZE Glendon while in werewolf form. As such, a lighter, more demonic makeup was used. Lon Chaney, Jr.’s character in THE WOLF MAN (right) had no such constraints.]

Writer/director Cortlandt Hull, Henry’s grandnephew and the creator of “The Witch’s Dungeon” museum in Plainville, Connecticut—which houses life-sized classic movie monster figures—has a different story.

As it turns out, the reason for simplifying Hull’s makeup had nothing to do with the actor being egotistical. And it had nothing to do with him not wanting to suffer through it.

“[T]hese ridiculous rumors make Henry seem very vain or difficult to work with,” Cortlandt says.

Rather, Hull noticed that the heavy makeup created a story problem. After Glendon—in werewolf form—attacks his wife Lisa and Paul Ames (her soon-to-be BAE), Ames tells the cops that the werewolf was Glendon.

It’s absurd, Hull pointed out. Ames wouldn't recognize Glendon under all that fur…especially since Hull described Pierce’s first version (of which no photo seems to exist) as, “very bear-like” with ears on top of his head.

“How could they recognize me as Jack Pierce’s Teddy Bear?” Henry asked Cortlandt in later years.

But Pierce wasn’t having it…at first. Swords were crossed.

“In fact,” Cortlandt asserts, “it was Jack Pierce who was inflexible.”

So…Henry went to Carl Laemmle, Jr. and explained his point of view. Junior agreed, with him and sent Pierce a memo. A lighter—but more demonic—werewolf look would eventually be utilized.

According to Cortlandt, this made Pierce “livid.”

“Jack refused to have any photos taken of him making up Henry,” Cortlandt states. “That is why you have never seen a photo of the two of them together with Henry in the werewolf makeup.”

Cortlandt believes that Pierce had the last word, though.

“I would not be surprised,” he said, “if it was Jack Pierce who leaked Henry’s objection to the press and put his personal spin on it.”

As cartoonist Robert Ripley often said, “Believe it…or not.”

Okay. As long as we’re dealing with werewolves, let’s wrap up Part 1 with this whopper…

Dick Foran Was Set to Play the Wolf Man Until the Last Minute

March 18, 2026. It’s still there in the IMDB.com Trivia section for THE WOLF MAN (1941):

“Dick Foran was originally cast in the role of Larry Talbot. He was replaced just one week before filming began by Patric Knowles.”

Twenty-three little words. And so much misinformation.

It was correcting this particular bit of nonsense on the internet one day—kindly, of course (I try not to be a troll)—that inspired me to write this column.

Let’s start by saying that if Foran was cast as Talbot—and Knowles replaced Foran “one week before filming began”—then Knowles was going to play Talbot…unless we had some BLACK FRIDAY-like musical casting chairs going on.

Yeah. I’m calling B.S.

[Above: If the internet is to be believed, Dick Foran was going to play Larry Talbot in THE WOLF MAN up until a week before shooting. Hey, this smash-up is about as believable as that alleged Classic Horror “fact.”]

The role of Larry Talbot/the Wolf Man was specifically written for Lon Chaney, Jr. at George Waggner’s behest. Curt Siodmak made the character an American at first. When Waggner decided it would be more tragic if Larry was Sir John’s son, Siodmak reluctantly made the changes.

Foran was indeed announced as being cast in DESTINY, THE WOLF MAN’S working title (and SON OF DRACULA’S. And…well, you get the idea).

But contemporaneous newspaper reports have Chaney cast RIGHT ALONGSIDE of Foran.

These guys on the internet are not trying to say that Chaney was going to act in a film with a part specifically written for him…and NOT PLAY THE PART, are they?

ARE they? [Insert many Sir John Talbot words here. Like “gibberish.” And “witch’s tales.” And “rubbish.” And maybe “self-hypnotism.”]

[Above: Dick Foran as Larry Talbot? In the immortal words of Henry Frankenstein, “No, no, noooo!” As it turns out, Foran was going to play Frank Andrews…a part eventually taken by Patric Knowles.]

The truth of the matter? There is a Foran-Knowles connection. As confirmed by Weaver, Brunas, and Brunas, Foran was going to play Frank Andrews, Gwen Conliffe’s cuckolded fiancé. Knowles ended up acting it instead.

And that’s the story there.

[Above: What if Dick Foran played Frank Andrews in THE WOLF MAN as originally intended? My guess is that he’d have been better dressed than my mocked-up image suggests.]

Oh, but we’re not done yet. There are many things…under the sun.

IN PART 2: Was Lon Chaney, Jr. Really Born Dead? Did Universal Really Think That Bela Lugosi Was Dead While Casting HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN? Was David Manners Really Paid $2000 A Week for DRACULA (1931)? And Did Preview Audiences Actually SEE the Spider Pit Scene in KING KONG (1933)?

Click HERE to find out!

NOTES

[1] This version was made up of newly-shot synchronized sound scenes, some overdubbed silent ones, some sound effects, and a character intended to be the Phantom’s messenger…who spoke. THIS was the speaking character inattentive audiences assumed was Chaney. Universal later had to make it clear in advertisements that it wasn’t.

[2] This is pretty interesting, seeing as how Dorothy gave birth to Sara Jane Karloff during the making of the picture.

SOURCES

Fleck, Bill. “Edward Van Sloan: The Wisest Doctor of Them All, Parts 1 & 2.” CLASSIC HORROR BEHIND THE SCENES. Accessed March 18, 2026. Web.

Henderson, Jan Alan. “The Unsung Son: Celebrating THE SON OF FRANKENSTEIN. www.janalanhenderson.com. Accessed February 25, 2026. Web.

Mank, Gregory William. ANGELS AND MINISTERS OF GRACE DEFEND US! Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2022. Ebook.

Mank, Gregory William. BELA LUGOSI AND BORIS KARLOFF. Jefferson, NC: MacFarland and Co., Inc., 2009. Print.

Mank, Gregory William and Tom Weaver, Bill Cooke, Roger Hurlburt, Frank Dello Stritto. SCRIPTS FROM THE CRYPT: THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN. Orlando, FL: BearManor Media, 2024. Print.

Navroth, John M. “Moon, Madness and Murder: A Look Back at WEREWOLF OF LONDON.” CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN Magazine #43. Don A. Smeraldi, ed. © 2026. Print.

Stanley, John. “The Monster’s Daughter.” SFGATE. May 28, 2006. www.sfgate.com. Accessed March 21, 2026. Web.

“Up Close and Personal with Cortlandt Hull” [Documentary]. NUTMEG TV. October 4, 2018. www.archive.org. Accessed March 18, 2026. Web.

Weaver, Tom and Michael and John Brunas. UNIVERSAL HORRORS, 2^nd ed. Jefferson, NC: MacFarland & Company, Inc., 2007. Ebook.

NOTE: The pictures herein are utilized for educational purposes only. I don’t own the copyrights, nor do I make any money on this website.

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COMING APRIL 1, 2026 on CLASSIC HORROR BEHIND THE SCENES: Was Dick Foran REALLY cast as Larry Talbot in THE WOLF MAN before Lon, Jr. got the part? Did Henry Hull refuse to wear heavy makeup in WEREWOLF OF LONDON because he was a diva? Was DRACULA (1931) really premiered on Valentine’s Day?

Read about all this and more coming in CLASSIC HORROR MYTHS, PART 1!

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DID YOU KNOW? Two-time Rondo Award-winning filmmaker Thomas Hamilton is set to release VINCENT PRICE & THE ART OF LIVING, the first of the HORROR ICONS series, late in May of 2026. (I’m privileged to be a producer on the project.) Would you like to jump on board the HORROR ICONS express train and help get these important films made? Drop me an email for further information: billfleckenterprises@gmail.com. Thank you!

[Above: Bill interviewed by Thomas Hamilton for VINCENT PRICE & THE ART OF LIVING. MONSTER BASH—Cranberry, Pennsylvania. July 20, 2024.]

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To see previous entries of this Rondo Honorably-Mentioned blog, please click here.

To read Part 1 of this blog entry, please click here.

[Bill updated this entry on July 27, 2026.]

PART 2: Immortality

October 1929. Actor Edward Van Sloan will be 47 on November 1. By all accounts, he and Myra Dean—his actress wife—are happily married. Their son, Paul William Van Sloun, is now 18. And Edward remains steadily employed. Life is good.

As of October 9, Van Sloan is on Broadway at the 48th Street Theatre in the thriller REMOTE CONTROL, which opened on September 9. Written by Clyde North, Albert C. Fuller, and Jack C. Nelson, the plot concerns a gang of thieves whose boss is a phony psychic with a weekly radio show in Chicago. This boss—Dr. A.P. Workman, played by Van Sloan—sends his gang coded signals regarding bank jobs while conducting seances on the air. Complications arise when Workman is mysteriously shot dead during a broadcast. [1]

REMOTE CONTROL runs until November 16, 1929.

But Abraham Van Helsing isn’t through with Edward Van Sloan quite yet.

Monday, April 28, 1930. Van Sloan is in Rochester, NY treading the boards in DRACULA with the Kondolf-Folmer Company at the Lyceum Theatre, located at 36 Clinton Avenue. Ralph Bellamy (THE WOLF MAN) plays Harker. Anita Kerry is Lucy. And local legend Walter Folmer takes on the part of Dracula. Critic George L. David of the DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE finds Van Sloan to be “excellent,” Bellamy to be “pleasing,” and Kerry to be effective. He praises Folmer as well:

“He gave the vampire the right weird, uncanny effect and helped ably to build the climaxes.”

Beginning on Monday, May 5, 1930, Van Sloan can be seen with Dorothy Gish, Kerry, and Bellamy at the Lyceum in HOLIDAY, a romantic comedy by Phillip Barry.

Monday, May 26 finds Van Sloan, Kerry, and Bellamy together again in in the murder mystery SUBWAY EXPRESS by Eva K. Flint and Martha Madison.

“The show will go even better from now on,” critic A.J. Warner writes in THE TIMES-UNION, “especially in regard to inspector Hannen, acted by Edward Van Sloan, who had a very long part to memorize in the space of a week and who obviously had to struggle, now and then, to remember his lines.”

And now, Monster Kids, we’re coming home…

[Above: Producer Carl Laemmle, Jr.—born Julius Laemmle on April 28, 1908—and his father, Carl Sr., founder of Universal Studios. It was Junior who decided to make DRACULA. His father—known as “Uncle Carl”—hated horror films.]

The complicated path to—and the making of—DRACULA has been the subject of several excellent books, including 2023’s THE ROAD TO DRACULA by Christopher Lock, 2014’s TOD BROWNING’S DRACULA by Gary D. Rhodes, and 2004’s revised edition of HOLLYWOOD GOTHIC by the late David J. Skal.

However, in brief…

Tinseltown—particularly Universal—had been interested in shooting DRACULA as a Talkie as early as 1928. Rumors—apparently started by FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND magazine editor Forrest J Ackerman—have since circulated that Lon Chaney was going to play the lead, but died before he could; this is one of Classic Horror’s more enduring myths, which Chaney biographer Michael F. Blake has thoroughly debunked. [2] Moreover, Conrad Veidt seems to have been the studio’s first choice. But his limited command of English is a detriment, and he returns to Germany for the time being.

As for Lugosi? He isn’t on producer Carl Laemmle, Jr.’s want list.

“NOT INTERESTED BELA LUGOSI PRESENT TIME REGARDS” he telegrams Harold Freeman at the Brandt & Brandt Agency in New York on March 27, 1930.

Meanwhile, protracted negotiations with Bram Stoker’s widow, Florence—who’s been burned by the unauthorized film NOSFERATU (1922), and who wants $200,000 for the legitimate film rights—bog down until 1930.

Desperate for the role—actually, too desperate—Bela Lugosi steps in for Universal and manages to get Florence down to $40,000…a little less than $787,000 today. Interestingly, the novel had actually fallen into the public domain in the U.S by then—Bram Stoker never filed the two required copies. But the $40,000 includes the rights to the play as well, so Lugosi’s efforts were worth it…for Universal, at least.

Universal producer Junior Laemmle—whose father had famously started the company—notices. Suddenly, he’s interested in Lugosi after all. And, as the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished…

Realizing that he can use Lugosi’s desperation against him, Junior offers him the role…at $500 a week (a bit more than $9800 at this writing). Take it or leave it.

“It was a studio power play at its baldest and nastiest,” David J. Skal will write. “In all his scraping and supplicating the actor had more than tipped his hand, and blown the poker game. Universal knew it could dictate terms, and the Dracula they desired was far too thirsty to put up a fuss.”

“Bela was hopping mad,” Evan Hoskins, his publicity agent, recalled, “and I know for a fact that he never really recovered from that, especially since the film went on to make millions for the studio.”

Add to that the fact that Lugosi’s going rate on MGM’s THE THIRTEENTH CHAIR (1929) had been $1000 per week…in a supporting part…

But the deck is stacked against him.

“Universal was well aware of its strong bargaining position,” Robert Cremer, Lugosi’s biographer explains, “and Bela was summarily reduced to a junior partner in the negotiations.”

So, Lugosi takes it. How can he not?

“Lugosi no doubt rationalized,” Skal says. “A financial concession, yes, but what an investment! The exposure. The acclaim. The future! Well-meaning friends surely urged him to sign. How could anyone turn down work, these days? And a starring part in a movie by the Laemmles [Best Picture Oscar winners for 1930’s ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT]! There were actors on breadlines.”

Universal will spend some coin, dropping $341,191.20 (about $6.7 million now) making DRACULA. [3] Lugosi gets $3500 of that—a little less than $69,000 today.

[Above: Columnist Louella O. Parsons announces the signing of Bela Lugosi for DRACULA. Her diction definitely suggests a “Duh!” when it comes to the signing. —TAMPA TRIBUNE, September 18, 1930.]

In contrast, the hiring of Edward Van Sloan is not nearly as dramatic.

“While Universal could easily have cast any number of Hollywood actors in the same role,” Rhodes notes in 2014, “the studio opted for Van Sloan specifically because he had been associated with the play, believing that such casting would further connect the film to the successful play.”

Film historian James Coughlin agrees.

“Van Sloan was a natural choice, having played Van Helsing for well over a year on Broadway and then on tour. Edward served as an excellent foil to Bela Lugosi in the film,” he notes in 2004.

As such, Van Sloan leaves New York on Friday, September 19 to go to Hollywood. Once arrived, he’s asked to do a cursory audition.

“Van Sloan’s screen test consisted of his standing in front of a mantlepiece and mirror, speaking lines from the stage play and ducking when an offscreen ‘Dracula’ smashed the mirror with a vase,” Skal writes in 1990. “The clip was later used as part of the film’s preview trailer.”

As Rhodes points out, this was “a scene that exists in the stage play, but not in the film.”

For his part, Van Sloan will say that the action as depicted in the play—and his screen test—was “much more dramatic” than what ended up on the screen.

“The actor wonders why the movie version is reducing the large mirror (seen in the play and the trailer) to the small cigarette box with mirrored lid,” film historian Gregory William Mank writes in 2009.

“Theatergoers will recall with shivers that weird and gruesome melodrama DRACULA,” columnist Scoop Conlon writes in December of 1930. “Universal is taking the chance of producing it in talking pictures, but it will certainly have to be toned down…Universal has secured Lugosi to play the role he created in London [sic] several years ago. He is the only actor in Hollywood who can do it…Edward Van Sloan, who created the role of the kindly professor on the stage, will again play this part.”

[Above: Edward Van Sloan in the original preview trailer for DRACULA (1931). The clip was drawn from Van Sloan’s screen test, wherein an unseen Dracula throws an object and breaks a mirror on the wall (see behind him). Van Sloan preferred this action over what ended up in the film.]

Monday, September 29, 1930. Cameras start to turn on DRACULA.

Directing is 50-year-old legend Tod Browning, famous for his work with Lon Chaney (THE UNHOLY THREE, THE ROAD TO MANDALAY, LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT). He’d previously directed Lugosi in THE THIRTEENTH CHAIR. Behind the camera is 40-year-old Karl Freund, born in Bohemia and noted for THE GOLEM (1920) and Fritz Lang’s METROPOLIS (1927). The screenplay is by Garrett Fort (1929’s THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES), with additional dialogue by an uncredited Dudley Murphy (1928’s STOCKS AND BLONDES). The sets are designed by 42-year-old British-born Charles D. Hall (ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT).

Lugosi and Van Sloan will be surrounded by Helen Chandler, 24, as Mina; Dwight Frye, 31, as the crazed Renfield; Herbert Bunston, 56, as Dr. Seward; and Frances Dade, 23—though her publicity claims that she’s 18—as Lucy.

Twenty-one year old Lew Ayres (ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT) is originally slated to play Harker, but Junior Laemmle decides to put him in MISSISSIPPI instead. Forty-two-year-old Robert Ames (1930’s HOLIDAY) is signed on October 2 to replace him, but Ames won’t play the part either. According to columnist George Shaffer, Ames has to bail on DRACULA because, “he was called to duty at another studio which had a prior claim on his services.” (Sadly, Ames will die in New York of delirium tremens on Thanksgiving Day, November 27). Nova Scotia-born David Manners, 30, will be hired two weeks into the production to take on the role.

Stories regarding the shooting of DRACULA have been at odds over the years. In 1985, David Manners asserts that Browning was often disinterested in the film, hiding off to one side of the set and leaving Freund to direct. Indeed, Manners is infamously quoted as saying, “I remember being directed by Karl Freund…I believe he is the one who is mainly responsible for DRACULA being watchable today.”

Rhodes, however, disputes this, writing, “Manners’ recollections have assumed far too large a place in histories of DRACULA’S production.” In Rhodes’ view, the lack of in-depth interviews with the other participants over the years regarding the production stacks the deck.

“No other star or crew member was formally interviewed about the film in the decades that followed (save Edward Van Sloan, who was hardly asked any questions about it),” Rhodes points out, “and so Manners became the key source of such information.”

Then, too, Manners—as we’ve seen, cast at the last minute after Lew Ayres and Robert Ames couldn’t take the role—doesn’t like Browning, Lugosi, or Harker.

“I suppose I’m the voice of the audience,” he complains, “for all I do is wander about and say, ‘But you can’t do that. Things like that don’t happen today.’ And then they do to show me, so after all I’m pretty useless.”

Finally, there’s the fact that Manners claims to have made $2000 per week on the film—four times what Lugosi is paid. Over the years, Lugosi fans have been appalled at this perceived injustice. [4]

But Rhodes dug in, found the actual studio paperwork (with a crucial assist from Greg Mank), and debunked the myth. David Manners made $300 per week on DRACULA, not $2000. [5]

To paraphrase Dr. Richard Vollin, “Bela! You are AVENGED!”

[Above: Lugosi, David Manners, Helen Chandler, Dwight Frye, and Van Sloan in a publicity shot. Manners didn’t like Lugosi, director Tod Browning, or his role as Jonathan Harker. Manners’ take on the production of the film—and Browning’s role in it—has been swallowed hook, line, and sinker by many fans over the years.]

Still, there are other human interest tales that emerge…

WOULD YOU LIKE TO READ THE REST?

PLEASE CHECK OUT MY UPCOMING BOOK: EDWARD VAN SLOAN: THE WISEST DOCTOR OF THEM ALL, available soon!

NOTES

[1] The plot reminds me of Abbott and Costello’s WHO DONE IT? (1942)

[2] For my summary of the situation, see “Was Lon Chaney Really Going to Play Dracula?”

[3] The studio spends about $100,000 more on advertising and promotion, bringing the total cost of DRACULA to almost $442,000—$8.7 million at this writing.

[4] Rhodes correctly points out that, even if the $2000 per week claim were true—which it wasn’t—Lugosi was still, “a virtual unknown to American moviegoers, whereas Manners had just appeared in JOURNEY’S END” (Rhodes, p. 172).

[5] Manners was under contract at First National, where he made $300 per week. He was loaned to Universal for DRACULA at the rate of $500 per week for a guaranteed four weeks, “the weekly compensation to be paid by you to us as underunder [sic] shall aggregate not less than Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00).” —Contractual letter of agreement, October 14, 1930 (Rhodes, p. 173). The breakdown? Manners worked five weeks on the film and pocketed $1500 (about $29,500 at this writing), while First National bagged $1000 for loaning Manners out.

SOURCES

“Another Eerie One.” PORTLAND PRESS HERALD. November 5, 1932, p. 4. Print.

“Artists Mourn Sudden Death Of Van Sloun.” SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE. August 28, 1938, p. 81. Print.

“Attractions For Coming Week In Rochester Theaters Listed.” THE TIMES-UNION. May 3, 1930, p. 10. Print.

“Bela Lugosi In DRACULA Opens At Opera House.” THE BANGOR DAILY NEWS. February 9, 1931, p. 9. Print.

“Boulevard Topics.” THE MAYFIELD MESSENGER. September 14, 1932, p. 3. Print.

Brunas, Michael and John Brunas and Tom Weaver, UNIVERSAL HORRORS. Jefferson, NC: MacFarland & Company, Inc., 1990. Print.

Conlon, Scoop. “Noted Player Coming Back.” DETROIT FREE PRESS. December 10, 1930, p. 11. Print.

Coughlin, James. “The Elder Statesman of Horror.” MIDNIGHT MARQUEE Magazine. 1979. Web.

Cremer, Robert. LUGOSI: THE MAN BEHIND THE CAPE. Washington, DC: Regnery, 1976. Print.

David, George L. “On the Stage.” DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE. April 29, 1930, p. 12. Print.

“Dracula.” AFI CATLOG OF FEATURE FILMS. www.afi.com. Accessed January 20, 2026. Web.

“DRACULA Opposes Gay Comedy On Keith’s Program.” PORTLAND PRESS HERALD. February 6, 1931, p. 4. Print.

“DRACULA, Weird Mystery Play Coming to Opera House Monday.” THE BANGOR DAILY NEWS. February 7, 1931, p. 6. Print.

“DRACULA’S DAUGHTER.” AFI CATALOG OF FEATURE FILMS. www.afi.com. Accessed January 24, 2026. Web.

“Duffy Gets New Thriller Rights.” SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE. October 9, 1929, p. 14. Print.

“Edward Van Sloan Archive of (11) Autograph Letters Signed.” RR AUCTION, Lot #739. www.rrauction.com. Accessed January 24, 2026. Web.

“Edward Van Sloan Depicted As a Scientist in DRACULA.” MOUNT VERNON ARGUS. March 7, 1931, p. 5. Print.

Edwards, G. John. “Great Horror Figure Dies.” FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND No. 31. December 1964. Print.

“Ellerbe, Van Sloan Returning in Masonic Auditorium’s Stock Co.” DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE. April 2, 1931, p. 12. Print.

“Feeling Like M.D.” PORTLAND PRESS HERALD. January 16, 1932, p. 4. Print.

“FRANKENSTEIN.” AFI CATALOG OF FEATURE FILMS. www.afi.com. Accessed January 23, 2026. Web.

“FRANKENSTEIN Plays All Week On Screen at the Capitol.” THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTION. November 29, 1931, p. 35. Print.

Hall, Gladys. “The Feminine Love of Horror.” MOTION PICTURE CLASSIC. January 1931. Print.

“Heard and Seen on the Screen.” THE SHREVEPORT JOURNAL. December 2, 1931, p. 14. Print.

"Kirkley, Donald. “DRACULA’S DAUGHTER Takes After Him.” THE BALTIMORE SUN. May 8, 1936, p. 12. Print.

Krugh, Karl. “The Show Shops.” THE PITTSBURGH PRESS. December 10, 1931, p. 34. Print.

Laemmle, Carl Jr. “Telegram to Harold Freeman, March 27, 1930.” BELA LUGOSI BLOG. www.beladraculalugosi.wordpress.com. Accessed January 21, 2026. Web.

Lennig, Arthur. THE IMMORTAL COUNT. Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky, 2003. Print.

“Lew Ayres Will Play In Ben Burman’s Tale Instead of DRACULA.” TIMES UNION. October 3, 1930, p. 13. Print.

Mank, Gregory William. BELA LUGOSI AND BORIS KARLOFF. Jefferson, NC: MacFarland & Company, Inc., 2009. Print.

“Movie Chat.” ST. JOSEPH NEWS-PRESS. January 23, 1931, p. 20. Print.

Muir, James. “Publicity Chat.” DAYTON DAILY NEWS. March 4, 1931, p. 27. Print.

“New England Premiere Presentation! DRACULA” [Ad]. THE DAY. February 10, 1931, p. 7. Print.

“New Programs At The Theaters.” EVENING EXPRESS. February 4, 1931, p. 8. Print.

“Noted Artist’s Brush Makes it’s Last Stroke.” THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL BULLETIN. August 30, 1938, p. 11. Print.

O’Brien, Christopher M. THE FORREST J ACKERMAN OEUVRE. Jefferson, NC: MacFarland & Company, Inc., 2012. Print.

Olson, Mark. “The First ‘Van Helsing’: Chaska Native Starred In Original Movie Role.” PIONEER PRESS. May 5, 2004; Revised February 9, 2025. www.twincities.com. Accessed January 24, 2026. Web.

Parsons, Louella O. “DRACULA To Be Screened.” TAMPA TRIBUNE. September 18, 1930, p. 11. Print.

Parsons, Louella ). “Europe Demands Favorites In New Talkie Productions.” EVENING COURIER. October 10, 1930, p. 23. Print.

“Portland Gets World Premiere.” PORTLAND PRESS HERALD. February 6, 1931, p. 4. Print.

“Production Delayed.” DETROIT FREE PRESS. January 19, 1936, p. 12. Print.

Rhodes, Gary D. TOD BROWNING’S DRACULA. Sheffield, England: Tomahawk Press, 2014. Print.

“R-K-O Keith.” THE DAYTON HERALD. February 28, 1931, p. 4. Print.

Shaffer, George. “Mary Brian Heads MANY A SLIP.” DAILY NEWS. October 16, 1930, p. 37. Print.

Shaffer, Rosalind. “Film Stars Create Items of Interest and News.” SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE. October 19, 1930. Print.

Skal, David J. HOLLYWOOD GOTHIC. New York: Faber and Faber, Inc., 1990, 2004. Print.

“Small Boys Like BROKEN WING.” LOS ANGELES EVENING POST-RECORD. August 14, 1931, p. 13. Print.

Starr, Jimmy. “DRACULA’S DAUGHTER.” THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL BULLETIN. May 9, 1936, p. 4. Print.

Sutherland, Henry. “Mechanical Tenor Asserts Industry Developing Music in Varied Noises.” THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY SUN. February 19, 1936, p. 2. Print.

“Theresa Breher Van Sloan.” www.findagrave.com. Accessed January 22, 2026. Web.

Thirer, Irene. “Roxy’s DRACULA Spine Chiller.” DAILY NEWS. February 13, 1931, p. 556. Print.

“Van Sloun.” THE SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER. December 20, 1931, p. 18. Print.

“Van Sloan Seen Again In Scientific Role.” THE NEWARK ADVOCATE. December 19, 1932, p. 10. Print.

Warner, A.J. “Excitement In Subway.” THE TIMES-UNION. May 27, 1930, p. 42. Print.

“Weird Tale of Vampires Now Made In Film.” ABILENE DAILY REPORTER. February 8, 1931, p. 17. Print,

Wickham, Verne. “Rex Beach Tale of Alaska Will Open at State.” PRESS-TELEGRAM. December 6, 1930, p. 3. Print.

“Wills Filed.” SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE. September 9, 1938, p. 7. Print.

“Women Enjoy It More Than Men [Ad].” TRANSCRIPT-TELEGRAM. March 13, 1931, p. 13. Print.

NOTE: The photographs and videos herein are utilized for educational purposes only. I do not own the copyrights, nor do I make any money from this website.

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DID YOU KNOW? Two-time Rondo Award-winning filmmaker Thomas Hamilton is set to release VINCENT PRICE & THE ART OF LIVING, the first of the HORROR ICONS series, late in May of 2026. (I’m privileged to be a producer on the project.) Would you like to jump on board the HORROR ICONS express train and help get these important films made? Please click here for further information. Thank you!

[Above: Bill interviewed by Thomas Hamilton for VINCENT PRICE & THE ART OF LIVING. MONSTER BASH—Cranberry, Pennsylvania. July 20, 2024.]

To see previous entries of this Rondo Honorably-Mentioned blog, please click here.

“Story construction,” screenwriter Curt Siodmak (THE WOLF MAN) explained to film historian Gregory William Mank in 1980. “That’s why I got paid in every damn country. I could construct a story out of the blue sky. Most writers are dialogue writers, and they produce very worthy dialogue, but there are really very few constructionists who started from scratch. That’s why I got jobs.”

Ah, constructing a story out of the blue sky… As I read those words yet again, I’m struck by an old writer’s joke:

QUESTION: What’s the difference between fiction and life?

ANSWER: Fiction has to make sense.

Oh, how true that is…and it’s one of the scariest things a writer can contemplate when staring at a blank page.

[Above: Writer Curt Siodmak got paid because he could construct stories “out of the blue sky.” Now, novelist Joe Overbay has done the same thing in his fictional horror tale THE NIGHT OF THE DEMON.]

Which is why I was psyched when fellow Monster Kid Joe Overbay got in touch with me about editing THE NIGHT OF THE DEMON. I’d worked with Joe on his excellent prequel to THE WOLF MAN, called THE DEMON IN MY VIEW (2025), which tells the frightening story of Larry Talbot’s older brother, John. Joe’s stock-in-trade has been the morphing of Classic Horror films into modern, alternative versions that we might say exist in a Parallel Universe. And, being prolific, Joe has whipped up a bunch of good ones.

But this is the first time that Joe has dipped his toe into the horror fiction market…for publication, anyway. That means that Joe had to engage in story construction “out of the blue sky.” And he’s pulled off a winner here.

THE NIGHT OF THE DEMON touches on a great many themes in horror and in life. Good versus Evil. The nature of faith. Self-doubt. Friendship. Fate. It had me thinking what I might do if I was ever faced with…well…ANYTHING like what happens in this book.

[Above: Three of Joe’s novels with covers designed by Ken Foreman. I was privileged to serve as the editor on two of them.]

“This novel is the result of two years of sleepless nights, haunted dreams, and an obsession with the darkest corners of human imagination,” Joe says. “It began as a whisper of an idea: What if evil itself had a plan, a hierarchy, and the patience to see it through? And what if only one man stood as the barrier between our world and absolute devastation?”

“It’s not for the squeamish,” Joe continues. “If you read this book, you’ll encounter a darkness running deeper than shadows, more ancient than fear itself. This is a story of supernatural horror. The stakes are nothing less than the fate of humanity. The enemy is one who comes bearing the authority of Lucifer.”

“I’ve spent a lot of time writing this nightmare, pouring my passion for the horror genre into every scene of terror, every moment of desperation, and every glimpse into the abyss,” Joe concludes. “This book is my love letter to everyone who understands that, sometimes, the most profound truths emerge from our darkest fears. I think horror at its finest shows us not just what we’re afraid of, but what we’re capable of when pushed to our absolute limits.”

[Above: Joe Overbay, prolific writer of horror fiction. THE NIGHT OF THE DEMON is his first published foray into the world of original storytelling.]

I had a GREAT time editing Joe’s book. Enjoy the excerpt below. But “just a word of friendly warning”…It contains disturbing scenes of violence and some adult language.

Excerpt: Chapter 10

Background: The demon Sargoth, All-High General of Lucifer’s forces, has come to earth to touch off the ultimate battle between Good and Evil. But first, he must feed…

The air was cold and damp. The sky was particularly clear, and the moon was full and bright. Sargoth had little trouble seeing as he searched for a victim. But it had been several hours now, and he still had not eaten. He was feeling an ever-growing sense of urgency. He must feed soon…

Suddenly, the demon saw an opportunity. He swooped down for a closer look.

It was a policeman patrolling around an apartment building—a husky cop who looked as if he would provide a pleasant meal. Sargoth circled and waited for the cop to get to a more secluded area. The demon desired to eat in peace, and that meant no interruptions.

At long last, the cop approached a pitch-black alley. Sargoth was sure that the cop would go in.

The demon soared to the top of the nearest building. He positioned himself so that he could attack in the middle of the path if needs be. He watched the cop like a hawk, waiting for him to turn down the alley…

The cop approached the byway. He knew that this was potentially the most dangerous spot on his beat. When he reached the passageway, he detached his flashlight from his belt. It was as big as a nightstick, and emitted powerful beams like the sun. He shined the light into the darkness. There wasn’t any sign of life at all.

Satisfied that all was clear, he moved down the sidewalk. He was actually glad that he didn’t have to go down the alley.

Sargoth, meanwhile, stayed perched on the roof. He’d watched in anticipation as the cop had paused at the passageway. The demon then shifted his position slightly as he prepared to pounce…

However—to Sargoth’s chagrin—the cop hadn’t gone any further. He’d just stood there with his gigantic flashlight. Then, he’d continued down the sidewalk.

Furious, Sargoth flew to the front of the building, keeping his glowing red eyes on the cop at all times. Frustration and hunger continued to build in him. But the demon knew that he couldn’t do anything here. The area was too well lit.

So now, he sulked on top of the building, waiting interminably for the cop to finish checking all the doors and the windows.

[Above: THE NIGHT OF THE DEMON is available now in paperback or as an ebook. As noted above, the cover was designed by Ken Foreman. Kristen Myers did the formatting.]

After what seemed like forever, the cop finally moved around the corner of the building and approached another alley. Sargoth decided that it was now or never—he needed to spring into action. He needed his meal. He didn’t have time to search for another victim—daylight loomed in the offing.

Sargoth flitted toward the passageway, and settled uneasily on the roof. He keenly observed as the cop shined the flashlight down this alley as well. The commanding beams—once again—revealed nothing. When the cop was seemingly satisfied, he turned to continue on…

And that’s when Sargoth made his move.

The cop crossed himself and thanked God that he didn’t have to go down that alley.

But just then, he heard something thump behind him…

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Agonized butterflies ran amok, circling around in the pit of his stomach. He turned and gingerly shined his light down the alleyway once again.

Nothing.

He put his right hand on the butt of his pistol and took a couple of tentative steps into the alleyway. He began to pan the flashlight light around with his left hand…

Still nothing.

Relieved, he was just about to give up when he caught a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye. He pulled his gun…

Just then, an orange tabby cat hissed and jumped out in front of him. The cop staggered backwards in shock. The cat took off like a bullet into the darkness.

At that moment—with lightning-fast motion—Sargoth turned and executed a nosedive toward the cop.

But something went terribly wrong. Instead of finding warm flesh to tear into, Sargoth felt a hot, searing pain shoot unexpectedly through his head…

For the cop—reacting to the orange cat—had crashed on the sidewalk, leaving nothing but air for the demon to attack.

Rolling quickly over, the cop glimpsed some ferocious creature that he couldn’t immediately identify.

Dear Jesus, he prayed, don’t let me go out like a bitch!

Blindly, he swung his hefty flashlight with all of his might and heard a nasty crack! He realized that he had nailed whatever this thing was squarely on its skull—but good!

Sargoth screeched horribly in pain. The power left his wings, and he felt himself collide with a brick wall. He slid uncontrollably until he collapsed on the ground. When he pried his eyes open, he was seeing double.

Meanwhile, the cop jumped up clumsily and began to half-crab walk, half-run in a desperate attempt to get the hell out of there. But—unknowingly—he’d lost his tentative grip on his pistol, which spun away from him and clattered on the road.

By then, Sargoth had recovered enough to resume the attack. He refused to be denied his meal. In spite of his aching head and impaired vision, the demon was just too fast. He caught up to the scrambling cop in a flash.

Cawing in triumph, Sargoth leapt forward and latched onto the panicking cop. He dug his claws deeply into the cop’s shoulders, joyfully feeling the warm spurts of blood as his hysterical victim’s heart pumped.

The cop screamed in agonizing pain, but heroically attempted to fight back. He viciously kicked at the demon, but to no avail. Sargoth was too strong. The demon dragged the cop on his belly back into the alley. He jumped gleefully on the cop’s back and reached for his head.

The cop—sensing that this could be it—urgently flung his arms around, trying to ward off the attack.

“Jesus, save me!” he howled like a madman, intending to draw some kind of attention to his predicament…and hoping against all hope that someone would indeed come to help him.

But these actions did him no good. In the blink of an eye, Sargoth moved forward and pressed the cop’s face flush on the ground.

The cop whimpered while his nose snapped and his front teeth cracked off thanks to the ever-increasing pressure of Sargoth’s relentless claw. In another instant, both eye sockets were reduced to bleeding flesh and bone chips…and the cop’s lights went out.

Sargoth seized his victim’s head and levered it back. It tore off as easily as the demon could snap a dry twig. The cop’s body twitched, but soon, all was quiet in the alley again.

Still—as hungry as he was—something inside of Sargoth advised caution. His head continued to feel like a buzz saw had sliced into it. And he blinked repeatedly in a doomed attempt to force the double vision to stop. As such, he didn’t start to eat right away. Instead, he stood upright on the cop’s corpse, listening intently for several minutes to see if the attack had stirred the populace.

But all was quiet except for the occasional squeaking of rats.

Feeling confident, Sargoth thrust his left claw into the cop’s forehead. The demon started to turn the head in a circular motion. All the while, his claw was cutting a gaping wound into the cop’s skull like some can opener from Hell.

The demon turned the cop’s head around to face him, then slowly pulled off the top of the skull. It detached with a sickening thwup.

Sargoth slurped obscenely from the inside of the skull, making sure that he got every drop of savory blood and the all-important brain matter. To this end, he dipped in his claw, dug the brain out, and victoriously began to feast.

The demon enjoyed every morsel…every wonderful, slimy juice that flowed out of the brain and graced his tongue. Then, he tossed the empty skull down on the ground like so much garbage. He grabbed an arm, tore it from the socket, and began to feed once more.

With each delicious bite, his confidence soared.

Who would dare to get in his way?

Who even had the power to try?

Lucifer’s plan was certain to succeed.

Excerpt (c) 2026, Arkane Shadows Press. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Want more? Of course you do! Get your copy of Joe Overbay’s THE NIGHT OF THE DEMON by clicking here. And make sure to lock your doors!

[Above: I had a great time editing THE NIGHT OF THE DEMON. Every time Joe killed off a character I liked, I would call him just to tell him that we were no longer speaking. I made a LOT of phone calls…]

SOURCES

Mank, Gregory William. IT’S ALIVE! New York: A.S. Barnes & Co., 1981. Print.

Oberbay, Joe. THE NIGHT OF THE DEMON. Arkane Shadows Press, 2026. Print and Ebook.

Note: All photos herein are utilized with permission.

Subscribe now

DID YOU KNOW? Two-time Rondo Award-winning filmmaker Thomas Hamilton is set to release VINCENT PRICE & THE ART OF LIVING, the first of the HORROR ICONS series, late in May of 2026. (I’m privileged to be a producer on the project.) Would you like to jump on board the HORROR ICONS express train and help get these important films made? Please click here for further information. Thank you!

[Above: Bill interviewed by Thomas Hamilton for VINCENT PRICE & THE ART OF LIVING. MONSTER BASH—Cranberry, Pennsylvania. July 20, 2024.]

To see previous entries of this Rondo Honorably-Mentioned blog, please click here.

[Bill updated this blog on July 12, 2026.]

Below is an excerpt from PART 1 of my upcoming book EDWARD VAN SLOAN: THE WISEST DOCTOR OF THE ALL. Keep your eyes open!

The Road to Tod Browning’s DRACULA

“For one who has not lived even a single lifetime, you are a wise man, Van Helsing!”

So intones an enraged Count Dracula when confronted by Dutch scientist Abraham Van Helsing, wielding a tell-tale mirror.

For vampires don’t cast reflections. [1] The wily Van Helsing knows this. And now, Dracula knows that Van Helsing knows…

It’s a pivotal moment in a pivotal scene from a pivotal film. The $700,000 profit Universal makes on DRACULA (1931)—the equivalent of a bit less than $15 million today—saves the studio from Depression-era bankruptcy. It also begins what will become the classic cycle of Universal horror films. FRANKENSTEIN (1931). MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (1932). THE MUMMY (1932). THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933).

Plus, it grants 48-year-old Bela “Dracula” Lugosi both stardom and screen immortality.

It does nearly the same thing for 48-year-old actor Edward Van Sloan. So much so, that if people know of Van Sloan today, it’s likely because of his iconic performance in DRACULA.

But how much of his background do we know? As film historian Tom Weaver once pointed out, a biography on Van Sloan would likely consist of a lot of filler…simply because he didn’t do a lot of interviews, and most of the folks who knew him are long dead. (These include his wife, actress Myra Roop Van Sloun, who died in 1960 [2], and their son, U.S. Army Colonel Paul Van Sloun, who died in 1962.) Van Sloan himself has been gone since 1964.

[Above: Edward Van Sloan as Dutch scientist Abraham Van Helsing is confronted by Bela Lugosi in 1931’s DRACULA. If anyone (besides Monster Kids) knows of Van Sloan today, it’s likely because of this film.]

Still, I like a challenge. So, I figured I might do a bit of research and tackle some aspects of Van Sloan’s life in a blog entry. (As it turns out, I needed to do it in two!)

And here we…go!

Edward Paul Van Sloun is the fourth child born to Theresa (Breher) Van Sloun and her husband Martinus on November 1, 1882 in New Trier, Minnesota, eleven days after Bela Lugosi. Theresa—a native of Illinois—is almost 30. Martin—who hails from Limburg in the Netherlands, but had grown up in Chaska, MN—is 34. [3] As a younger man, Martin had owned a furniture store.

“They spoke Dutch,” according to Dennis Van Sloun, a family historian and a distant relative of Edward’s, “and being there were a lot of German people in the community, they probably spoke German, too.”

Edward is baptized at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, a large stone building put up by parishioners in 1864. (The structure that presently occupies 8433 239th St. East was built in 1909.) In November 1883, the Van Slouns move 45 miles northwest to Chaska, Martin’s old stomping grounds.

“Martin Van Sloun…will open a saloon in the Ehrmanntraut building…” the WEEKLY VALLEY HERALD reports on November 15. “Martin is a genial fellow, and will undoubtedly do a good business in Chaska.”

Martin runs the saloon for about two years before opening up another furniture store.

But by October of 1888, trouble is brewing in the Van Sloun family, and Martin bails out. The WEEKLY VALLEY HERALD lists him as one of “our runaways” on February 14, 1899; he’s reportedly “turned up in Takoma Washington Territory.” He and Theresa try to reconcile in 1893, but it doesn’t take. By 1894, Theresa and the kids have moved 36 miles northeast to St. Paul.

[Above: (Top) Theresa Breher Van Sloun. (Bottom) The Van Sloun siblings, c. 1888. Standing in back: Marie. Middle row, L-to-R: Josephine, Edward, Frank, and Leonore. Sitting in front: Alma.]

Edward—nearing 12 years of age—develops interests in architecture and acting. (His sister Josephine also does some time on the boards.) However, Edward’s enthusiasm for the ocean fires his biggest ambition: he wants to become a sea captain.

“All my life, I was always threatening my mother that I would run away and go to sea,” he’ll tell the EVENING EXPRESS in 1927, “and she came to have a genuine horror of it. When I did decide to adapt the stage as a profession I am sure she regarded it as the lesser of two evils.”

By 1898, Edward’s older brother Frank is making inroads in the art world by molding figures out of butter. These are kept in glass-sided refrigerators, and preserved for months.

“He has several brothers and sisters,” THE SAINT PAUL GLOBE notes, “all of whom have shown special aptitude in several branches of art, and promise to develop much the same genius as Mr. Van Sloun…”

Frank later becomes famous for his painting, an interest Edward shares with him. They are very close as a result.

[Above: Martinus “Martin” Van Sloun, Edward’s father. He was born in the Netherlands, the ninth of 11 children. He and Theresa Breher married on October 2, 1874 in Chaska, Minnesota. He left his family in October of 1888, tried a reconciliation with Theresa in 1893, but left for good shortly thereafter. He died in Minnesota in 1918 at the age of 70.]

Early in 1900, the Van Slouns depart Minnesota and move 1900-plus miles east to San Francisco. (Many reports still erroneously state that Edward was born and raised there.) By June of that year, Theresa is employed at 2710 Scott Street as a live-in maid for Ida F. and Henry C. Davis (and their four kids), which means that Theresa’s offspring—including 17-year-old Edward—have to live someplace else. Edward ends up staying with his Aunt Mary Baumann—and her daughter, Alma—on Van Ness Avenue.

Upon graduating high school, Edward—by now definitely interested in acting—enrolls in the University of California to study architecture.

“Not that my family is so Puritanical as to abjure the stage,” he explains in 1927, “but simply that I was designed for one of the staider professions. In fact my boyish leanings were toward architecture—I have a brother who is an artist, so that it was quite a natural line into which to drift—and I imagine those good Californian people of mine would have been delighted if I had decided to remain an architect and design houses for the substantial folk in San Francisco for the rest of my life.”

But he was bitten by the acting bug and just couldn’t shake it. In his second year, he switches his major to dramatic arts and literature. He pays particular attention to classic German plays. By his third year, he’s welcome in the once-a-week amateur productions on the college stage, directed by his professor of German dramatic literature.

“I had done quite a bit in amateur dramatics at the University of California,” he says, “and you know how even that little gets into a youngster’s blood. By the time I was through with my amateur fling, I knew that I wanted to be an actor…”

[Above: Edward Van Sloan, c. 1910. He got his true start on the boards by acting in a German Stock Company out of San Francisco. Following that, he worked with numerous American stock companies. He later got into Vaudeville, and finally made it on Broadway.]

Upon graduating from college, Edward and two friends—Walter DeLeon and Reuben G. ‘Rube’ Goldberg—“immediately jumped on a train and sped away to New York,” intending to hit the bigtime.

“So thoroughly had I made up my mind what I wanted to do that I didn’t even stop over once en route.”

DeLeon eventually ends up writing some Broadway shows (e.g., 1928’s THE K GUY), but is better known for his Hollywood screenplays—INTERNATIONAL HOUSE (1933) with W.C. Fields, and Abbott & Costello’s THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES (1946) among them. Goldberg—who’d later graduate with a degree in Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley—goes on to become a celebrated cartoonist, famous for drawing chain-reaction machines humorously designed to make the simplest of tasks impossibly difficult.

As for Edward?

“Arrived in New York, I went at once to the Charles Frohman offices and sought a part,” he’ll tell the EVENING EXPRESS. “I decided to honor Mr. Frohman with my attentions, I presume, because that was really the only theatrical name I knew.”

Not knowing “the etiquette of managers or agents,” Van Sloan sees that an office door is ajar. Ignoring the PRIVATE sign, he peers into the room and sees “a man sitting at a desk.”

“I went in and told my story,” Edward will later relate. “And I got a part! It sounds unbelievable, I know, but it is true.”

The play is TICEY, OR THAT LITTLE AFFAIR OF BOYD’S, written by none other than actor William Gillette (1899’s SHERLOCK HOLMES). It will eventually have a four-year run in New York and Washington DC.

But it will do so without Edward Van Sloan.

“I looked the part over, but it didn’t seem to me to present any possibilities,” he explains. “I hadn’t come to New York to play bits, but to be a leading man—a person of importance—so I refused it.”

Later, of course, Van Sloan learns the benefit of proper etiquette. And it will be years before he ever sets foot in the Frohman offices again.

“However, I still have the distinction, I believe,” he sums up, “of being one of the very few inexperienced actors who ever refused a part from Charles Frohman.”

Back on the West Coast, Edward—now using the stage name Edward Van Sloan [4]— joins the many other young aspiring actors shaking the palm trees for work. But parts aren’t easy to come by, and Van Sloan finds himself falling back on more traditional ways of making a living.

“I made sporadic efforts to be a ‘business man,’ as the family wished,” he tells writer W. Ward Marsh in 1922, “although these efforts seemed to coincide with the temporary absence of a theatrical engagement.”

At one point, Edward’s day job involves designing art posters for magazines. Another particular ‘effort’ has him working for “a big lumber concern in San Francisco.” [5]

Interestingly, this company supplies materials to author Jack London (THE CALL OF THE WILD), who is in the process of building the Snark—a 55-foot-long combination steamboat and schooner.

London’s intention? To sail around the world with his wife Charmian, visit exotic locations, and write about it.

“London supervised every detail of the Snark’s construction,” Van Sloan explains, “and his demands were exacting.”

That, plus the fact that San Francisco suffers through a crushing earthquake on April 18, 1906—the very day the Snark’s keel is laid—turns the project into a quagmire.

Construction materials are almost impossible to come by. London’s $7000 budget goes the way of the dodo bird. The final tab? Thirty thousand bucks, the equivalent of slightly more than $1 million at this writing.

And London—famously bad with money, no matter how much he earns—goes into debt.

“London was a genius, not a business man,” Van Sloan sums up.

Well, somebody has to collect from him. And Edward Van Sloan is pressed into service.

“[I]t was tactfully suggested I could expect to walk a plank if I returned empty handed.”

Thus fortified, the young Edward sets out to talk to London, carrying with him a “lumber bill of several thousand dollars.”

Arriving at the Beauty Ranch—another of London’s money pits—Van Sloan finds himself warmly received by the world-famous writer.

“Yes, yes, certainly,” a cordial London greets him. “Let’s go over the bills in the library.”

Dropping a “voluminous sheaf of invoices” on London’s table, the once wannabe sea captain quickly finds himself enthralled by the author’s stories, which detail “all the romantic things he was going to do with the Snark.”

Three hours later, London seemingly forgets what Van Sloan has come for. And so does Van Sloan. Leaving without the receipts—or the money—Edward is horrified when he remembers that he’s due to report to the auditor the following morning.

“Anyway, [London] didn’t owe it to me personally,” Van Sloan laughs. “I don’t know whether the company ever did get its money, for I left the firm shortly afterward, very shortly. But I had sailed on the Snark for a whole afternoon with Jack London.”

[Above: Author Jack London and his wife Charmian on board the Snark in 1907. London had commissioned the building of the ship and quickly went into debt. The lumber company sent Van Sloan to collect from him.]

Soon after, Van Sloan—who, as we’ve seen, likely speaks fluent German—joins San Francisco’s German Stock Company….

DO YOU WANT MORE? IT WON’T BE LONG! MY BOOK SHOULD BE OUT SOON!

Meanwhile, check out this next excerpt from PART 2…Click here.

NOTES

[1] This is an invention of Bram Stoker’s in his novel DRACULA (1897). Personally, I’ve never liked the idea. But nobody asked me, so…

[2] She acted under the names Myra Jackson and Myra Dean.

[3] According to the June 1-2, 1900 U.S. census, Theresa was born in December 1852, but the exact day appears to be unknown. The other children were: Marie (1875); twins Leonore and Frank (1879); and Josephine (1880). Following Edward’s birth, two more children were born: Karl (1884, who died in 1885) and Alma (1887).

[4] Why he made the change is unknown, but perhaps he thought it might be easier for people to pronounce?

[5] Which company this might be seems to have been lost in time.

SOURCES

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“Behind The Scenes.” EVENING EXPRESS. August 31, 1927, p. 8. Print.

“Behind The Scenes.” EVENING EXPRESS. November 28, 1927, p. 10. Print.

Bessell, L.H. “Vaudeville Appeals to Edward Van Sloan.” THE STAR-LEDGER. August 18, 1914, p. 6. Print.

“Blood-Sucking DRACULA Roams 12th St. Stage.” OAKLAND TRIBUNE. September 10, 1928, p. 22. Print.

“Bram Stoker Horror Play At Parson’s.” HARTFORD COURANT. September 23, 1927, p. 4. Print.

“Centre Square.” THE REPORTER. May 26, 1921, p. 7. Print.

“Curtain Calls.” THE STAR-LEDGER. October 16, 1914, p. 16. Print.

Donahue, James P. “Notes About Californians.” SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE. December 12, 1909, p. 30. Print.

“DRACULA Provides the Expected Scare.” PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY. September 18, 1928, p. 2. Print.

“DRACULA Scoring as A Scary Success.” THE TIMES-PICAYUNE. January 1, 1928, p. 25. Print.

“Edward Paul Van Sloun.” WikiTree. www.wikitree.com. Accessed January 11, 2026. Web.

“Edward Van Sloan’s Career.” THE BROOKLYN DAILY TIMES. February 24, 1929, p. 28. Print.

Edwards, G. John. “Great Horror Figure Dies.” FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND No. 31. December 1964. Print.

“Forsberg Players Harvest New Laurels In Musical Show.” THE STAR LEDGER. December 29, 1914, p. 16. Print.

“Forsberg Players in AT BAY.” THE STAR-LEDGER. September 30, 1914, p. 15. Print.

“Forsberg Players Open Tonight.” LANCASTER DAILY INTELLIGENCER. October 25, 1915, p. 5. Print.

“Horror Drama Here June 23.” THE LOS ANGELES EVENING POST-RECORD. June 4, 1928, p. 5. Print.

“Keith Actor, A Californian, Fond of N.E.” EVENING EXPRESS. May 20, 1927, p. 8. Print.

Lathrop, Monroe. “CAPTIVE Again Taken Captive After 1 Show.” LOS ANGELES EVENING EXPRESS. June 6, 1928, p. 16. Print.

Lathrop, Monroe. “Spike In Heart Ends Power Of Count Dracula.” LOS ANGELES EVENING EXPRESS. June 26, 1928, p. 15. Print.

Mantle, Burns. “DRACULA Shivers and Squeals JACOB SLOVAK Race Drama.” DAILY NEWS. October 6, 1927, p. 121. Print.

Marsh, W. Ward. “Sailing the ‘Snark.’” THE PLAIN DEALER. July 14, 1922, p. 16. Print.

“Martha Roop Van Sloun.” www.findagrave.com. Accessed January 10, 2026. Web.

McDermott, William F. “Cleveland Beats New York by Five or Six Hits, Theatrically Speaking.” March 11, 1923, p. 19. Print.

“Mozart Family Theatre [Ad].” LANCASTER NEW ERA. May 15, 1911, p. 3. Print.

“New Suits, Probate Filings, Etc.” THE RECORDER. March 17, 1928, p. 1. Print.

“Notes About the Players.” THE BOSTON GLOBE. February 10, 1924, p. 58. Print.

Olson, Mark. “The First ‘Van Helsing’: Chaska Native Starred In Original Movie Role.” PIONEER PRESS. May 5, 2004; Revised February 9, 2025. www.twincities.com. Accessed January 24, 2026. Web.

“Our Own Spotlight.” EVENING EXPRESS. February 22, 1928, p. 5. Print.

“Our Own Spotlight.” EVENING EXPRESS. September 24, 1928, p. 11. Print.

“Paul William Van Sloun.” www.findagrave.com. Accessed January 10, 2026. Web.

“Personal.” THE NEWS-JOURNAL (THE MORNING NEWS). March 7, 1911, p. 1. Print.

“Play DRACULA Is Unexcelled For Its Type.” THE DAY. September 27, 1927, p. 9. Print.

“Plays and Players: At the Boyd.” OMAHA WORLD-HERALD. January 4, 1909, p. 2. Print.

“Premiere of DEBT by Stewart Beebe at Loew’s Theater.” THE STAR-LEDGER. July 10, 1915, p. 12. Print.

“Radio News & Program.” PALLADIUM-ITEM. March 23, 1928, p. 14. Print.

Rhodes, Gary D. and Bill Kaffenberger. BECOMING DRACULA: THE EARLY YEARS OF BELA LUGOSI, VOLUME ONE. Orlando, FL: BearManor Media, 2020. Ebook.

Rhodes, Gary D. and Bill Kaffenberger. BECOMING DRACULA: THE EARLY YEARS OF BELA LUGOSI, VOLUME TWO. Orlando, FL: BearManor Media, 2021. Ebook.

Schallert, Edwin. “DRACULA Calls Forth Shudder.” THE LOS ANGELES TIMES. June 27, 1928, p. 43. Print.

Skal, David J. HOLLYWOOD GOTHIC. New York: Faber and Faber, Inc., 1990, 2004. Print.

“SQUARE CROOKS At Keiths This Week Strong In Comedy.” PORTLAND PRESS HERALD. June 7, 1927, p. 4. Print.

“Stage and Screen.” PORTLAND PRESS HERALD. October 10, 1927, p. 4. Print.

“Stage Notes.” BROOKLYN EAGLE. April 22, 1923, p. 74. Print.

“Statues Cut In Butter: Frank Van Sloun’s New Field for Artistic Effort.” THE SAINT PAUL GLOBE. June 26, 1898, p. 10. Print.

“Stock Company Rings Down the Curtain.” THE JERSEY JOURNAL. March 18, 1910, p. 6. Print.

“Stock Player Long Identified With the Stage.” THE PLAIN DEALER. June 11, 1922, p. 42. Print.

“Stock Plays At the Academy.” THE TIMES-TRIBUNE. September 25, 1909, p. 9. Print.

“Sweetest Story of Love Played.” THE STAR-LEDGER. July 2, 1912, p. 7. Print.

“THE DEEP PURPLE Stirs.” THE BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE. May 27, 1913, p. 28. Print.

“THE DEVIL and a Good Vaudeville Show Next Week.” THE NEWS-JOURNAL. January 21, 1911, p. 2. Print.

“The Play: Werewolf Legend Modernized.” ASBURY PARK PRESS. October 1, 1927, p. 7. Print.

“Theaters.” THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR. January 26, 1909, p. 9. Print.

“Theatre Notes.” DAILY NEWS. September 14, 1927, p. 33. Print.

“To Open Sept. 10.” BROOKLYN EAGLE. September 2, 1929, p. 15. Print.

“Two Keith-Albee Players to Stay In Maine For Summer Vacations.” PORTLAND PRESS HERALD. June 18, 1927, p. 4.

“Under the Greenwood Tree.” THE HOLTON SIGNAL. January 14, 1909, p. 1. Print.

“Van Sloun.” THE SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER. March 2, 1928, p. 4. Print.

“Van Sloan Here in New Thriller.” THE LOS ANGELES TIMES. June 19, 1928, p. 25. Print.

“Wants National Stock Theaters.” BROOKLYN EAGLE. April 15, 1923, p. 75. Print.

Warren, George C. “DRACULA Shivers And Shudders Through At The Columbia.” SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE. August 21, 1928, p. 15. Print.

Waugh, Earle R. “The Nixon: DRACULA A Mystery Play.” THE PITTSBURGH PRESS. March 12, 1929, p. 19. Print.

Wells, Adeline Carrick. “CONCERT at Orpheum Keeps Interest Tense.” THE STAR-LEDGER. October 28, 1913, p. 5. Print.

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Wickham, Verne. “Rex Beach Tale of Alaska Will Open at State.” PRESS-TELEGRAM. December 6, 1930, p. 3. Print.

NOTE: The pictures herein are utilized for educational purposes only. I don not own the copyrights, nor do I make money from this website.

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DID YOU KNOW? Two-time Rondo Award-winning filmmaker THOMAS HAMILTON is finishing up VINCENT PRICE & THE ART OF LIVING—the first in the HORROR ICONS documentary series—for release near the end of May this year! I’m lucky enough to be a producer on the project. Would you like to jump on the HORROR ICONS express train and help get these important films made? Please click here for information. Thank you!

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GETTING TO KNOW LON CHANEY, JR. (PART 1) is available here.

Happy 2026! I hope this finds everyone doing well and looking forward to the promise that a New Year can bring…even though I am familiar with that cynical U2 song.

In any case, it’s a pleasure for me to be kicking off my blog in 2026 with another entry about Lon Chaney, Jr. If you’re new to this website, welcome…and you should know that Lon, Jr. is my favorite classic horror star. (I’ve even written two books about him—as noted in the by-line above—and he figures prominently in my latest work-in-progress, which will take an in-depth look at FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN among other things.)

So…let’s jump in and check out a few more details about the Big Guy.

FRIENDS

Like his father before him, Lon, Jr. was most comfortable around the working stiffs in the Hollywood studios. Grips. Stunt folks. Technicians. Like that. In fact, in 1960, Lon told syndicated columnist Harold Heffernan that he had no friends in the business.

“But I do have wonderful friends outside of it in everything from plumbing to banking. I’ve never felt comfortable around Hollywood phonies. I’m not saying everybody in town is one, but I’ve seen too much to enjoy living here as part of the industry.”

Lon even went so far as to tell Heffernan that part of the reason he’d purchased Lennie’s Ranch in 1944 was “because he felt movietown atmosphere was nothing his two youngsters should absorb.”

However, there were notable exceptions to Lon’s No Friends In the Biz policy.

For example, one of Lon’s best buddies was actor Broderick Crawford (Oscar winner for 1949’s ALL THE KING’S MEN). The two met at Universal—where they were both under contract—and became inseparable. To begin with, Brod was no phony. And, of course, the two actors had Lennie Small in common. Brod had originated the character in John Steinbeck’s play OF MICE AND MEN on Broadway; Lon had picked up the role in the West Coast version, and—in 1939—had played the part to great effect in Hal Roach’s classic Oscar-nominated film.

Then, too, both Brod and Lon came from show business families. They were patriotic as well; they lived near each other, and—during WWII—planted Victory Gardens. Brod ended up serving in the Air Force, while Lon attempted to enlist in the Marines as a cook. [1] They enjoyed hunting and fishing (separately and together), and playing practical jokes.

One of Brod’s practical jokes involved a life-sized cardboard cutout of the Wolf Man. Setting up the prop at Chaney’s house in the dark of the night, Brod and his accomplices managed to get Lon’s attention—and were thrilled to see him scared out of his wits by the sight of his own image when he swung open the front door.

Lon, of course, had a few choice words for the pranksters…which he was more than happy to bellow out.

But Brod and Lon’s most infamous pastime had to be their epic roughhousing.

Two things elevated the roughhousing to now legendary levels. One was the fact that both Brod and Lon were big, burly, incredibly strong men with a high tolerance for pain.

The second was that both guys drank. A lot.

So kicking each other in the shins with cowboy boots on was no problem. Hanging their dressing room furniture on the ceiling, opening a bottle, and wrestling until the place was a wreck was no problem—at least not for them. But Universal suits weren’t enamored of their pranks, nor were some of the actors they worked with. Robert Stack (TV’s THE UNTOUCHABLES) wrote in his memoirs that Brod and Lon were known on the lot as “the monsters.” And Andy Devine—who often shared the dressing room with Brod, Lon, and Dick Foran—noted that the bungalow was referred to as “The Pest House.”

Sadly, two of the “pests”—Brod and Lon, of course—got on actress Evelyn Ankers’ bad side while shooting NORTH TO THE KLONDIKE. (For the full story, click here.)

[Above: Brod Crawford and Chaney working on their Victory Garden in 1942. The two pals lived close to each other, and both were patriots. They were featured in a Universal short called KEEPING FIT, which encouraged civilians to garden.]

Brod and Lon’s friendship endured for the rest of Chaney’s life. Their careers intersected at times as well. For example, when Garson Kanin’s Broadway hit BORN YESTERDAY (1946) went on tour, Chaney took over the part of Harry Brock from Paul Douglas. When director George Cukor made the film version for Columbia in 1950, he had Brod as Brock.

Then, there was NOT AS A STRANGER (1955), a Stanley Kramer drama featuring Robert Mitchum, Frank Sinatra, Lee Marvin, Brod, and—in one of his best supporting roles—Lon. But Kramer got more than he bargained for, because all of those powerhouse actors were also raging alcoholics. Kramer almost went mad trying to keep them sober enough to actually get the film done.

In 1969, Brod and Lon were tapped to do a comedic TV commercial for Pontiac. The premise? Brod is a law enforcement officer tasked with overseeing a chain gang. When a train comes by carrying the featured automobile, the inmates steal the car and escape. Joining Lon in the gang were Mike Mazurki, Elisha Cook, Jr., Robert Strauss, and Leo Gorcey.

Late in his life—about 1972—Lon had a visit from Brod. Lon had gone through a series of surgical procedures by then, and had—according to Brod—“a lot of his insides taken out.” But Lon was up, moving around and cheerful, telling Brod all about his proposed book project entitled A CENTURY OF CHANEYS. [2]

Brod Crawford died on April 26, 1986 at the age of 74.

Another of Lon’s good friends was Glenn Strange. In addition to taking over the part of Frankenstein’s monster from Boris Karloff—and working in a bunch of westerns—Lon and Glenn enjoyed hunting and fishing together. In fact, at one point during the making of HOUSE OF DRACULA (1945), Universal suits forbade the two from going on a hunting trip in Colorado because too many hunters were getting shot by accident over there.

Also famous was the time that Chaney got Strange drunk on the set.

Buried in muck by the crew, Strange as the Monster was freezing when Lon came to the soundstage with a fifth. Strange took some healthy pulls to say the least, and managed to feel warm while shooting the scene…though the booze hit him on the back nine. Still, Glenn was appreciative.

“I think he just about saved my life that day,” Glenn said of Lon. (For more details, see my blog entry FRANKENSTRANGE, PART 1.)

[Above: Lon and Glenn Strange on the set of 1945’s HOUSE OF DRACULA. The two actors enjoyed hunting and fishing together.]

And then, there was the time on ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948) when Lon stepped in for Glenn as the Monster after Glenn had broken his ankle trying to toss stunt performer Helen Thurston through a breakaway laboratory window. (For the full story, scroll down in my blog entry MONSTER KID TRIVIA.)

Legend has it that Strange was able to muster one last gesture of friendship for Lon at the end of his life. On July 12, 1973, Glenn heard that his buddy had died at 67. Noted memorabilia collector Bob Burns (RIP), working for a CBS affiliate at the time, reached out to him.

Listen, Burns explained, Chaney’s just died, and I can’t find anyone to go on the air about him. Do you think you can do it?

Though afflicted with terminal cancer, Strange said, “I will.” He nobly rose from his sickbed and spoke about his friend.

A little more than two months later—on September 20, 1973—Glenn died himself at the age of 74. [3]

Lon was also friendly with Noah Beery, Jr., the nephew of noted actor Wallace Beery. Noah and Lon appeared in several movies together, including OF MICE AND MEN, the Universal serial OVERLAND MAIL (1942), and THE DALTONS RIDE AGAIN (1945). Lon attended Noah’s marriage to Maxine Jones—daughter of actor Buck Jones—on March 30, 1940. In 1945, when Lon proposed buying military surplus helicopters and starting an air taxi service from the Hollywood studios to Malibu, Beery—along with screenwriter John Grant and director Jean Yarborough—was one of the investors.

Noah, most famous for portraying James Garner’s father on TV’s THE ROCKFORD FILES, died on November 1, 1994 at 81.

[Above: Noah Beery Jr., Maxine Evelyn Jones (Beery), and Lon at the Beery’s wedding, which took place on March 30, 1940 at the Jones’ ranch in Van Nuys.]

Years later—on February 22, 1957—Lon was the Best Man at actor John Hart’s wedding to actress Beryl Marie Braithwaite. John and Lon had been shooting the TV series HAWKEYE AND THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS near Pickering, Ontario when Beryl was hired to play a settler’s wife. John—who played Hawkeye—had been hanging with Chaney—who played Mohican chief Chingachgook—in Chaney’s trailer, but happened to step out as Beryl passed by.

“I felt my heart drop on the ground,” she said later.

The ceremony took place in Clarkson, a neighborhood in Mississauga, Ontario.

[Above: Enid (John’s mother), Lon, Beryl, John, and Beryl’s sister Shari at Beryl and John’s wedding in Ontario on the evening of February 22, 1957. John and Lon had become good friends while shooting the TV series HAWKEYE AND THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.]

There were other Hollywood friendships, of course.

For example, Lon always felt close to Wallace Ford. Ford—who had originated the part of George Milton in Broadway’s OF MICE AND MEN—picked Chaney for the West Coast version when Brod Crawford opted out to make movies…even though Chaney admitted that his audition wasn’t very good. Ford apparently saw something in Lon that he knew would work—his sad eyes, perhaps?—and, according to film historian Greg Mank, tutored Chaney, basically having him imitate Brod…at least at first. (Before long, Chaney developed his own interpretation of Lennie.) Wally and Lon later appeared in the films THE MUMMY’S TOMB (1942) and THE BOY FROM OKLAHOMA (1954).

Then, there was actor Peter Coe of THE MUMMY’S CURSE (1944) and HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944). He and Lon became friendly, and one day embarked on the seven-hour trip between L.A. and Lennie’s Ranch in Cool, CA to do some hunting. According to Coe, they drank all the way up, and the next morning, Lon offered him what he thought was orange juice.

But no—it was straight liquor.

They got trigger happy in the field (it’s never good to be around firearms while drinking), and killed nearly fifty geese—well above the legal limit. Sneaking back later under cover of darkness, they quickly loaded the birds in Lon’s truck and got out of Dodge.

Lon certainly had other friends in the Biz. Andy Devine. Dick Foran. Screenwriter Curt Siodmak (though in some ways, the adage, “With friends like these, who needs enemies?” applies here).

And both Ilona Massey (FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN) and Elena Verdugo (HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN) thought he was sweet. Beverly Garland from THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE (1959) loved him, too.

But in the end, Lon did tend to shy away from the Hollywood scene.

ENEMIES

Lon couldn’t stand John Jeske, his father’s so-called chauffeur and secret assistant. [4] And after Lon, Sr.’s death in 1930, Junior went for the legal jugular to reclaim some of his father’s estate from both Hazel—his stepmother—and Jeske, who had thrown in together. (For more about this, see my blog entry LON CHANEY’S BIGGEST MISTAKE.)

Lon famously didn’t like Evelyn Ankers, either. And the feeling was mutual.

According to Curt Siodmak, Lon was also jealous of the preferential treatment Maria Montez (1944’s THE COBRA WOMAN) was given by Universal.

Then, Lon had a distaste for folks he perceived to be “foreigners” in general, though exactly why is still unknown—was it perhaps because he was an impressionable child when the Great War broke out? (Lon’s father had no such prejudice.) He allegedly struggled with director Robert Siodmak (1943’s SON OF DRACULA) in particular—according to Robert’s brother Curt, Lon broke a vase over Robert’s head. And later, when the cast signed the shooting script for Siodmak, Lon wrote, “I can't wish all foreigners luck but I do for you.”

Actor Martin Kosleck (THE MUMMY’S CURSE, 1945’s THE FROZEN GHOST) certainly didn’t like Chaney, often complaining that Lon was drunk, and telling anyone who would listen that he had no idea why Universal made Chaney a star. In later years, Kosleck claimed that Chaney was jealous of his “superior talent.”

And though makeup artist Jack P. Pierce was in many ways responsible for bringing the Wolf Man to life—which Chaney acknowledged—Lon never really liked him. In fact, Chaney once signed a picture for Pierce as follows: “To the greatest goddamned sadist in the world. – L.C.”

For the record, he also disliked makeup man Bill Madsen of ONE MILLION B.C. (1940).

“We were out in the desert in 120-degree heat with all that hair all over us,” Lon recounted in the late 1960s. “Every time we were going to be made up, the makeup man would just put that itchy hair all over us, and in that heat, it was really hell.”

Regarding Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, well, Lon liked both of them personally—though he preferred Bob Hope’s style of comedy. But in 1969, Lon complained bitterly about A&C’s MEET monster films.

“Abbott and Costello ruined the horror films,” Chaney lamented. “They made buffoons out of the monsters.” (In my opinion, they certainly made a clown out of the Wolfman. See my blog entry LON JR. AND ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN.)

Now…how did Lon do with the other horror icons of his time, particularly Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi?

Following Karloff’s death on February 2, 1969, Forrest J Ackerman ran a public statement about Boris—allegedly from Lon—in his book BORIS KARLOFF: THE FRANKENSCIENCE MONSTER. (The belief is that Ackerman ghostwrote the statement for Lon, though he must have asked Lon what he wanted to say.)

“I didn’t know him that well,” the statement read (in part). “And—you all know me—I’m not the gushy type…all the same it’s sure hard to think of an actor like him gone after all the years he was active on the screen…I’m sure it was a blessing to have so many people care about him at his age.”

Privately, Lon’s feelings were different at times…at least according to director Jack Hill of SPIDER BABY (1967).

“He felt that he was a much better actor than he’d been given credit for,” Hill told Daniel Schweiger of MEDIA FUNHOUSE in 1993. “He was particularly very jealous of Boris Karloff. He would say, ‘That guy isn’t one bit better than I am!’”

[Above: A public statement following Karloff’s death—allegedly penned by Chaney—published in Forrest J Ackerman’s book, BORIS KARLOFF: THE FRANKENSCIENCE MONSTER. Lon’s feelings about Karloff were a little more complicated than indicated here, at least at times.]

As for Bela?

In an interview published by FILMFAX, Patsy Chaney (Lon’s second wife) claimed that her husband harbored no animosity toward Lugosi, and in fact considered Bela to be a friend.

And who among us Monster Kids wouldn’t like to think that the feelings of friendship between Bela and Lon were mutual? True, they never hung out off the set, but—then again—their interests were very different.

Then, too, there’s the possibility that Lon liked Bela, but Bela might have only tolerated Lon in public...and complained about him privately behind his back. (Lon may have never known.) Don Marlowe—one of Bela’s agents—came straight out and said, “I think the only person Lugosi ever disliked was Lon Chaney, Jr.” Arthur Lennig (one of Bela’s biographers) and Greg Mank both assert that Bela was angered by Lon getting the lead in SON OF DRACULA, and supposedly nursed a personal grudge...as if it were Lon’s fault.

Mank also asserts—and I believe him—that Bela didn’t like it when Lon carried a flask and drank on the set during the films they made together. And Mank paints Lon as the aggressor on THE BLACK SHEEP (1956), antagonizing the older actor by calling him “Pop,” and physically lifting Bela over his head. [5]

My educated guess? I’d say that Lon liked Bela, but Bela didn’t really like Lon...and generally kept quiet about it. [6]

The bottom line, though, is that we’ll likely never know.

LIKES

As we’ve seen, Lon was an avid lover of the outdoors; he took great pleasure in hunting and fishing. But his motivation to bag fin, fur, and feather went beyond the pleasure a typical sportsman enjoys.

Like his father, Lon never trusted that the good times of good salaries in decent movies would last. As such, Lon, Sr. kept his membership in IATSE, the stage hand’s union, as a bulwark against hard times. Lon, Jr.—knowing that he was only golden until his next contract option was due—decided to can and preserve the food he caught and shot. He said that just seeing the canned food eased his mind.

When he could afford them, Lon certainly enjoyed the accoutrements of the sporting life. Though at $300 a week he was the lowest paid principal player in Roach’s OF MICE AND MEN, that still translates into spending power just shy of $7000 today. With that, he bought himself a 1939 Lincoln Zephyr Convertible Sedan and a 32-foot motorboat.

[Top: Lon with actress Sally Blane (Loretta Young’s sister) and his new Lincoln Zephyr. Bottom: Lon fishing on his motorboat (note the dyed hair for OF MICE AND MEN). The boat turned out to be a mixed blessing when—in July of 1940—the engine conked out, setting Lon, Patsy, and three guests adrift for 24 hours. Luckily, an airplane spotted them and they were rescued. Photo credits: John Antosiewicz Collection.]

Another acquisition was a custom station wagon “house,” built at a cost of $3000 in 1941—a tad more than $65,000 today. Designed for hunting and fishing excursions, the rig featured bunks to sleep on and a butane-powered refrigerator.

Interestingly, Lon claimed to have started driving relatively late in life.

“I never drove a car until I was twenty years old,” he told SCREEN BOOK columnist J. Eugene Chrisman in 1932.

But he drove a lot from then on in. He owned pickup trucks (among other vehicles). In the mid-1960s, Lon had a Chevy Bel Air wagon with a red body and a white roof. And in the late 1960s, he drove what one interviewer described as a “rattle-trap late model station wagon.” Lon himself described it as an “old heap.”

“[I]t’s the only car I can get my big pot belly behind the wheel of,” he claimed. [7]

Of course, Lon loved to cook. He would often make lunch for his co-stars in his trailer on set. He was noted for his chili, and a lamb chop recipe of his was featured in ads for Mogen David wine. By the 1950s, he was whipping up delicious soups that he would charge 10 cents for in order to replenish his supplies.

[Above: An ad for Mogen David wine, featuring one of Chaney’s recipes: lamb chops with broiled pineapple slices in wine. Lon loved to cook, and would often prepare lunch for his co-stars on set.]

Lon was also enamored of farming and ranching. He raised chickens at his L.A. home in the 1940s, and Lennie’s Ranch up north housed a healthy number of cattle. His big plan for Lennie’s Ranch? He wanted to help out the folks who had helped him establish his acting career by boarding them if they ever hit on hard times.

He enjoyed a number of athletic pursuits, including biking, golf, tennis, and wrestling. In fact, Chaney taught fellow actor Joel McCrae how to wrestle for McCrae’s film THE SPORT PARADE (1932).

And when he first signed a contract with RKO—as Creighton Chaney—he decided that he needed to get into leading-man shape. So, he dropped 35 pounds—going from 215 of muscle to a sinewy 180—by jogging and existing on fruit juice.

He also enjoyed playing bridge, loved Zane Grey novels, and wrote songs. As a young man, he possessed a fantastic baritone singing voice, as he demonstrated when belting out a George Waggner tune in GIRL O’ MY DREAMS (1934).

[Top: GIRL O’ MY DREAMS (1934) took advantage of Lon’s athleticism. Bottom: Lon enjoyed ranching and farming. Lennie’s Ranch in Cool, CA housed hundreds of heads of cattle on 1300 acres.]

Another detail fans might not know is that Lon loved to study history. He was particularly up on Native American culture, which he used to great advantage while acting in HAWKEYE AND THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS as well as BATTLES OF CHIEF PONTIAC (1952).

And he was fluent in sign language, since both his paternal grandfather and grandmother were deaf.

DISLIKES

Lon was encouraged when he was signed by Universal in January of 1941, particularly since the intention was to feature him in a variety of roles. But after his triumph in THE WOLF MAN, he found himself being pigeonholed in horror roles originally created by others, including the Frankenstein monster and Dracula. And he downright detested playing the Mummy. (For more detailed information, see my blog entry WHY LON CHANEY, JR. HATED THE MUMMY.)

In his personal life, he wasn’t a big fan of the Hollywood nightclub scene, though he and Patsy were spotted now and then at the likes of the Stork Club.

He also disliked suits and ties.

“I can’t stand them…” he told Harold Heffernan. “I never wear a tie or collar unless I’m forced to…”

[Top: Lon loved to play practical jokes. One of his favorites was hanging furniture from the ceiling in a co-star’s dressing room. Bottom: Lon disliked suits and ties, and wasn’t a huge fan of the Hollywood nightlife. But he and Patsy could be seen now and then at a fancy place like the Stork Club.]

When left to his own, he was often garbed in flannel shirts, jeans or khakis, open-necked short sleeves, and/or the occasional sweatshirt. And in more formal settings, he’d often wear his collar open underneath a sport jacket if he could get away with it.

He also skipped formal dinners when at all possible.

“I’m a counter eater myself,” he said.

Toward the end of his career, he wasn’t thrilled with how horror films were being made, believing that scenes of gratuitous sex and violence weren’t necessary…though he paid the bills by appearing in exploitation flicks like Al Adamson’s THE FEMALE BUNCH and DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN. [8]

And he wasn’t thrilled with the fact that his reputation was almost solely tied to his horror pictures.

“Those werewolves and Draculas were all I could take,” he complained to reporter Mac Keillor in 1967. “And that is the image most people have of me, and I can tell you, I’m sick and tired of it.”

Of course, he left Patsy strict instructions regarding his death: there was to be no publicity, and no funeral. He didn’t want that kind of attention. Instead, his body was donated to UCLA as a medical specimen.

There’s more…a LOT more. I haven’t touched upon his smoking. I haven’t gone into details regarding his drinking. Or his parenting. Or his thoughts about acting. These might be things that we can examine in the future.

But for now, I’d rather concentrate on Lon Chaney, Jr.’s positive side. His humor. His intelligence. His generosity. His love of animals and children.

It’s the least I can do as we approach the 120th anniversary of his birth.

NOTES

[1] High blood pressure kept Lon out; much to his chagrin, he was classified 4-F. He went on the road instead and sold a lot of War Bonds.

[2] Lon never finished it. Lon’s grandson, Ronald Curt Chaney, has taken it over.

[3] This is, of course, a wonderful story, but—outside of a trivia item on IMDB.com—I can’t verify it. Google’s AI search says that Strange spoke at Chaney’s funeral. But there was no funeral. As we’ll see, his body was donated to UCLA as a medical specimen. Bob Burns died on December 16, 2025 at the age of 90.

[4] Press reports claiming that Jeske was Chaney’s makeup man drove Lon, Jr. crazy. In reality, Jeske helped Chaney don his garb, but had nothing to do with creating it.

[5] An apologist or two has claimed that Lon only called Bela “Pop” because Lon had played Dracula’s ‘son’...and Bela was, of course, Dracula the father. I’m not sure I’m buying that, but it does give Lon the benefit of the doubt.

[6] I think that Bela had similar feelings regarding Karloff. Certainly, Lillian—Bela’s wife—disliked Karloff immensely, and was vocal about it. But who was most likely in her ear?

[7] It’s possible that this was still the red-and-white Chevy Bel Air.

[8] Both were shot in 1969—what became DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN was first—but neither was released until 1971.

SOURCES

“Beryl Marie Hart Obituary.” THE TORONTO STAR. November 22, 2024. Print.

Chrisman, J. Eugene. “Lon Chaney’s Son Makes Good.” SCREEN BOOK Magazine, November 1932. Print.

Fleck, Bill. CHANEY’S AUDITION. Wurtsboro, NY: Just Pay the Ransom Publishing, 2024. Print.

Fleck, Bill. CHANEY’S BABY. Wurtsboro, NY: Just Pay the Ransom Publishing, 2021. Print.

Gourley, Jack and Gary Dorst. “A Man, a Myth, and Many Monsters: Lon Chaney, Jr.” FILMFAX. May 1990. Print.

Heffernan, Harold. “Lon, Jr., Had a Rugged Start.” Syndicated Column. February 15, 1960. Print.

“Jack Hill On Mantan Moreland and Lon Chaney Jr.” MEDIA FUNHOUSE Third Season, 1993. Posted to YouTube July 21, 2009. Web.

Mank, Gregory William. OF MICE AND MEN: MENTAL ENFEEBLEMENT, RACISM, AND MERCY-KILLING IN 1939 HOLLYWOOD. Orlando, FL: BearManor Media, 2023. Print.

“MOHICANS Star John Hart Marries Beryl Braithwaite.” THE TORONTO STAR. Saturday, February 23, 1957, p. 27. Print.

NOTE: The photographs herein are utilized for educational purposes only. I do not own the copyrights, nor do I make any money from this website.

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[Above: Neca’s ULTIMATE WOLF MAN figure, available here. Lon Chaney Jr.’s likeness licensed by CHANEY ENTERTAINMENT.]

COMING SOON! Two-time Rondo Award-winning filmmaker Thomas Hamilton is finishing up VINCENT PRICE & THE ART OF LIVING for an early 2026 release (check it out here). I’m lucky enough to be a producer on the project. Would you like to get on board the Voltage Films HORROR ICONS express train? Click here for information. Thanks!

Coming soon to CLASSIC HORROR BEHIND THE SCENES: “Getting to Know Lon Chaney, Jr. Part 2” (click here for Part 1).

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Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Year, and Happy Festivus (for the rest of us).

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DID YOU KNOW? Two-time Rondo-winning filmmaker Thomas Hamilton is putting the finishing touches on his latest documentary, VINCENT PRICE & THE ART OF LIVING. See details here. I’m lucky enough to be a producer on the film. Can you help get Tom’s HORROR ICONS series produced? Find details on how to do so through Voltage Films’ IGNITION GROUP. Click here for details.

Want to catch up with previous columns of this Rondo Honorably-Mentioned blog? Please click here.

Universal Studios billed him as “The Master Character Creator.”

A 1995 A&E BIOGRAPHY episode referred to him as “Son of a Thousand Faces.”

Rondo-winning author Christopher R. Gauthier (DRACULA NEVER DIES: THE REVENGE OF BELA VORLOCK, VOL 2, available here) calls him, “Hollywood’s Classic Horror Prince of Pathos.”

Of course, we’re talking about Lon Chaney, Jr.

As noted in the byline above, I’ve written a couple of books on Mr. Chaney. He also figures prominently in the book I’m working on now. (Quick preview: it deals with FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN, among other things.) And many of the most popular entries on this very blog are about him.

As such, I often get emails, messages, and texts from Chaney fans who have questions about his life. About his family. About his work. About the people he knew. I try to answer them as truthfully—and factually—as I can.

And so, I thought my readers might appreciate some random trivia about the big guy. In Part 1, we’ll concentrate on THE CHANEY FAMILY.

Okay. In no particular order, here goes…

He was born Creighton Tull Chaney in Oklahoma City on February 10, 1906. Interestingly, the moon was full the night before he was born. [1]

His middle name—Tull—is a tribute to his father’s employer, Francis M. Tull. Upon moving to Oklahoma, Lon, Sr. took up work as a carpet layer for TULL’S GRAND RAPIDS FURNITURE COMPANY at 25 West Main Street. His first name—Creighton—was taken from his mother’s maiden name.

[Above: Creighton Tull Chaney as an infant and as a boy. His life wasn’t easy in the beginning. He was 9-years old before he attended school on a regular basis.]

Lon and Frances Cleveland “Cleva” Creighton—born August 20, 1889—were married on or about May 31, 1906, a bit more than three month’s after their son’s birth.

Cleva’s mother, Mattie Jane Johnson Creighton, disliked show business people, declaring that they were “immoral.” As such, she never warmed up to Lon. John Evans Creighton, Cleva’s father, was an alcoholic who had ditched his family by the time Creighton Chaney was born. He died in 1915 at 61. Mattie remarried, and died in 1953 at 94. Cleva had a brother (John) and a half-brother (Charles Ozmun.)

Leonidas Frank “Lon” Chaney was born in Colorado Springs on April 1, 1883. His father, Frank H. Chaney—of English and French descent—was deaf, as was his mother, Emma Alice Kennedy (born October 12, 1855, and of Scottish, English, and Irish descent). Emma’s father Jonathan had founded the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind. Frank made his living as a barber, counting among his clients one General George Armstrong Custer. (Frank visited Little Big Horn shortly after Custer’s death.)

In 1877, Frank and Emma were married and moved to Colorado Springs. By 1882, Frank was employed by Strubel & Farnsworth. He would work for the company 30-plus years, manning the head chair and earning the nickname “The Millionaires’ Barber.”

[Above: Lon Chaney’s father (and Creighton’s grandfather) Frank H. Chaney, “The Millionaire’s Barber.” Though deaf, Frank lived quite the eventful life.]

Lon had two brothers and a sister: John, George, and Carrie. Another brother, Earl, died in 1887; he was just shy of two months old.

Lon’s mother was hit with inflammatory rheumatism and bedridden when Lon was 9-years old. Lon dropped out of school to care for her, and allegedly developed his pantomime skills in order to communicate with her effectively. Emma died on April 8, 1914 at 58. At the insistence of his children, Frank moved to California a few months later. He married Corinna V. “Cora” Stilson in 1917.

Frank died unexpectedly of apoplexy on April 11, 1927, shortly after celebrating his 75th birthday. Lon—who was on vacation—was notified of Frank’s illness by telegram, and got back in Hollywood in time to spend one last day with his father.

Lon and Cleva had a tough marriage. Little Creighton suffered as a result. Cleva’s nearly-successful suicide attempt in late April of 1913 set the tone for their bitter divorce which was filed on Wednesday, April 1, 1914—Lon’s 31st birthday—and finalized a year later.

Lon then told Creighton that his mother was dead. (I tell the full tragic story in CHANEY’S BABY, but readers interested in a digest version might like my blog, “Lon Chaney’s Biggest Mistake”—click here). When Creighton learned the truth after Lon’s death, he tracked Cleva down. Cleva—who had basically decided that her son was better off with his father—was not interested in a relationship with him at first. But they eventually made peace, and Creighton took care of Cleva when she would allow it. She was, in fact, known to have visited him at film studios from time to time where they would share a picnic lunch.

However, Creighton never mentioned her in the press.

On November 26, 1915, Lon and Marie Genevieve Hazel Bennett—born April 2, 1887—were married. Lon and Hazel had known each other from their theater days, when Hazel had often babysat Creighton.

And as far as everyone else was concerned, Hazel was Creighton’s mother.

[Above: Lon and Hazel Chaney, who wed in 1915. They made a great team. Both were practical, down-to-earth, and savvy about business.]

The Chaneys settled into a home at 1607 Edgemont Avenue in Los Angeles. Creighton formally attended school for the first time, though he never liked it. Lon, meanwhile, began his rise to stardom in motion pictures.

Cleva married William Bush in the spring of 1919. They eventually had a daughter, Stella—Creighton’s half-sister.

He wouldn’t know that Stella even exited until years later, after Lon’s death in 1930. Still, he eventually carved out a relationship with her, and was present when she married Robert George at St. Rita’s Catholic Church in Sierra Madre in September of 1965.

Creighton’s relationship with his family had its ups and downs. He was sensitive, and Lon’s tough-love approach to child rearing left him with a number of self doubts. The presence of John Jeske—Lon’s friend, of whom Creighton was jealous—didn’t help. (For more on Jeske and Chaney, see Suzanne Gargiulo’s excellent LON CHANEY’S SHADOW, available here.)

Still, Creighton idolized Dad. And Hazel, to her credit, treated him kindly. (He often called her “my little Italian mother.”) Creighton had also spent time with his Aunt Carrie, and later told interviewers that he had learned sign language from his grandparents. [2]

Later in life, Creighton spent a significant amount of time with his Uncle George and Aunt Grace (formerly Hull) Chaney, traveling, hunting, fishing, and celebrating holidays. It was, in fact, Uncle George—in his capacity as an antique dealer—who let Lon, Jr. know that he’d visited the 1300-acre Robert S. Jerrett Ranch in Cool, California…and that it was for sale. Lon and Patsy purchased the property in 1944, initially naming it La Cazador (The Huntsman).

Lon later renamed it LENNIE’S RANCH.

[Above: George Chaney with his nephew. Lon and Patsy spent a lot of time with George and his wife Grace traveling, hunting, fishing, and celebrating holidays.]

Creighton attended Hollywood High School. He tried out for the football team, but—at six feet and 125-pounds—he was too skinny. He later got into biking, wrestling, and tennis. His dedication to athletics built his physique, and as an adult, he rarely weighed less than 200 pounds.

He later taught actor Joel McCrae how to wrestle.

Interestingly, one of the local kids he played tennis with was Cornelia Patricia “Patsy” Beck. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia on July 13, 1911, Patsy was in grammar school at the time. Later—in 1928—she married one Robert Edson DeKay, and carved out a career as a photographer’s model.

She became Creighton’s second wife when they eloped on October 1, 1937. Rev. W.H. Richmond of the First Presbyterian Church in Colton, CA officiated. Lon, Jr. was so broke that Patsy’s wedding ring was made of silver. It came at a cost of $6.00—a bit more than $133 at this writing when adjusted for inflation. The marriage lasted until Lon, Jr.’s death, nearly 36 years later.

[Above: Lon with his wife Patsy. They had eloped in 1937, and Lon—broke at the time—could only afford a $6.00 silver ring. On Christmas Eve in 1945, the couple renewed their vows. And this time, Lon presented Patsy with a five-carat diamond.]

This naturally brings us to Creighton’s first wife.

Dorothy Marie Hinckley was born on October 30, 1905 in Colorado Springs to Ralph and Emma (Metzger) Hinckley. She had a brother named Barton. Dorothy’s father started the ultra-successful General Water Heater Corporation in Los Angeles. After his untimely death in 1946—caused by an accident on horseback—Dorothy took over the reigns.

Dorothy and Creighton met in a strange way. A maid that Lon Chaney had fired introduced them. Apparently, the maid still thought highly of Creighton. Dorothy sold Creighton sorority tickets on their first date. On April 25, 1926, Dorothy, 21, and Creighton, 20, were married. Creighton went to work for his father-in-law, and the couple had two sons: Lon Ralph (July 3, 1928) and Ronald Creighton (March 18, 1930).

[Above: Dorothy Marie Hinckley (Chaney) Symons in later life. She was Creighton’s first wife, and mother of his sons. She was savvy about business, and successfully ran the General Water Heater Corporation after her father’s death.]

At the time of his death (July 12, 1973, age 67), Lon, Jr. was—according to film historian Greg Mank—estranged from his sons. When asked in 1968 what they thought of him, he was obviously irked.

“That’s a hell of a question,” he snapped. “What do I care what they think? They’re all grown up and have lives of their own.” [3]

Still, he doted upon his nine grandchildren, including Dana, Caron, Lon Ralph II, and Ronald Curt Chaney, who currently manages affairs for CHANEY ENTERTAINMENT with the help of his two daughters (click here for details). Ronald has many fond memories of his Gramps, including the times he and his siblings would attempt to wrestle the old man. Apparently, Gramps would tolerate their attacks until he started getting tired of it…at which point he would easily dispatch the entire crew.

[Above: Ron Chaney, grandson of Lon, Jr. and great-grandson of Lon, Sr. Ron—along with his daughters Jennifer and Jaclynn—runs CHANEY ENTERTAINMENT, an organization designed to “preserve and perpetuate the Chaney Family history.”—www.lonchaney.com]

Lon Chaney died August 26, 1930 of a throat hemorrhage. He was 47. After his death, Creighton found out that he had been basically cut out of his father’s will, and that his mother was actually alive. In a boiling rage, he went after Hazel, who had inherited the bulk of Lon’s estate. (I tell the story in detail in CHANEY’S BABY.)

Lon had never wanted Creighton to go into acting. He thought that his son was too sensitive to cope with the film business. But, after Lon died, Creighton determined to get into movies, intending to top his father.

RKO signed him. Hazel—estranged from Creighton, but tight with John Jeske—died of breast cancer on October 3, 1933. She was 46.

Creighton appeared in a number of small films in generally small parts. He began having affairs with studio starlets, and his drinking increased. In January of 1935, he changed his name to Lon Chaney, Jr. He didn’t want to do it, but he was promised better parts if he did.

Sadly, that didn’t happen. His marriage hit the rocks. By 1936, he was in divorce court. Dorothy was awarded everything, including custody of Lon and Ron.

“I think it was a very painful divorce,” Ronald Curt Chaney explained in 1995. “I think she was very hurt by it. They never talked about each other too much, I think because of the pain of the divorce, and the split up of the family also.”

[Above: Lon, Jr. on December 20, 1938 about to attend court, answering Dorothy’s charges that he was not properly supporting their sons. The beard, he explained, was grown for a film. It could not have helped that one newspaper described him as “a film extra.”]

Dorothy remarried twice: first to Edgar Herbert Mohan on October 8, 1940, then to Loren G. Symons on October 30, 1945. She died at 81 in L.A. on August 14, 1987, less than four months before her son Ron passed.

Lon and Ron often lived with their father and stepmother. Lon, Jr.’s January 1941 contract with Universal resulted in improvements at their beautiful home (12750 Hortense Street in Studio City, CA). Lon and Ron occasionally visited their dad at the studio. On one remarkable day—during the production of ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948)—they were made up as Frankenstein’s monster and Dracula respectively by Bud Westmore’s assistant, Jack Kevan.

[Above: Ron, Lon, Jr., and Lon Ralph. The boys visited their dad on the set of ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN and were made up by Jack Kevan.]

But things weren’t always roses for the blended Chaney family. Lon Ralph told biographer Michael F. Blake that his father often exaggerated his woes to gain sympathy, particularly at times when his career and/or family life weren’t going well. And Ron—an extraordinarily handsome free spirit with a devil-may-care philosophy—found himself in trouble with the law from time to time. In fact, Lon, Jr.’s nearly successful suicide attempt on April 22, 1948 stems from “a family argument.” Or so said Ron to responding cops.

Patsy and Lon, Jr. had been reunited when Lon’s friend—director-screenwriter Oliver Drake (1935’s THE SHADOW OF SILK LENNOX)—invited him to visit “a couple of girls I know.” One of them turned out to be Patsy.

Lon and Patsy hit it off, and Lon told Drake that he intended to divorce Dorothy in order to marry Patsy. (Drake was not happy about this, and his friendship with Chaney cooled for a while.)

Probably the biggest difficulty Lon, Jr. and Patsy had during their marriage was Lon’s drinking. (He preferred blended whiskey, but later followed Brod Crawford’s advice and switched to vodka.) Chaney certainly had a down-to-earth, charming side. Plus, he was funny and intelligent. But he could be a mean, sarcastic, bitter, and violent drunk. Rumors circulated throughout Universal that Chaney hit Patsy once in a while. Actress Elena Verdugo related that Patsy had trained in martial arts as a result…and decked her husband one night to teach him a lesson. [4] Further, actor Robert Quarry asserted that Chaney—who was known to have occasional affairs—hit his girlfriends now and then as well.

This is, of course, despicable on Lon, Jr.’s part if true. But it must be pointed out that such accounts are hearsay—there are no provable, legal charges that I’ve been able to find in my research.

What is provable is the fact that Patsy stayed in the marriage. Biographer Don G. Smith attributed this to Patsy being an enabler; biographer Suzanne Gargiulo asserted that Patsy endured the bad times because Lon could be very sweet and was otherwise fun to be with. Like his father and Hazel before him, Lon and Patsy were often a team. When he was tapped for the part of Lennie in OF MICE AND MEN—the west coast play version—Patsy faithfully ran his lines with him until he knew them frontwards and backwards.

Moreover, they also hoped to adopt a child together.

Lon, Jr. certainly loved kids, and he went out of his way to make them happy. (Witness him signing autographs here at Western Playland in El Paso, TX in 1964.) Patsy was the same way. When it became obvious that they couldn’t have children together, they concentrated their efforts on adoption.

“I only wish I had enough money to give countless deserving orphans a good home,” Chaney once said. “The lousiest thing in this world is to grow up without love.”

[Above: The “Press and Sun Bulletin” (Binghamton, NY) cover Patsy and Lon’s plans to adopt 8-year old Burrell Howard Devine—Friday, August 18, 1944.]

One of Chaney’s first ideas was to adopt 8-year-old Burrell Lee Howard Devine. Burrell’s stepdad, Jerry Wade, had worked on Chaney’s ranch, but relocated with Burrell’s mom to Stockton where the family fell on tough times. [5] In 1944, Burrell went to live with the Chaneys, and it looked like the adoption would work out. But Burrell’s mom had second thoughts, and Burrell was sent back to her.

In 1946, Chaney offered to adopt Janet Ann Gallow and her brother following the death of their mom. Janet was four years old when she co-starred with Lon in THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (1942), and she always thought of him as being a gentle giant. She’d also spent a lot of time at the Chaneys’ home, playing with Lon’s collection of copper miniatures and eating cream puffs. But Janet’s father—perhaps understandably—eventually put the kibosh on the plan.

NEXT TIME: Lon Chaney Jr.’s hobbies, friends, and preferences.

[Above: Lon with Janet Ann Gallow, his 4-year-old co-star in THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (1942). Lon and Patsy hoped to adopt Janet and her brother in 1946, but the plan didn’t work out.]

NOTES

[1] The famous story Lon, Jr. often told about being born dead—but miraculously revived when his father dipped him into a frozen lake—is a myth. Both Lon, Jr.’s son Lon Ralph and his half-sister Stella Bush told biographer Micheal F. Blake that Lon, Jr. simply made the story up.

[2] He would also credit his father.

[3] Lon Ralph worked with his mother for a time at the water heater company. He later served as president of National Process Industries Inc., which produced lubricants for the aerospace industry. He was politically active in Fallbrook, CA. Lon Ralph died in a car accident on May 5, 1992. He was 63. Ronald Creighton served in the U.S. Navy. He also worked in construction, and later raised alfalfa on a farm in Eureka County, Nevada. According to his son on social media, Ron “led somewhat of a wild life to say the least” (Ron Chaney, FACEBOOK, May 18, 2024). Ron died on December 3, 1987 at 57.

[4] She admitted that this was a story she’d heard; she had no first-hand knowledge.

[5] Injured on his new job, Wade was unable to work. He was later jailed for having sex with a minor.

SOURCES

“Dorothy M. (Hinckley) Symons.” WikiTree. www.wikitree.com. Accessed 11-28-25. Web.

Fleck, Bill. CHANEY’S AUDITION. Wurtsboro, NY: Just Pay the Ransom Publishing, 2024. Print.

Fleck, Bill. CHANEY’S BABY. Wurtsboro, NY: Just Pay the Ransom Publishing, 2021. Print.

“Frances Cleveland (Creighton) Bush.” WikiTree. www.wikitree.com. Accessed 11-21-25. Web.

“Frank H. Chaney.” Find A Grave. www.findagrave.com. Accessed 11-22-25. Web.

“Frank H. Chaney.” WikiTree. www.wikitree.com. Accessed 11-21-25. Web.

NOTE: The pictures utilized herein are intended for educational purposes only. I do not own the copyrights, nor do I make any money from this website.

By Bill Fleck, author of the Rondo-nominated CHANEY’S BABY (available here), and of the Rondo Honorably-Mentioned CHANEY’S AUDITION (available here).

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DID YOU KNOW? Two-time Rondo-winning filmmaker Thomas Hamilton is putting the finishing touches on his latest documentary, VINCENT PRICE & THE ART OF LIVING. See details here. I’m lucky enough to be a producer on the film. Can you help get Tom’s HORROR ICONS series produced? Find details on how to do so through Voltage Films’ IGNITION GROUP. Click here for details.

Want to catch up with previous columns on this Rondo Honorably-Mentioned blog? Please click here.

Author Joe Overbay discusses his writing with Doug Gibson on this excellent edition of the PLAN9 CRUNCH podcast. I was privileged to edit THE DEMON IN MY VIEW, and am currently editing Joe’s NIGHT OF THE DEMON, which is also excellent. Check out the audio interview here:

Joe Overbay On PLAN9 CRUNCH

Enjoy!

By Bill Fleck, author of the Rondo-nominated CHANEY’S BABY (available here), and of the Rondo Honorably-Mentioned CHANEY’S AUDITION (available here).

DID YOU KNOW? Two-time Rondo-winning filmmaker is putting the finishing touches on his latest documentary, VINCENT PRICE & THE ART OF LIVING. See details here. I’m lucky enough to be a producer on the film. Can you help get Tom’s HORROR ICONS series produced? Find details on how to do so through Voltage Films’ IGNITION GROUP. Click here for details.

Want to catch up with previous columns on this Rondo Honorably-Mentioned blog? Please click here.

Okay, we all know the Talbot family was cursed. Sir John’s wife—mother to John and Lawrence—died young. Larry, increasingly unhappy with his role in the estate as the second son, left home to live in America. After eighteen years, he had to return as his brother John had been killed in what was ruled a “hunting accident.”

[Above: A portrait of John Talbot, the first son of Sir John and heir to the Talbot Estate. He died in what was deemed a “hunting accident.” But author Joe Overbay has reimagined his story in THE DEMON IN MY VIEW.]

And, of course, Larry was bitten by a werewolf and became the Wolf Man only to be tragically killed by his own father on a foggy Autumn night.

Naturally—as we later learn—Sir John Talbot “died of grief shortly after.”

[Above: Sir John and Larry make a tentative peace after Larry’s brother is killed. But the Talbot family curse reaches its apex when Sir John kills a marauding werewolf…who turns out to be Larry.]

Yeah, those are the type of things that happen to cursed families. But do we know why the Talbots were cursed?

These are the kinds of thoughts that fire the imagination of author and Monster Kid Joe Overbay. Joe is fond of taking the classic horror films familiar to all of us and giving them a new spin, twisting events and adding depth in the process.

I ought to know. I was just finishing my edit on Christopher R. Gauthier’s chilling DRACULA NEVER DIES: THE REVENGE OF BELA VORLOCK, VOL. 2 (available here) when Joe gave me a ring and asked if I’d edit his latest about the Talbots called THE DEMON IN MY VIEW.

A story about the Talbots? At your service!

As Joe imagines things, the Talbot family is cursed long before Sir John’s wife dies. In fact—in Joe’s version—the curse begins on October 31, 1692, and is explained in the Prologue, which I will reproduce for you here:

[Excerpt: Prologue]

England—October 31st, 1692 The flames licked hungrily at the base of the wooden stake, casting dancing shadows across the faces of the gathered crowd. Judge Cornelius Talbot stood rigid in his black robe, his weathered hands clasped behind his back as he watched the pyre take hold. The autumn wind carried the acrid smell of burning wood…and something far more sinister.

Burning criminals at the stake was rare in this part of the world. Judge Cornelius Talbot certainly knew that hanging was the preferred method—he’d certainly metered out enough of those sentences himself.

But in Talbot’s mind, Jacob Davenport deserved a slower, more painful death.

True, unlike England and Scotland, convictions for witchcraft were rare in Wales. Rare enough to make the execution of Jacob Davenport a spectacle. But in Talbot’s mind, Davenport deserved such an execution… an execution to see him out in an evil blaze of glory, so to speak.

[Above: An ancient drawing of a Witch Burning (with modern colorization). Though such events were rare in Wales, author Joe Overbay envisions Judge Cornelius Talbot to be furious enough with the conjurer Jacob Davenport to end his life in this exceedingly brutal way.]

The judge’s husky voice rang out across the town square, cutting through the murmur of the assembled townspeople.

“Jacob Davenport! You have been found guilty of practicing the dark arts, of consorting with demons, and of corrupting the souls of God-fearing citizens. It is for these crimes that you have been condemned to death. Do you have any final words before you meet your Maker?”

Bound to the stake with heavy chains, Jacob Davenport lifted his head. His dark hair hung in matted strands across his defiant face, and his eyes—those terrible, bloodshot, knowing eyes—burned with an intensity that seemed to rival the flames below. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth where the magistrate’s men had struck him… yet when he smiled, it was with the confidence of a man who held secrets darker than any grave.

Jacob’s voice was a rasp, yet it carried clearly through the square.

“Words, Cornelius? Oh, I have words for you.”

The flames climbed higher, reaching his feet now. Jacob’s body tensed against the chains, but his hate-filled gaze never left the judge’s face. The crowd pressed closer, drawn by morbid fascination and the promise of witnessing divine justice.

Jacob spoke through gritted teeth as the fire began its terrible work. The torture he suffered was palpable.

“I curse you, Cornelius Talbot! I curse your bloodline for seven generations! Your children shall know no peace. Your children’s children shall be haunted by shadows they cannot name! And when the seventh generation walks this earth...”

The judge stepped forward, his face pale but resolute.

“Your curses hold no power here, warlock!” Talbot shouted. “God’s will shall⁠—”

“God?”

Jacob’s laugh was a sound like shattering glass. The flames engulfed his legs now. But still he spoke, his voice growing stronger rather than weaker.

“Your God has abandoned you, Cornelius. But I... I have made bargains with older powers. Powers that remember when this land was young and wild!”

The fire roared higher, and Jacob’s agonized scream split the air—but within that cry of agony was something else. Something that made the horses rear in their traces and sent children running to their mothers’ skirts…

It was the sound of a summoning, a calling forth of darkness that would not be easily dispelled.

“When the seventh of your line draws breath,” Jacob gasped, his form now wreathed in flames that would kill him, “I shall return! The demon in your view shall be your own reflection, Cornelius Talbot, twisted by the sins you pass down like heirlooms!”

Judge Cornelius Talbot’s face was carved in stone. But his hands trembled as Jacob’s final words echoed in a tortured tone across the square:

“Remember this day, Cornelius! Remember it well! For I shall never forget... and I shall never forgive!”

The flames then fully consumed the raging warlock. His body grotesquely convulsed and contracted. His flesh began to peel away, and his internal organs—painfully—began to shrink. The smoke cruelly choked off his wind as his upper airways swelled. He quickly—and mercifully—lost consciousness.

But the terribly sickly-sweet, metallic odor of Jacob Davenport’s burning flesh filled the air. And horrified screams erupted from the crowd.

Eventually, Davenport’s body—much of it dissolved into ash—hung at the stake among the dying embers. The October wind scattered some of these ashes across the square like a black benediction.

The crowd began to disperse. None noticed the strange way the smoke seemed to coil and twist, forming shapes…shapes that watched the judge with burning eyes before finally dissipating into the darkening sky.

Cornelius Talbot stood alone in the square long after the others had gone. He stared pensively at the smoldering remains of the pyre. The warlock was dead—of this he was certain.

But as he turned to walk away, he could have sworn he heard the echo of triumphant laughter on the wind.

The curse had been spoken.

The debt had been marked.

In the shadows of generations yet to come, something patient and hungry had begun to wait.

And Judge Cornelius Talbot knew that he deserved everything that was to come.

[Excerpt ends]

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(Excerpt from THE DEMON IN MY VIEW, (c) 2025, Arcane Shadows Press. All rights reserved.)

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