Boris Karloff

Boris Karloff had a long career in which he played various kinds of roles, but he is most remembered for his roles in monster movies.

 Karloff  had acted in stage shows in Canada starting in 1909. Later, in Hollywood he acted in numerous silent flicks, but he had to work as a manual laborer to make ends meet.

Many of Karloff's earlier film credits are in movie serials. Also, called chapter plays, these were shorter flicks coming on before the main movie that included several episodes. These short films hinged on the cliffhanger, the vindicator and heroine are in dire straits until the next episode, wherein that particular cliffhanger is resolved, and finally the ending story when all is well. Two other movies that gave his career a push into the limelight were The Criminal Code and Five Star Final.

Boris Karloff''s role as the monster in Frankenstein (1931) boosted him to star status. Karloff turned a huge misshapen freak into a sympathetic character. He is like an ousted child in the monstrous body.  He played Im-hot-ep in The Mummy film of 1932. Im-hot-ep's way of regaining his lost love is spurious and questionable hinging on a moral dilemma that he doesn't see. But Karloff  projects a love for The Princess with his facial expressions and body language; his ominous aura is balanced with fragility. He exhibits this mix of character during his portrayals of monsters.

He co-starred in several films with Bela Lugosi like The Black Cat in 1934, The Raven of 1935, and The Body Snatcher in 1945. In 1941, he portrayed a cutthroat gangster in Arsenic and Old Lace on Broadway. His career included British television as Colonel March in the show "Colonel March of Scotland Yard."

His career finale films were low-budget horror flicks originating in Mexico.


The Mummy, 1932

Unique Poster: Bride of Frankenstein

The single identified Bride of Frankenstein style E film poster is for sale according to artdaily.com. The poster is ablaze in red with the giant monster in chains demanding to know who is going to marry him. The present exhibition is at the Heritage Auctions Beverly Hills. This poster has been in Todd Feiertag's collectanea for over thirty years; this aficionado has collected movie posters for half a century. It is awaiting its auction and will definitely sell for a mint.

The film was a 1935 Universal production; the concept was derived from Mary Shelley's novel published in 1816. John L. Balderston and William Harlbut wrote the screenplay. It took 46 days and about $400,000 to shoot the flick. This was a sequel to Frankenstein of 1931. The director, James Whale, imbued the effect of German Expressionism into the film's imagery and it is seen in the spasmodic steps and arm movement of Frankenstein's bride.

It starts with literary discussion between Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, and Percy Shelley. It is a comic opening. Then it goes into a parody starting at the finale scene of Frankenstein with the windmill on fire. Dr. Pretorius plunges the plot into action and requests the aid of Henry Frankenstein in creating the monster's wife.

Back at the woods, the village folk capture and imprison the monster, though he again flees to the woods. A blind hermit befriends our anti-hero and he learns to speak a few words. When a couple of village folk spot and maul him, the monster runs to a graveyard to hid. He sees Dr. Petorius while inside the crypt and decides to help the doctor get the body parts for his bride.

Henry Frankenstein rejects the request to aid Dr. Petorius in creating the bride, until the mad doctor has Henry's wife kidnapped. Karl, the asisstant to Petorius obtains a heart to replace the unuseable one. Though, Karl murdered a woman and took her heart, he explains to Dr. Frankenstein that he took it from the police morgue.

They animate the bride with electricity at Henry's laboratory. The bride refuses the monster's affections, which incenses him, and he advises Dr. Frankenstein and Elizabeth to flee. He pulls a switch that detonates the castle.

The film's musical score by Franz Waxman threads through the movie's atmospehere accenting the gestures. Originally, there were 21 dead bodies in the film, but due to the outcry of the censors, the count was reduced to 10. The theme of the flick points out the evilness that lurks, waiting to get afoot.
                                                                                                                                      Bride of Frankenstein Cast

Boris Karloff played the monster in the films including Son of Frankenstein that debuted in 1939. Dr. Septimus Pretorious is portrayed by Ernest Thesigner. Colin Clive playes Henry Frankenstein. Valerie Hobson portrays Elizabeth Frankenstein. Elsa Lanchester has a double role playing Mary Shelley and the bride. Lord Byron is portrayed by Gavin Gordon. 

Douglas Walton plays Percy Shelley. Una O'Conner is Minnie. E.E. Clive plays Burgonmaster. The butler is played by Lucien Prival. O.P.Heggie is the hermit. Dwight Frye is Karl. Hans is played by Reginald Barlow and Mary Gordan is his wife. The sheperdess is portrayed by Anne Darling (character name is Ann Darling). Ted Billings plays Ludwig. There are about 30 uncredited characters.