Sat 11 Jun 2011
A Movie Review by Walter Albert: HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944).
Posted by Steve under Horror movies , Reviews[7] Comments
HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Universal, 1944. Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, John Carradine, J. Carrol Naish, Elena Verdugo, Glenn Strange, Anne Gwynne, Peter Coe, Lionel Atwill, George Zucco, Sig Ruman. Screenplay by Edward T. Lowe, from a story by Curt Siodmak; Jack Pierce, makeup; Hans Salter, music; George Robinson, photography. Director: Erle C. Kenton. Shown at Cinecon 44, Hollywood CA, Aug-Sept 2008.
This film is neither rare nor one of the great Universal horror films. It was scheduled for the convention appearance of Elena Verdugo, who played a gypsy girl, but is probably best remembered for her role as the office nurse on the long-running Dr. Welby TV series that starred Robert Young.
However, the opportunity to see the cast that included almost all of the major (and minor) actors in the Universal horror films in a 35mm print was something of a treat. Karloff is a doctor who wants to revive the Frankenstein monster, Chaney reprises his famous role as the Wolfman, Carradine makes an honorable stab at Dracula, and Glenn Strange plays the Monster, with J. Carrol Naish as the hunchback assistant to Karloff who has promised to transplant his brain into a young, handsome body in return for his services.
The film isn’t scary, but it’s handsomely produced, and Verdugo talked prettily about her career after the screening, although nothing particularly memorable came to light.
June 12th, 2011 at 12:17 am
If IMDB is to be believed, Elena Verdugo would have been 15 in 1941 when HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN was made. I cannot explain why I have never seen this movie; just another failing of my youth. I have no other explanation.
While I never watched MARCUS WELBY, M.D. (1969-1976) all that often, I do remember Elena in that series. I remember her more, though, for her four years playing Millie in the sitcom MEET MILLIE (1952-1956). MILLIE started as a radio show in which Audrey Totter (believe it or not) had the leading role during its first year or so.
Audrey Totter on radio is a complete waste of bandwidth.
June 13th, 2011 at 6:17 am
One of my most cherished guilty pleasures!
June 13th, 2011 at 8:45 am
It’s clear that I enjoyed the film and although it may never enter my pantheon of guilty pleasures (as it has the estimable Dan’s) I wouldn’t be surprised if I were to revisit it.
So, Steve, treat yourself either to a guilty pleasure or a handsomely produced Universal horror film and let us know what you think of it.
June 13th, 2011 at 9:24 am
As a kid, I loved THE HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. It was part of the Universal TV package that was shown on late night TV in the 1950’s. I bet Steve saw this on TV a long time ago and just doesn’t remember it.
June 13th, 2011 at 10:06 am
It’s very possible, Walker. If some TV station played it, back in the late 50s, and I was around, I would have watched it, there’s no doubt about it. With the sound turned way down, so as not to wake my parents.
June 13th, 2011 at 6:31 pm
I’m very fond of this film, but my real guilty pleasure is HOUSE OF DRACULA, which was the next (and final)instalment of the Universal Frankenstein saga. The saintly, brilliant scientist Dr Edelman (Onslow Stevens) has a thriving clinic in some unspecified part of central Europe. Within a few hours of each other, both Count Dracula and Larry Talbot-The Wolfman arrive to ask his help in curing their particular life-style problems. For reasons that I needn’t go into, they discover that the body of Frankenstein’s Monster has turned up in the ice caverns(?) underneath the house. The movie is absolutely crazy, but genuinely enjoyable.
June 14th, 2011 at 11:21 am
[…] of Frankenstein [recently reviewed here by Walter Albert] and The Mummy’s Curse were originally released on a double bill back in […]