CHANEY'S WOLF MAN: REVISED EDITION (A CLASSIC MONSTERS OF THE MOVIES TRIBUTE)

To join the scholarly ranks of Nige Burton/Jamie Jones' revised editions for Tod Browning/Bela Lugosi's Dracula and James Whale/Boris Karloff's Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein, Classic Monsters of the Movies' now offers a refurbished, 36-page edition commemorating George Waggner/Lon Chaney Jr.'s The Wolf Man. 

The 1941, Universal classic, which rose from the warmup success of Waggner/Chaney's Man Made Monster, embodies all the right components, from Waggner's suspenseful direction, Curt Siodmak's mythology-boosting script, Jack Pierce's influential, werewolf makeup, Hans Salter/Charles Previn/Frank Skinner's iconic score, and its strong, relatable cast. 

Chaney, in particular, is remarkable in his most famous role, bestowing poor Lawrence "Larry" Talbot with sadness and guilt after he's bitten by Bela Lugosi's accursed gypsy, becoming a blood-thirsty lycanthrope whenever "the wolfbane blooms, and the autumn moon is bright."

 

Chaney's supporting cast is also endearing and consists of Claude (The Invisible Man/The Phantom of the Opera) Rains as Sir John Talbot, Maria Ouspenskya as the maternal Maleva, Evelyn Ankers as Gwen Conliffe, Patric Knowles as Frank Andrews, Ralph Bellamy as Colonel Montford, Warren William as Dr. Lloyd, Fay Helms as Jenny Williams and the aforementioned Lugosi as (well) Bela. Burton and Jones grant each performer a hearty bio, which cites credits beyond The Wolf Man. 

To bridge the text, The Wolf Man "Ultimate Edition" features many pleasing photos, publicity materials, quotes and trivia, printed on super-sharp, high-stock paper. 

Without any question, this is an essential for one's library. Acquire your copy of Classic Monsters of the Movies: The Wolf Man at

https://www.classic-monsters.com/shop/product/the-wolf-man-1941-ultimate-guide-new-edition-signed-art-print/

HAPPY 90TH, JACK GRIFFIN, THE INVISIBLE MAN

November 13th marks the 90th anniversary release of Universal Studios/James (Frankenstein/The Old Dark House) Whale's ambitious, screen adaptation of H.G. Well's science-fiction masterpiece, The Invisible Man. 

For the most part, movie is faithful to Wells' source, thanks to screenwriter, R.C. (Journey's End) Sherriff's meticulous attentiveness, with Claude (The Wolf Man/Phantom of the Opera) Rains portraying mad scientist, Dr. Jack Griffin, who appears in both creepy, bandaged/goggled guise and through taunting transparency. Griffin is distinguished, above all, by his florid voice. Through Rains' penetrating elocution, Griffin projects an air of superiority, but also sorrowful regret. (The doctor, after all, meant well in concocting his invisibility formula, but he's unable to retract its physiological snags.) 

Joining Rains on the strange journey is Gloria (The Old Dark House/Titanic) Stuart as Griffin's fiancée, Flora Cranley; Henry (It's a Wonderful Life/The Bells of Saint Mary's) Travers as her father, Dr. Cranley; William (G Men/Steel Town) Harrigan as Dr. Kemp; Una (The Bride of Frankenstein/Werewolf of London) O'Connor as inn-owner, Jenny Hall; Forrester (Tarzan the Ape Man/The Invisible Man Returns) Harvey as her husband, Herbert; E.E. (Dracula's Daughter/Bulldog Drummond) Clive as Constable Jaffers and Dudley (The Emperor Jones/The Mayor of Hell) Digges as the Chief of Detectives. (Universal staples, Dwight Frye and John Carradine, hold memorable cameos.) 

The film's effects are astounding and more than hold up with later, state-of-the-arts, invisibility attempts. Such embellishing wonderment inspired a number of sequels, spinoffs, remakes (official and unofficial) and television shows, plus a plethora of visible collectibles. 

I love Universal's The Invisible Man, as much as I love Well's book, and if you're reading this post, you're probably of the same inclination. Revisit this "fantastic sensation" today (or at least sometime this month) and relish its strange, perennial splendor. 

THE PHANTOM & CREATURE MEET

They're back! Two of Universal Studios' classic terror flicks return to the big screen this Halloween via Fathom Events: Arthur Lupin's The Phantom of the Opera (1943) and Jack Arnold's The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954).  

This combination is a tad unique, in that the movies sport juxtaposing styles, but at the same time, their double-feature aura ideally demonstrates Universal's macabre variety.

The Phantom stars Claude (The Invisible Man) Rains in the lead as Erique Claudin, accompanied by Nelson Eddie, Susana Foster, Edgar Barrier and Fritz Lieber, among other superb cast members. 

Operatic Technicolor is the order of the day for this remake, which set the pace for other Phantom productions, in particular the 1962, Terence Fisher/Hammer adaptation, as well as Andrew Lloyd Weber's sumptuous stage production. 

Phantom 1943 shouldn't be compared to the 1925, Lon Chaney/Rupert Julian classic, and that's okay. This one more than holds its own with ample, tragic panache.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon, in contrast, is a black-and-white triumph (originally shown in 3-D), flaunting wondrous, underwater sequences and a cast that's every bit as impressive as Phantom's. 

As such, we're given Richard Carlson, Richard Denning, Julia Adams, Ginger Stanley (as Ms. Adams' athletic double), Whit Bissell, Antonio Morena, and as the Gill-man, the towering Ben Chapman (on land) and superstar-swimmer Ricou Browning (submerged). 

Millicent Patrick's Gill-man design is an absolute gem to behold and acts as a regal reply to Jack Pierce's long-line of Universal monster makeups; and keep in mind, the big screen can only bring out the Creature's features with superior depth and breadth.

Though The Mummy/Bride of Frankenstein, Fathom double bill from earlier this month caused some controversy by injecting added sound effects and musical inserts to the movies, one can only wonder what "enhancements" might await The Phantom/Creature set, but just having these two biggies beamed again inside an official playhouse should be a tremendous treat. 

The Phantom/Creature revival will hit Fathom Events October 29th. Check local listings for time and place.