WISE WORDS:

 

HAPPY 90TH, FRANKENSTEIN '31

There are few films as iconic as Carl Lammele/James Whale's screen adaptation of Mary Shelley's renowned novel, Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. Though this Universal submission isn't the most faithful to its literary source, Shelley's spirit pulses through every reinvented (and switched-together) aspect of the influential revision.

Perhaps that's why I've loved Frankenstein '31 ever since I was a wee, monster-obsessed lad. (In fact, Frankenstein is the cause as to why I became so fiendishly inclined.) I've also come to love it even more over the years, and trust me, there's much to love about this ghoulish treasure. 

For one, Whale's direction is taut and creepy, and his deft execution houses an impeccable cast: Colin Clive as Henry Frankenstein; Mae Clarke as Elizabeth; John Boles as Victor Moritz; Edward Van Sloan as Dr. Waldman; Dwight Frye as Fritz; Frederick Kerr as Baron Victor Frankenstein; Lionel Belmar as Burgomeister Vogel; Marilyn Harris as Little Maria; and that man once enshrouded in mystery who became an icon of terror, Boris Karloff as the misunderstood, man-made Monster. 

The script (by Garret Forte, Francis Edward Faragoh and {the uncredited} Robert Florey and John Russell. based on John Peggy Webling and John L. Balderston's plays) is also a consummate edge-of-the-seater. Herbert Rosse and Charles D's set designs, coddled by Arthur Edeson's portentous photography, complements the macabre atmosphere to the German Expressionistic hilt, and Kenneth Strickfaden's electrical machinery is an unblushing, steampunk dream come true.

Of course, as far as the Monster's portrayal goes, Karloff hits it out of the park, but much credit also goes to make-up genius, Jack Pierce, who formatted the Monster with hideous logic, establishing him as a nightmarish visage to rival them all. 

Indeed, there's so much to adore, savor and (re)discover in Frankenstein that it's no wonder it's endured these ninety years, enough to have spawned beloved sequels and a plethora of pop-cultural merchandise. When it hits its one hundredth mark, it will no doubt be even more popular, further solidifying its position as a classic among classics. 

Pull out your copy tonight and give James Whale's masterpiece another vigorous view. It's destined to electrify your senses, spark your imagination and most of all, make you feel ALIVE! 

TERRIFIC TEAM-UP: AQUAMAN & GREEN ARROW: DEEP TARGET #2 (MARCO SANTUCCI)

 

SO LONG, GAVAN O'HERLIHY...

You remained in people's thoughts, even after your version of Chuck Cunningham departed Happy Days, but in truth, you were always there, sometimes a heavy, sometimes a supporter, lending your penetrating skills to a variety of pleasing productions. 

Bond fans recall you best from Never Say Never Again. Ron Howard/George Lucas followers praise your portrayal as the formidable Airk in Willow. while still others hold your performance as the bumbling Brad in Superman III as your creme de la creme. 

But there's even more of your work to consider, including Twin Peaks; Rich Man, Poor Man; Tales from the Crypt; Star Trek: Voyager; The Six Million Dollar Man; The Bionic Woman; Jonathan Creek; Space Riders; The Last Outlaw; Lonesome Dove; Conagher; Prince Valiant '97; Sherlock Holmes: The Mazarin Stone; The Descent Part II; The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission; A Rumor of War; Midsomer Murders; Coded Hostile; We'll Meet Again; The California Kid; Top of the World; Seven Days of Grace; Butterfly Man; A Killing on the Exchange; Sharpe's Eagle; The Shooter; The Secret Adversary; the upcoming Queen of the Redwood Mountains; and how could one ever forget your mad marauder from the irrepressible Death Wish 3? 

Your audacious spirit and steely stare will prevail, Mr. O'Herlihy, in addition to the superlative acting legacy you formed with your father, Dan. May you now both perform perched upon the clouds, granting Heaven the copious fruits of your combined and cherished finesse. 

PINUP TIME: JOEY HEATHERTON

 

RAFFAELE PEZZELLA'S CREEPY CURATION: THE STORY BEHIND MY FULCI TALE

Raffaele Pezzella/Eighth Tower Publishing's Dark Fiction #2 volume, The Beyond: Stories Inspired by the Lucio Fulci Doors of Death Trilogy, is hot off the press, available in hardcover and paperback. 

My contribution to the anthology is entitled "Summer Urges (A Gates of Hell Tendril)". It curdles from the Master of the Macabre's first film in his frightful trilogy, City of the Living Dead, aka The Gates of Hell, which caters to Father Thomas' blasphemous plan to populate the earth with maggot/worm-infested zombies. 

The tribute's deeper roots, however, emanate from a story I self-published decades ago, "Of Summer Urges and Sweet, Balmy Blood," which occupies the second volume of my ambitious but misdirected Wonderful, Magical, Literary Elixirs.

The Elixirs story holds an Herschell Gordon Lewis, seashore vibe (think along the lines of Color Me Blood Red, but with a thick brush of Blood Feast) and deals with the ghoulish impulses of a detached, young man and his strange, nomadic mentor. In recent years, the story has offended "woke" folks who've admonished its unapologetic, punk-ish exhalation of being different on the basis that it maligns a specific demographic, but in misreading its intent, my reproachful detractors only malign themselves. 

It's also worth noting that using this Elixirs concept in a Fulci context came three years prior when I visited Asbury Park with my brother, Freddy and his lady friend, Terry, to catch a rousing Adam Ant concert. Upon our departure from the event, the turbulent winds and gritty sky struck me as Fulci-esque, prompting me to re-consider "Summer Urges" as if it were integrated into the filmmaker's mythology. This notion, mind you, came quite some time before Pezzella reached out to me to add to his second Dark Fiction edition. Talk about creepy kismet and fortuitous inspiration! (For the record, my fable for Dark Fiction #1: The Black Stone: Stories for Lovecraftian Summonings, features "Tentacled", a story lifted and modified from the same Elixirs edition, thus fortifying the fated flow.)

As it stands, the restyled short story/companion piece is better than the sappy original and follows the successful implementation used to turn Fredric Brown's "Arena" into Gene L. Coon's classic Star Trek episode of the same name. 

I'm happy to report that my redux is no less "offensive" for its bracketed metamorphosis. It warms my heart to think that the same donnish dummies who've condemned the Elixirs entry would no doubt condemn this Dark Fiction #2 one.

To verify how derogatory the new "Summer Urges" is, why not read it, as well as its accompanying "Doors of Death" tales? They're shaped by evocative raconteurs who spin their literary webs in the finest Fulci fashion.

The Beyond: Stories Inspired by the Lucio Fulci Death Trilogy can be exhumed at

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09JBQJ27R/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

IN GRATITUDE AND RESPECT TO OUR HEROES: VETERANS DAY 2021