How Universal horror died in 1936, only to return after a Beverly Hills exhibitor paired Dracula and Frankenstein reissues at his theater in August 1938.
Boris Karloff TCM Summer Under the Stars Picto-Sked
A collection of 17 vintage newspaper ads representing every Boris Karloff movie playing on TCM during their August 26, 2016 TCM Summer Under the Stars marathon.
Richard Dix Reckons Himself The Public Defender (RKO, 1931)
Richard Dix is a harmless playboy until trouble calls and with the assistance of Boris Karloff and Paul Hurst he becomes The Reckoner in RKO’s The Public Defender (1931).
Five Star Final (1931) Starring Edward G. Robinson
Mervyn LeRoy’s Five Star Final (1931) stars Edward G. Robinson as the managing editor of a trashy New York newspaper that resurrects a 20-year-old murder case for circulation. A Warner Bros.-First National production adapted from the play by Louis Weitzenkorn. Also starring Marian Marsh, H.B. Warner, Frances Starr, Boris Karloff and Aline MacMahon.
The Walking Dead (1936) – Lindbergh Heart Resurrects Boris Karloff
Warner Brothers mixes crime and horror in THE WALKING DEAD where mobsters put down Boris Karloff but Edmund Gwenn brings him back to life with a Lindbergh Heart. Karloff’s fine performance highlighted along with some background information about Lindbergh’s “robot heart.”
Sidebar: Farnesbarnes, or Is That Farnsbarns? – Origins Undetermined
Humorous references to Farnesbarnes, or Farnsbarns, in two early 1930s movies sent me in search of the name’s origins. Unfortunately the earliest I could find dates to BBC’s Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh in 1944, over a decade after the RKO film utterances.
Smart Money (1931) Starring Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney
A deep look at Smart Money (1931) starring Edward G. Robinson with James Cagney. Includes detailed original biographical sections about co-stars Noel Francis and Evalyn Knapp.
Night World (1932) Starring Mae Clarke, Lew Ayres and Boris Karloff
A look at Universal’s rollicking 58-minute movie set inside a speakeasy run by Boris Karloff with a Busby Berkeley choreographed dance to boot. Mae Clarke and Lew Ayres star as the love interests while Clarence Muse and general ambiance steal the show.
Talking Boris Karloff with Authorized Biographer Scott Allen Nollen
An interview about Boris Karloff with his authorized biographer, Scott Allen Nollen, author of Boris Karloff: A Gentleman’s Life. Includes several rare Karloff photographs.
The Criminal Code (1931) Starring Walter Huston with Boris Karloff
A spoiler-free look at Howard Hawks’ The Criminal Code starring Walter Huston and providing Boris Karloff with his most important role to date. With a special focus on Phillips Holmes.
