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You are here: Home / Archives for Universal Horror

The Wolf Man (1941), Lon Chaney Jr., and the Universal Horror Legacy

October 31, 2017 By Cliff Aliperti Leave a Comment

The Wolf Man 1941

Coverage of the Universal horror classic The Wolf Man (1941) including the emergence of its star Lon Chaney Jr. This article also covers the second wave of Universal horror releases and the timing of this particular release, five days after the attack upon Pearl Harbor. Previously published in Classic Movie Monthly #2.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1941, Bela Lugosi, Claude Rains, Curt Siodmak, Evelyn Ankers, Fay Helm, George Waggner, Horror, Lon Chaney Jr., Maria Ouspenskaya, monsters, patric knowles, Ralph Bellamy, Universal, Universal Horror, Warren William

Dracula, Frankenstein 1938 Reissues Revive Universal Horror

October 27, 2016 By Cliff Aliperti 1 Comment

1938 ad for Dracula and Frankenstein in Brooklyn

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.

Filed Under: Notes & Quotes, Research Tagged With: 1938, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Dracula, Emil Umann, Frankenstein, Horror, reissues, Universal Horror

Man Made Monster (1941) Introduces Lon Chaney Jr to Universal Horror

October 5, 2016 By Cliff Aliperti Leave a Comment

Lon Chaney Jr in Man Made Monster

Universal casts Lon Chaney Jr in his first horror role, the exciting 59-minute thriller Man Made Monster starring Lionel Atwill as the man, and Chaney Jr as the monster. Includes a look at Chaney Jr’s career to date, and Atwill’s career thereafter.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1941, Anne Nagel, Frank Albertson, Horror, Lionel Atwill, Lon Chaney Jr., samuel s hinds, Universal, Universal Horror, William B. Davidson

The Cat Creeps (1930) – Universal’s (Mostly) Lost Dark House

October 30, 2015 By Cliff Aliperti 4 Comments

The Cat Creeps Film Daily Cover

A look at lost Universal horror film The Cat Creeps (1930) starring Helen Twelvetrees. Contemporary reaction. Piecing the lost film together from Boo! and various versions of The Cat and the Canary.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1930, Blanche Friderici, Elizabeth Patterson, Helen Twelvetrees, Horror, Jean Hersholt, John Willard, lawrence grant, Lilyan Tashman, lost films, Montagu Love, Neil Hamilton, pre-Code, Raymond Hackett, Rupert Julian, Theodore von Eltz, Universal, Universal Horror

Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), Universal Horror With Bela Lugosi

October 25, 2014 By Cliff Aliperti 2 Comments

Murders in the Rue Morgue 1932 newspaper ad

Universal’s 1932 horror adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s Murders in the Rue Morgue made quite a few changes, the best of which was inclusion of Dr. Mirakle, the villain played by Bela Lugosi. Lugosi covered extensively, plus comparisons of the story to the film, and an overall positive appraisal of the movie as it was made. Except for the ape.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1932, Agostino Borgato, Arlene Francis, Bela Lugosi, Bert Roach, Betty Ross Clarke, Brandon Hurst, Charles Gemora, D'Arcy Corrigan, Edgar Allan Poe, Edna Marion, Harry Holman, Herman Bing, Horror, Karl Freund, Leon Ames, Leon Waycoff, Noble Johnson, pre-Code, Robert Florey, Sidney Fox, Torben Meyer, Universal, Universal Horror

The Mad Doctor of Market Street (1942), Universal Horror With Lionel Atwill

October 20, 2014 By Cliff Aliperti 10 Comments

Lionel Atwill in The Mad Doctor of Market Street

An early B movie from director Joseph H. Lewis, The Mad Doctor of Market Street (1942) is a minor Universal horror entry highlighted by horror icon Lionel Atwill’s performance.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1942, Claire Dodd, Hardie Albright, Horror, John Eldredge, Joseph H Lewis, Lionel Atwill, Nat Pendleton, Noble Johnson, Ray Mala, Richard Davies, Rosina Galli, south seas, Una Merkel, Universal, Universal Horror

Lon Chaney, Jr. in Dead Man’s Eyes (1944) – An Inner Sanctum Mystery

November 18, 2013 By Cliff Aliperti 12 Comments

Lon Chaney Jr in Dead Mans Eyes

Lon Chaney, Jr. stars in Dead Man’s Eyes, an Inner Sanctum Mystery from Universal in 1944. Posted for the Chaney Blogathon. Article also includes a separate section about mysterious co-star Acquanetta.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1944, acquanetta, edward fielding, George Meeker, Horror, inner sanctum mysteries, Jean Parker, Jonathan Hale, Mysteries, Paul Kelly, reginald le borg, thomas gomez, Universal, Universal Horror

Secret of the Blue Room (1933) With Lionel Atwill and Gloria Stuart

October 11, 2013 By Cliff Aliperti 3 Comments

Gloria Stuart in Secret of the Blue Room

Secret of the Blue Room (1933) may not be Universal horror, but it’s a strong murder mystery that acquired the tinge as part of the late ’50s Shock Theater package on television. Here’s a bit about what it was and what it wasn’t.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1933, anders van haden, Edward Arnold, Gloria Stuart, Horror, kurt neumann, Lionel Atwill, Murder, muriel kirkland, Mysteries, onslow stevens, Paul Lukas, pre-Code, Robert Barrat, Russell Hopton, Universal, Universal Horror, William Janney

Dracula (1931) – Bela Lugosi and the Dark, Still Chilling

October 22, 2012 By Cliff Aliperti 3 Comments

Bela Lugosi in Dracula

Matching the Universal horror classic Dracula (1931) starring Bela Lugosi against non-genre films of 1931 and turning perceived weaknesses into strengths.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1931, Bela Lugosi, David Manners, Dracula, Dwight Frye, Edward Van Sloan, frances dade, Helen Chandler, herbert bunston, Horror, Karl Freund, tod browning, Universal Horror

Dwight Frye’s Last Laugh – Before and Beyond Dracula and Frankenstein

October 18, 2011 By Cliff Aliperti 5 Comments

Dwight Frye in The Maltese Falcon 1931

Dwight Frye is legendary for his roles in the Universal horror classics Dracula and Frankenstein. The 1997 biography Dwight Frye’s Last Laugh chronicles the actor’s fast rise to surprising heights and even quicker fall.

Filed Under: Movie Star Biographies Tagged With: biography, book review, Dracula, Dwight Frye, Frankenstein, gregory mank, Horror, james t coughlin, movie book reviews, Universal Horror

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I write about old movies and movie stars from the 1920s to the 1950s. I also sell movie cards, still photos and other ephemera. Immortal Ephemera connects the stories with the collectibles. Read More…

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Helen Twelvetrees Perfect Ingenue by Cliff Aliperti

Helen Twelvetrees, Perfect Ingenue

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Praise for Helen Twelvetrees, Perfect Ingenue

Recommended BooksJames L. Neibaur of Examiner.com calls it: "One of the most interesting and important film books of the young year," adding, "the documentation is original and significant." Full review.

Recommended BooksJacqueline T. Lynch, author of Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer.Star., says: "A prime example of a classic film fan taking the reins to produce a scholarly study of a neglected figure from the Golden Age of classic films in a way that I feel is refreshing, infinitely helpful to fans and students of old movies." Full review.

Recommended BooksSilver Screenings says: "A fascinating account of an ambitious and hard-working woman ... Aliperti’s book is well written and incredibly well researched." Full review.

Recommended BooksSpeakeasy says: "Despite her decline, this is not a sad or bleak book but an enjoyable history ... Any fan of the collectible Citadel “Films of” book series will appreciate the modern twist on that format, a full biography followed by an expanded filmography." Full review.

Recommended BooksA Classic Movie Blog says: "I think this is a good format for performers with short lives and brief careers ... I went into it with only mild curiosity about Twelvetrees and now I find my self pining for copies of unavailable, but intriguing films." Full review.

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