JAMES WHALE, COLIN CLIVE, LIONEL ATWILL, and the RIDING WHIP!: Friday, May 11, 1934
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JAMES WHALE, COLIN CLIVE, LIONEL ATWILL, AND THE RIDING WHIP!: Friday, May 11, 1934. Eight days after less, One More River holds The Real-Life Horror Story of the Censorship of Universal’s One More River The Black Cat’s premiere, Universal begins fascination for disciples of shooting One More River, based on Pulitzer Golden Age terror. Prize winner John Galsworthy’s final novel and masterfully directed by James Whale. • It’s a major release Unlike The Black Cat, the film has no profane from Universal during Christ symbol, sacrilegious rites, or dead the studio’s Golden women posed on display in vertical glass Age, personally pro- coffins. It does, however, have a sexual sadist, duced by “Junior” played by Colin “Frankenstein” Clive, whose Laemmle, who was re- riding whip—although never even glimpsed sponsible for Dracula, in the film—will become one of the most Frankenstein, and virtu- infamously nasty props of 1934 cinema. ally all the studio’s ear- Result: Constant Universal vs. the Pro- ly 1930s horror classics. duction Code battles, cuts, retakes, revisions, censorship “mutilation” all over the world, • It’s a “special” from and a Condemned rating by the Legion of James Whale, who Decency. For between the May release of The directed this film six Black Cat and the August premiere of One months after the pre- More River, Censorship changed profoundly miere of his The In- in America, both via the “new machinery” visible Man and six JOSEPH BREEN JAMES WHALE of the Production Code and the 12,000,000 months before he be- Is he holding his riding whip? Colin Clive as Sir Gerald members of the Legion of Decency—Catho- gan shooting Bride of Corven in One More River. (Courtesy of Ronald V. Borst/ lics, Protestants, and Jews. Frankenstein. Hollywood Movie Posters) Indeed, according to the Bishops, a Catholic who attended a 1934 showing of • It presents, as noted, Colin as Doctor X, Mystery of the Wax One More River while knowing of its Con- Clive in a particularly vile star- Museum, and Murders in the Zoo, demned rating might damn his or her soul ring role (with a caterpillar mus- as Clive’s divorce lawyer, sporting to Hell for all eternity. tache, no less). a periwig and a smirk in the Old * Bailey climax. It is no horror film, of course—despite • It features Lionel Atwill, still its original loss-of-soul potential. Neverthe- fresh from starring in such horrors • It has a script from R.C. Sherriff (who’d provided the scenario for The Invisible Man), cinematography from John J. Mescall (who’d shot The Black Cat and would filmBride of Fran- kenstein), art direction By Greg Mank of an experimentalist—what does it hosts the premiere of Universal’s The Black by Charles Hall (who matter? Sex naturally wanders from Cat. Stars Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi are designed the sets for the “I wish to join the Legion of De- the paths laid down for it by morality.” present for the festivities, as is leading lady Universal horror clas- cency... I condemn absolutely these –Sir Gerald Corven (played Jacqueline Wells, and all behold the film’s sics), and special effects salacious motion pictures which, with by Colin Clive), dialogue wildly baroque climax: Karloff, a modern by Universal’s legendary other degrading agencies, are corrupt- cut from the original script Satan, hanging on a rack, stripped to the John P. Fulton. ing public morals and promoting a sex of One More River. waist, arms stretched to his side and over- mania in our land...” head...Lucifer as Christ symbol. • It even has a cameo –Pledge of the Catholic Le- “He seems to be quite a beast!” Then Lugosi skins him alive. by James Whale him- gion of Decency, 1933. –Dinny (played by Jane It is a blasphemous imagery, the topper self—whom we both see Wyatt) regarding Sir Ger- in a film that also parades such perversions as and hear. “Under Particular Applications of the ald Corven, cut from More incest, necrophilia, and a Black Mass. Although Code, Section 2 Subdivision 4, it is River. the Production Code’s Joseph Breen had The late, great film historian stated, ‘Sex perversion or any inference warned Universal—and the film’s irrepress- William K. Everson hailed One to it is forbidden’....” “Did he tell you he used his riding ibly subversive director, Edgar G. Ulmer—lest More River in 1975 as “James –Joseph I. Breen, Produc- whip on me?” the film “become too gruesome or revolting,” Whale’s masterpiece”—whether tion Code chief, censorship –Clare Corven (played by The Black Cat had merrily slinked past the it truly is has long been tough letter to Universal regard- Diana Wynyard), One More Code and will somehow elude the wrath of to determine. A faded, ghostly- ing One More River, April River. the Catholic Legion of Decency. Indeed, Breen looking print played cable TV in 10, 1934. had even sent Universal a letter of congratula- the early 1980s. The movie then Karloff hangs on his “own embalming rack,” as Lugosi savors skinning him alive, in Universal’s Thursday night, May 3, 1934. tions “for the manner in which your studio and virtually disappeared, now and The Black Cat. The profane imagery somehow escaped the censors. (Courtesy of Photofest) “I’m a sensualist, if you like—a bit The Pantages Theatre in Hollywood director have handled this subject”! then resurfacing at film conven- 16 MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT #31 WINTER 2013 17.