Boris Karloff

of his most moving performances—John and fractured English Elman, framed for murder, executed in (“The next time I send BORIS KARLOFF the electric chair, resurrected by Edmund a no-good son of a bitch Gwenn’s noble scientist, sadly haunting his to do something, I go gangster enemies with a plaintive, “Why myself!”), Curtiz had aT WARNER BROS. 1935-1939 did you have me killed?” The baroque expertly handled War- vignette at the piano, as Karloff plays ners’ early Technicolor Rubinstein’s Kammenoi Ostrow while star- chillers Doctor X and ing into the souls of his hoodlum foes, is Mystery of the Wax Mu- one of the star’s great classic episodes; his seum. The cinematog- death scene in a rainy graveyard, advising rapher was Hal Mohr, Gwenn, “Leave the dead to their Maker. who, shortly after The The Lord our God is a jealous God,” is one Walking Dead wrapped, of his most powerful. won the 1935 Cine- As fate had it, Karloff began his matography award sojourn at Warners just as international (by write-in vote!) for censorship rallied against horror films; Warners’ A Midsum- the star’s own Bride of Frankenstein and The mer Night’s Dream. Raven, both from Universal (and the latter, Marguerite Churchill of course, with Bela Lugosi), were among was a lovely, appeal- the prime offenders. The Breen Office ing leading lady and warned Jack L. Warner about making The Warners nicely stocked Walking Dead but the studio proceeded, the horror-gangster safeguarding itself with a novel approach melodrama with such and impressive production values. top dog heavies as Ri- For Karloff’s first vehicle on the lot, cardo Cortez, Barton Karloff returns from the dead—via Frankenstein-style pyrotechnics—in The Walking Dead. Warners provided the star its top director, MacLane, and Joe Saw- Courtesy of Photofest the formidable Hungarian Michael Curtiz, yer. Louis Edelman, who had just overseen However, perhaps the most sig- who had just completed the swashbuckler Warners’ James Cagney hit “G” Men, was nificant perk in the new Warners-Karloff epic Captain Blood. Famed for his versatility the supervising producer. pact was the star’s input into the script. In the original treatment by Ewart Adamson (who, about the same time as The Walking Dead, scripted the Three Stooges comedy Slippery Silks), Karloff’s character was “Dopey” Elman, an alcoholic and drug addict who, as one Courtesy of John McElwee/Greenbriar Picture Shows gangster jokes, “likes his By Greg Mank smiled on the five star vehicles Karloff in The Walking Dead, Warner Bros.’ snow in summer as well as made for the brothers Warner. The Walk- Parade of Chills and Thrills.” winter.” A twitching mess 1938 was a glorious year in the legend ing Dead is one of Karloff’s most moving –Publicity for before his electrocution, El- and lore of Warner Bros. Studio, Holly- horror triumphs, and West of Shanghai, The The Walking Dead, 1936 man emerges from it a mad wood. Invisible Menace, Devil’s Island, and British mix of ape, mad dog, and Errol Flynn magnificently waged an Intelligence—whatever their B picture ec- April 1935: Universal’s Bride of Fran- Frankenstein’s Monster— epic Technicolor sword duel with Basil centricities—all provide top billing show- kenstein, starring KARLOFF (as the studio wreaking vengeance on his Rathbone in The Adventures of Robin Hood. cases for the star’s versatility. Yet coverage proclaimed him), was set for a Good Friday gangster enemies, scaling Bette Davis gave an Academy Award®- has never fully focused on what happened premiere in San Francisco. His Universal buildings like a human winning performance as Jezebel. James behind the scenes of Karloff’s “Warners’ contract allowed for outside commitments, fly, leaping from rooftop Cagney went to the electric chair in Angels Five.” and Warner Bros. made an overture—sign- to rooftop. All the while, with Dirty Faces. Warners released 52 fea- It’s proof yet again that the true horror ing Karloff for a solo picture with options the script refers to him as ture films in 52 weeks, reaping a profit of in Golden Age Hollywood was often in the for more. “the hideous creature,” “a $1,900,000. executive offices. The Warner-Karloff “honeymoon” jungle beast,” “more like a Unfortunately, 1938 was also the year film was, to use a 1935 expression, a “hum- Karloff has a moving rapport in The Walking Dead with monkey than a man,” and that Warner Bros. shafted Boris Karloff. “Boris Karloff is Coming—The mas- dinger.” Marguerite Churchill, who was soon to visit Universal “the ape man.” to play the heroine in Dracula’s Daughter. For years, film history has basically ter of horror achieves his masterpiece In The Walking Dead, Karloff gives one Courtesy of Photofest This original treat- MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT #26 SPRING 2009 .

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