Lon Chaney – We Are Movie Geeks

Lon Chaney in INNER SANCTUM MYSTERIES Blu-ray Collection From Mill Creek Entertainment Arrives September 22nd – New Extras Announced

“Somewhere out there at this moment, a murder is being contemplated, and all I can do is wait for death. I start at death, and I have to work my way back to life. And when I find life, I have to destroy it.”

Lon Chaney in INNER SANCTUM MYSTERIES Blu-ray Collection From Mill Creek Entertainment Arrives September 22nd

Get ready for unlimited thrills and chills as all six classic Inner Sanctum Mysteries come to Blu-ray for the first time ever. Based on the popular radio shows of the 1940’s, this collectible set is a must-own for every classic mystery and horror fan.

You’ll have a hauntingly good time with horror icon Lon Chaney, Jr., as he gives timeless performances in these spooky feature-length films.

Calling Dr. Death – 1943 – A doctor is not sure if he murdered his wife and has his nurse try to find the truth by hypnotizing him.
Weird Woman – 1944 – While on a trip, a professor falls in love with an exotic native woman who turns out to be a supernatural being.
Dead Man’s Eyes – 1944 – When an artist is blinded, an operation to restore his sight depends on another person willing to donate their eyes.
The Frozen Ghost – 1945 – A stage mentalist and a discredited plastic surgeon are involved in mysterious goings-on in an eerie wax museum.
Strange Confession – 1945 – Flashbacks reveal the events leading up to a man’s revenge on the racketeer who took advantage of his wife.
Pillow of Death – 1945 – A lawyer in love with his secretary is suspected of suffocating his wife, among others.

Mill Creek Entertainment is pleased to announce a thrilling lineup of newly created bonus features for the upcoming Blu-ray release of the INNER SANCTUM MYSTERIES. This 6-feature film collection stars Lon Chaney, Jr. and contains over 80 minutes of special features taking you inside the history of this most fascinating series. Presenting each film for the first time in high definition, this Blu-ray set will be available for $69.98 on September 22, 2020.

Get ready for unlimited thrills and chills as all six of Universal’s classic INNER SANCTUM MYSTERIES come to Blu-ray for the first time ever! You’ll have a hauntingly good time with horror icon Lon Chaney, Jr., as he gives timeless performances in these spooky feature-length films: Calling Doctor Death, Weird Woman, Dead Man’s Eyes, The Frozen Ghost, Strange Confession and Pillow of Death. Based on the popular radio shows of the 1940s, this collectible set is a must-own for every classic mystery and horror fan. Death, dementia, dark arts…it’s just another day in the forbidding and fascinating world of the INNER SANCTUM!

Daniel Griffith of Ballyhoo Motion Pictures serves as producer of these new Blu-ray bonus features. He has produced, directed, and edited over 100 documentary shorts and features, specializing in creative content for home media releases. “I am thrilled to be working with Mill Creek Entertainment and developing new featurettes for the Inner Sanctum film series,” stated Griffith. “The behind the scenes story of the book series turned radio show turned movie franchise is a subject that has never been documented with as much detail and care as we are on this exciting release!” J.W. Starrett, Director of Product Development for Mill Creek Entertainment noted, “Daniel’s incredible knowledge and expertise of film history makes him the ideal partner. Prepare to enter the Inner Sanctum like never before.”

Here is a breakdown of special features included in the INNER SANCTUM MYSTERIES Blu-ray collection:

THIS IS THE INNER SANCTUM: MAKING A UNIVERSAL MYSTERY SERIES produced by Daniel Griffith of Ballyhoo Motion Pictures (55 mins)

THE CREAKING DOOR: ENTERING THE INNER SANCTUM – History of the Radio Series with author/radio historian Martin Grams Jr. (15 mins)

MIND OVER MATTER: AN ARCHIVAL INTERVIEW WITH ACTOR MARTIN KOSLECK (The Frozen Ghost) – Never Before Viewed by the Human Eye! (20 mins)

3 FEATURE LENGTH COMMENTARIES:

CALLING DR. DEATH (1943)
Featuring commentary from screenwriter/film historian C. Courtney Joyner and Regina LeBorg (daughter of director Reginald LeBorg)

WEIRD WOMAN (1944)
Featuring commentary from author Justin Humphreys (The Dr. Phibes Companion) and Del Howison (Dark Delicacies Horror)

STRANGE CONFESSION (1945)
Featuring commentary from screenwriter Peter Atkins (Hellraiser II, III, & IV) and screenwriter/film historian C. Courtney Joyner

movieSPREE DIGITAL BONUS – (Standard Definition Streaming)

Lady of Burlesque (1943) – 91 minutes
Inner Sanctum (1948) – 62 minutes
Inner Sanctum Mysteries (Radio Episodes 3 x 26 minutes)
- “The Tell-Tale Heart” featuring Boris Karloff
- “The Black Sea Gull” featuring Peter Lorre
- “Melody of Death” featuring Mary Astor

ALSO INCLUDED – A 28-page color booklet with detailed franchise history, Lon Chaney, Jr. biography, detailed film guide, trivia, and more.

“More than half-a-century after their release, the Inner Sanctum films endure as part of Universal’s history of classic horror and mysteries of the 30’s and 40’s,” stated C. Courtney Joyner, author/contributor to the bonus feature productions exclusively available on this Blu-ray collection. “Built as showcases for Lon Chaney, the six films are prime examples of old-school studio product, made by skilled craftsmen for audiences eager for an hour of chills with one of horror’s most enduring figures.”’

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925) with Live Music by The Invincible Czars October 25th at Webster University

“His eyes are ghastly beads in which there is no light – like holes in a grinning skull! His face is like leprous parchment, yellow skin strung tight over protruding bones! His nose – there is no nose!”

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925) will screen at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium Thursday October 25th at 7:30pm. Austin, Texas’ most adventurous band, The Invincible Czars, will provide live music.The band encourages fans and attendees to dress for the Halloween season at these shows.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is not only a classic of the silent screen, it is one of the all-time greatest movies ever made. The great Lon Chaney, at the peak of his career, plays the title character, in perhaps the role for which he is best remembered. Mary Philbin plays the heroine, Christine, an opera singer for whom the Phantom has taken a personal interest, and Norman Kerry as Raoul, Christine’s love interest and hero of the piece.

The now famous story centers around the Phantom’s interest in Christine, who is an aspiring diva at the Paris Opera. He arranges through devious means for her to become the star of the opera. When he has achieves this he then reveals his love for her and then convinces her to follow him to his lair far beneath the Opera House. Then the fun begins.

There is so much to be said of this great motion picture. First there are the magnificent sets of the Paris Opera House and the cavernous cellars below. When we first see the Phantom’s living quarters, it is revealed that he sleeps in a coffin. Then there is the eerie lighting and shadows that abound throughout the story. The chandelier sequence is breathtaking. The two strip technicolor sequence at the Ball Masque where the Phantom appears as the Masque of the Red Death is excellent. The finale where the Phantom is caught by the mob is pure Chaney.

Perhaps the most famous sequence in the film is when Philbin unmasks the Phantom. The audience sees the Phantom’s grotesque appearance before the heroine. When he turns around, she expresses the horror that the audience has just experienced. A classic unforgettable moment in American cinema.

Chaney’s skull facial make-up for the Phantom, which he did himself, is simply amazing. It conveys the mystery and horror of the character at one glance. The gloomy settings and dark shadows compliment the Phantom’s appearance.

There have been several remakes of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, but for my money, the Lon Chaney version is the definitive version, and you’ll have the chance to see it with an audience hen we screen PHANTOM OF THE OPERA at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium Thursday October 25th at 7:30pm

Admission for this event is $10

Advance tickets are available from the cashier before each screening or contact the Film Series office (314-246-7525) for more options. The Film Series can only accept cash or check.

Lon Chaney HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME January 19th at Schlafly Bottleworks

“Why was I not made of stone, like thee?”

HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1923) starring Lon Chaney screens Thursday January 19th at 7:00pm at Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Avenue Maplewood, MO 63143).

In fifteenth century Paris, the brother of the archdeacon plots with the gypsy king to foment a peasant revolt. Meanwhile, a freakish hunchback falls in love with the gypsy queen.

Victor Hugo’s classic The Hunchback of Notre Dame received a grand send-up from Universal Pictures, and superstar Lon Chaney (as Quasimodo) in 1923. The studio spent a lot of money on this production, and it shows. Universal claimed this film made Mr. Chaney a superstar. Their pride is understandable, but Chaney had already achieved that position. He was a hot property throughout the 1920s. Chaney was responsible for pulling viewers into the cinema for several high-level productions.

Universal added some of the best supporting actors in Hollywood, beautiful St. Louis native Patsy Ruth Miller (as Esmeralda), director Wallace Worsley of Chaney’s “The Penalty” (1920) to the mix, and spent a fortune on the sets. The result was a crow-pleasing epic. HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME is enjoyable for those who appreciate the genre, the lavish setting, and for Chaney’s towering titular performance.

There have been several remakes of HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, but for my money, the Lon Chaney version is the definitive version, and you’ll have the chance to see it with an audience hen we screen HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME Thursday January 19th at Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Avenue Maplewood, MO 63143)

A Facebook invite for the event can be found HERE

https://www.facebook.com/events/1281225625290922/

$6 for the screening. A yummy variety of food from Schlafly’s kitchen is available as are plenty of pints of their famous home-brewed suds.

The films featured for “Culture Shock” demonstrate an artistic representation of culture shock materialized through mixed genre and budgets spanning music, film and theater. Through ‘A Film Series’ working relationship with Schlafly Bottleworks, they seek to provide film lovers with an offbeat mix of dinner and a movie opportunities.

Ten Tod Browning Films Airing on Turner Classics January 25th

Attention classic movie freaks – Set your DVR for this Monday!!!!

Tod Browning (1880-1962) was a pioneering director who helped establish the horror film genre. Born in Louisville Kentucky, Browning ran away to join the circus at an early age which influenced his later career in Hollywood and echoes of those years can be found in many of his films. Though best known as the director of the first sound version of DRACULA starring Bela Lugosi in 1931, Browning made his mark on cinema in the silent era with his extraordinary 10-film collaboration with actor Lon Chaney, the ‘Man of a Thousand Faces’. Despite the success of DRACULA, and the boost it gave his career, Browning’s chief interest continued to lie not in films dealing with the supernatural but in films that dealt with the grotesque and strange, earning him the reputation as “the Edgar Allan Poe of the cinema”. Browning’s bizarre circus drama FREAKS (1932) was one of the biggest box-office disasters of the early thirties and his career never recovered from the loathing audiences and critics had for it. A complicated, troubled, and fiercely private man, Browning was a visionary director whose films deserve reassessment.

Now, just two months after I hosted a tribute to Tod Browning as part of last year’s St. Louis International Film Festival, Turner Classic Movies is running ten of his films, several of which star Lon Chaney. This will happen on Monday, January 25th

Here’s the line-up (Central Time Zone):

5:15 AM

Unholy Three (1925) A sideshow ventriloquist, midget, and strongman form a conspiracy known as “The Unholy Three” and commit a series of robberies.

6:45 AM

The Blackbird (1926) Two thieves, the Blackbird and West End Bertie, fall in love with the same girl, a French nightclub performer named Fifi. Each man tries to outdo the other to win her heart. Lon Chaney stars.

8:15 AM

The Show (1927) Performers in a Budapest sideshow encounter love, greed, and murder. John Gilbert stars.

9:45 AM

West of Zanzibar (1928) A magician seeks vengeance upon the man who paralyzed him and the illegitimate daughter he sired with the magician’s wife. Lon Chaney and Lionel Barrymore star.

11:00 AM

The Thirteenth Chair (1929) Although his murdered friend was by all accounts a scoundrel a true “bounder” Edward Wales is determined to trap his killer by staging a seance using a famous medium. Many of the 13 seance participants had a reason and a means to kill, and one of them uses the cover of darkness to kill again. When someone close to the medium is suspected she turns detective, in the hope of uncovering the true murderer. Bela Lugosi stars.

12:15 PM

Where East Is East (1929) When an animal trapper in Indo-China finds that his daughter’s fiancé is being successfully seduced by her estranged mother, he takes appropriate action. Lon Chaney and Lupe Velez star.

1:45 PM

Freaks (1932) FREAKS is a twisted tale of betrayal and revenge. Browning had worked in a circus as a young man and FREAKS features actual sideshow professionals: a living torso, Siamese twins, a legless man, dwarves, a bearded lady, a human skeleton, and microcephalics (called “pinheads” in the film). It tells the haunting story of a midget (Harry Earles) who falls in love with a trapeze artist (Olga Baclanova) who cruelly humiliates and mocks him behind his back. The community of ‘freaks’ eventually turns on the “normal” woman and ensures that she will experience life in their midst forever FREAKS was greeted with revulsion in 1932 and was such a commercial and critical flop that it derailed Browning’s career. Just as the normal world shunned the freaks Browning knew growing up, so did his audience when he put them on-screen. Only decades later did FREAKS become recognized as a cult item and a quality film, one which can safely be said to have been far ahead of its time.

3:00 PM

Fast Workers (1933) John Gilbert Robert Armstrong star as Gunner and Bucker, pals who work as riveters. Whenever Bucker gets the urge to marry, which is often, Gunner will hit on his girl to see if she is true or not. So far, Gunner has not failed. But one night, while Gunner is in jail, Bucker meets Mary, a tough dame with a line. He falls for her, and she falls for his dough. But Mary is already a gal pal of Gunner, and no two know about the third one. The trouble starts when the triangle is revealed too late.

4:15 PM

Mark of the Vampire (1935) When a nobleman is murdered, a professor of the occult blames vampires; but not all is what it seems. Bela Lugosi and Lionel Barrymore star.

5:30 PM

Miracles For Sale (1939) Mike Morgan creates the illusions that magicians use in their shows. While his business is Miracles for Sale, his hobby is exposing fake spiritualists. At the club, he is invited to attend the calling from the other world by Sabbatt, but Judy wants Mike to help her instead. Later that night, after spoiling an attempt on the life of Judy, and meeting Madame Rapport, Mike goes to Sabbatt’s hotel only to find the doors chained from the inside and a strange voice speaking. Busting in, he finds Sabbatt strangled. While there seems to be no way for anyone from this world to commit the murder, it is only the first murder. Mike must find the how and why before Judy becomes the third and final victim. Robert Young stars

Listen to the Score for THE UNKNOWN (1927) by The Rats And People Motion Picture Orchestra

The Tod Browning Tribute at The St. Louis International Film Festival was an epic evening of vintage silent cinema and live music. (Details about the event can be found HERE) https://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2015/11/sliff-2015-tribute-to-tod-browning-this-friday-the-unknown-and-freaks/

The Rats and People Motion Picture Orchestra accompanied director Tod Browning’s 1927 silent film THE UNKNOWN which starred Lon Chaney and Joan Crawford. The St. Louis-based musicians did a terrific job with their original score and if you missed the event, we have good news. The Rats and People Motion Picture Orchestra have posted the performance online. If you go HERE https://soundcloud.com/rats-1/the-unknown , you will find the recording of the score. Get out your THE UNKNOWN DVD (available on the TCM Archives – The Lon Chaney Collection) or, if you don’t have the DVD, you can find the complete film online HERE http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2aq5g1_the-unknown-1927_shortfilms

Queue up the soundtrack to the film by starting the music just after the MGM lion (silently) roars and the film’s title THE UNKNOWN appears. Turn down the volume on the film’s music and listen to it with the Rats and People Motion Picture Orchestra’s soundtrack. You’ll be glad you did! It’s not quite the same as seeing it in 35mm with the live orchestra like the lucky attendees at SLIFF did, but it’s the next best thing!

The ten films that director Todd Browning and actor Lon Chaney made together are among the strangest of the silent era. Their macabre 1927 collaboration THE UNKNOWN is a dark drama that spotlights Chaney’s legendary skill at playing handicapped outcasts. He stars as Alonzo the Armless, who can fire a rifle, play guitar, light cigarettes, and drink wine with his toes. He’s employed as a knife-thrower in a turn-of-the-century Spanish circus where he’s fallen in love with Nanon (a young Joan Crawford), the gypsy girl who works as his ‘target’. Nanon is repulsed by physical contact with any man, so the only one that she trusts is Alonzo, simply because he has no arms with which to touch her. It’s not a match made in heaven however as murder, madness, and several shocking twists ensue. THE UNKNOWN costars Norman Kerry as Malabar, a lovelorn strongman, and John George as Cojo, Alonzo’s sinister dwarf sidekick.

TRIBUTE TO TOD BROWNING at SLIFF November 13th – THE UNKNOWN and FREAKS

“Gooble-gobble, gooble-gobble, we accept her, we accept her, one of us, one of us.”

Cinema St. Louis presents a Tribute to Tod Browning Friday November 13th at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium as part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. The program includes a 35mm screening of Browning’s 1927 silent shocker THE UNKNOWN with live music by The Rats and People Motion Picture Orchestra followed by a screening of Browning’s 1932 masterpiece FREAKS. The event begins at 7pm and will be hosted by We Are Movie Geeks own Tom Stockman

THE UNKNOWN:

FREAKS:

Director Tod Browning’s controversial 1932 film FREAKS is a twisted tale of betrayal and revenge. Browning had worked in a circus as a young man and FREAKS features actual sideshow professionals: a living torso, Siamese twins, a legless man, dwarves, a bearded lady, a human skeleton, and microcephalics (called “pinheads” in the film). It tells the haunting story of a midget (Harry Earles) who falls in love with a trapeze artist (Olga Baclanova) who cruelly humiliates and mocks him behind his back. The community of ‘freaks’ eventually turns on the “normal” woman and ensures that she will experience life in their midst forever FREAKS was greeted with revulsion in 1932 and was such a commercial and critical flop that it derailed Browning’s career. Just as the normal world shunned the freaks Browning knew growing up, so did his audience when he put them on-screen. Only decades later did FREAKS become recognized as a cult item and a quality film, one which can safely be said to have been far ahead of its time. FREAKS will show double feature with Browning’s silent 1927 circus-set movie THE UNKNOWN starring Lon Chaney as a Tribute to Tod Browning.

A Facebook invite for the event can be found HERE

https://www.facebook.com/events/701490399983853/

Tickets for the event are $15. Details about this and all of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival can be found at Cinema St. Louis site: http://www.cinemastlouis.org/about-festival

BIG HOUSE U.S.A. – The Blu Review

The 1955 prison drama BIG HOUSE U.S.A. is a gritty but forgotten crime tale about a desperate group of loathsome men played by an amazing cast of manly B-movie bad guys. Lon Chaney and Charles Bronson act alongside Broderick Crawford, Ralph Meeker, and William Talman. They’re all villains who meet cruel but deserved ends and BIG HOUSE U.S.A. is one of the most mean spirited prison escape/kidnap caper thriller ever made (and I mean that as a good thing).

BIG HOUSE U.S.A.’s story begins with an asthmatic rich kid getting lost while attending a “mountain ranger” summer camp (locations filmed at Colorado’s Royal Gorge Park). Shady hiker Jerry Barker (Ralph Meeker) discovers the boy and pretends to help him, but really has decided to hold him for a half million dollar ransom and locks him in a forest lookout tower. The kid tries to escape but falls from the tower to his death. Barker hides the body, retrieves the ransom money, and tries to flee the area. Caught, he’s only convicted of extortion since it can’t be proven he had anything to do with the boy’s disappearance. BIG HOUSE U.S.A. switches gears at this point and settles for a while into a standard prison story, focusing on four hard-as-nails convicts that Barker is thrown into the slammer with; Rollo Lamar (Broderick Crawford), Machinegun Mason (William Tallman), Alamo Smith (Lon Chaney), and Benny Kelly (Charles Bronson). A breakout is planned with their target being the hidden ransom money. The escape is a success and with the Feds and park rangers soon on their tail, the gang begins to turn on each other. Mistrust, double-crosses and grisly murders ensue.

With its superb low-budget production BIG HOUSE U.S.A. is a brutal fast-paced film that deserves to be rediscovered. Divided into three distinct chapters, the opening kidnap section is presented in a “Dragnet” pseudo-documentary style. There is a lot of narration in this first half hour, much of it pointless to the story. Once Barker is in the clink, the narration ends and the look and tone of the film changes and BIG HOUSE U.S.A becomes a rough and tumble prison noir. The moody black-and-white photography perfectly captures the dank confines of the individual cells (five men to each!). The old-time jailhouse movie is by definition an exercise in nostalgia and the middle section of BIG HOUSE U.S.A. gives us the genuine article, a sweaty, tense tale from inside the big house. Casabel Island Prison comes off as a hotbox of violence and there are some grisly scenes in this portion of the movie, including one where a prisoner is scalded to death in a boiler. After the escape, the setting switches back to the sunny mountain terrain for a chase climax not as atmospheric as the prison stuff but exciting and violent nonetheless.

BIG HOUSE U.S.A. is filled with images of extreme violence (especially for 1955). The only sympathetic character is the kidnapped child and he is killed off at the 15 minute mark (curiously, he’s never mentioned again and his grieving father disappears from the story as well). The police are kept mostly off-screen throughout so the main characters depicted are completely immoral, a device that works here because of it’s powerhouse cast. Ralph Meeker played hard as Mike Hammer in Robert Aldrich’s cult item KISS ME DEADLY the same year and his sneering Barker is the type of villain an audience loves to hate. Broderick Crawford delivers a snarling, over-the-top performance as the ringleader of the escapees. Crawford had won an Oscar six years earlier for ALL THE KINGS MEN and at this time was star of the popular TV show “Highway Patrol”. It’s rumored that Crawford was such a serious drunk that he sometimes had to deliver his lines lying down on a painted backdrop with the camera pointed straight down at him because he couldn’t stand up. One of his drinking buds at the time was BIG HOUSE U.S.A costar Lon Chaney, who delivers a mean bully performance, and it must have been an interesting shoot with these two boozers on the set. William Talman was a tall burly character actor memorable as the killer in the 1953 noir classic THE HITCH-HIKER but is best known for his role as Hamilton Burger, the district attorney who perpetually lost to Perry Mason in the long-running series “Perry Mason”. But the scene-stealer in BIG HOUSE U.S.A. is 34-year-old Charles Bronson in one of the first in a career of physical performances. Bronson’s Benny is a coiled, short-fused psycho, unlike the laconic laid-back persona he developed when he became the world’s biggest star almost twenty years later. His muscular physique must have been startling to 1955 audiences and in a movie populated with bruisers, Bronson comes off as the toughest.

BIG HOUSE U.S.A. was a difficult movie to find and had never had any type of release for home viewing until the recent Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber. It was worth the wait.

The AVC encoded image (1.75:1 aspect ratio) presentation provides a reasonably clear viewing experience, with detail satisfactory for this style of low-budget cinematography. Great skin textures emerge with close-ups of the five tough guys (Broderick Crawford is constantly sweating) and the interior prison sequences are exceptional.

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix remains true to the era, with fine dialog levels and ambient effects. Scoring isn’t as muscular as hoped for, but it manages to support without steamrolling over performances.

There are no extras on the Kino Lorber Blu-ray

BIG HOUSE U.S.A. is well worth seeking out for anyone interested in prison pics and tough guys and the Kino Lorber Blu-ray is a worthy addition to anyone’s collection.

Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly in HIGH NOON – This Weekend at Webster University

HIGH NOON (1952) is considered a classic for good reason. It’s about a man not too different from us, who faces an enemy from his past alone precisely because no one else will if he doesn’t. HIGH NOON gets me just with the cast alone. Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Thomas Mitchell, Lee Van Cleef, and Lon Chaney. I mean come on, that’s a fantastic cast. They all add to the movie in one way or another. Cooper is absolutely superb as Will Kane – the weary marshal who’s reluctant to give up his star. He anchors the movie. It’s his journey as high noon approaches quickly and we’re spellbound by his plight. Kelly plays his newlywed wife and is less naive than you’d think. Thomas Mitchell is the mayor of this small town and his scene at church is a highlight of the film. Then you’ve got Lon Chaney as the honest former marshal who recruited Kane. His one meaningful scene with Kane is a somber moment with implications far beyond what may or may not happen at noon.

HIGH NOON won four Oscars including Best Actor for Cooper and Best Song for Tex Ritter.

See HIGH NOON on the big screen this Saturday and Sunday evenings (June 13th and 14th) at 7:30pm at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium.

The Webster University Film Series, housed in the School of Communications, is the Midwest’s premier hosting venue for American and foreign films. The Series is host to speakers and visiting artists who address the pertinent issues in films presented. In an effort to further integrate film with education, the Film Series provides workshops with artists and experts.

Unless otherwise noted, admission is:

$6 for the general public
$5 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools
$4 for Webster University staff and faculty

Free for Webster students with proper I.D.

Advance tickets are available from the cashier before each screening or contact the Film Series office (314-246-7525) for more options. The Film Series can only accept cash or check.

Winifred Moore Auditorium (470 E. Lockwood, Webster Groves, MO 63119) :

Directions: Taking Highway 44 East, exit left on Elm Ave. Make a right on East Lockwood Ave. Immediately after passing Plymouth Ave., there will be a parking lot entrance to your right (lot B). Winifred Moore Auditorium is behind Webster Hall

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN Saturday Morning at The Hi-Pointe! – ‘Classic Film Series’

Abbott: “You’re making enough noise to wake up the dead! “

Costello: “I don’t have to wake him up. He’s up!”

ABBOTT AND COSTEELO MEET FRANKENSTEIN Screens Saturday October 11th at St. Louis’ fabulous Hi-Pointe Theater (1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, MO) at 10:30am.

It’s interesting that Lou Costello initially was reluctant to do ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN, since it became probably the most popular and successful instalment in their career. It was so popular, in fact, that many of the Abbott & Costello movies to follow were along similar lines — they would go on to meet The Mummy, The Invisible Man and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. You can sort of see where he was coming from … horror/comedy isn’t exactly a highly respected genre, although there have been several classics in it since (YOUNG FRANKESNTEIN comes to mind).

The story starts when a couple of crates arrive in the US, to an office manned by Chick Young (Bud Abbott) and Wilbur Grey (Lou Costello). The two of them are asked to the two crates to the their destination, a house of horrors. What they don’t realize is that one crate contains Dracula’s coffin and the other, the Frankenstein monster. Dracula awakens and escapes with the monster, leaving the two freight handlers to deal with the insurance company over the missing goods. But it turns out they have bigger worries — Dracula has chosen Wilbur’s brain to transplant into the Frankenstein monster in order to revive him …

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN marked the triple swan song of Universal’s “big 3″ monsters: Dracula, Frankenstein’s creature, and the Wolf Man. The producers scored a coup by casting the original and definitive Dracula, Bela Lugosi, in what was, incredibly only his second and final screen appearance as his most famous character. As The Wolf Man, Lon Chaney Jr. is wonderfully consistent as the tormented Lawrence Talbot, though perhaps in deference to the comedy trappings, his desire to die takes a back seat and he actually takes on the air of the hero, even as his monstrous alter ego. (The fact he was cured in the previous monster film, HOUSE OF DRACULA, is conveniently ignored; maybe he had a relapse). Glenn Strange meets Boris Karloff’s record by making his third appearance as the Monster. Sadly, once again he never really gets a chance to do much with the role. I always liked Strange’s portrayal of the monster. All of Karloff’s pathos was long gone by the time this film came out, but Strange gives the monster one damn creepy lumbering walk. Also, Bud Westmore had taken over Universal’s makeup department by this time, so the haunting, Jack Pierce design was well on its way into becoming the face of Herman Munster. Even so, he looks grotesque and scary.

Bud and Lou have a hysterical routine about “the two girls last week” that goes by in a matter of seconds. Frank Skinner’s music is truly fantastic. He creates unique and effective themes for all three of the monsters and a dopey leitmotif for Lou. And look closely at the scene in which the monster hurls Aubert from a laboratory window: that’s Lon Chaney Jr. doing the hurling. Glen Strange injured his foot and was unable to do the scene, and Chaney, who had played the part of the monster before, donned the makeup, hoisted Aubert’s stunt double and pitched her out the window. A true trooper. My only regret was that Universal had their classic monsters survive fires, explosions, drowning, staking, freezing, sulphur pits, quicksand and the passage of centuries only to be finally conquered by Abbott and Costello!

There will be a full moon and more when ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN screens this Saturday morning (October 11th) at St. Louis’ fabulous Hi-Pointe Theater (1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, MO). The movie starts at 10:30am and admission is only $5.

The Hi-Pointe’s site can be found HERE

http://hi-pointetheatre.com/

Check out the hilarious ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN trailer:

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN Screens October 2nd at Schlafly Bottleworks

Abbott: “You’re making enough noise to wake up the dead! “

Costello: “I don’t have to wake him up. He’s up!”

ABBOTT AND COSTEELO MEET FRANKENSTEIN Screens October 2nd at Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN marked the triple swan song of Universal’s “big 3” monsters: Dracula, Frankenstein’s creature, and the Wolf Man. The producers scored a coup by casting the original and definitive Dracula, Bela Lugosi, in what was, incredibly only his second and final screen appearance as his most famous character. As The Wolf Man, Lon Chaney Jr. is wonderfully consistent as the tormented Lawrence Talbot, though perhaps in deference to the comedy trappings, his desire to die takes a back seat and he actually takes on the air of the hero, even as his monstrous alter ego. (The fact he was cured in the previous monster film, HOUSE OF DRACULA, is conveniently ignored; maybe he had a relapse). Glenn Strange meets Boris Karloff’s record by making his third appearance as the Monster. Sadly, once again he never really gets a chance to do much with the role. I always liked Strange’s portrayal of the monster. All of Karloff’s pathos was long gone by the time this film came out, but Strange gives the monster one damn creepy lumbering walk. Also, Bud Westmore had taken over Universal’s makeup department by this time, so the haunting, Jack Pierce design was well on its way into becoming the face of Herman Munster. Even so, he looks grotesque and scary.

There will be a full moon and more Thursday October 2^nd when ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN screens at Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood at 7pm.

Doors open at 6:30pm. $6 suggested for the screening. A yummy variety of food from Schlafly’s kitchen is available as are plenty of pints of their famous home-brewed suds. A bartender will be on hand to take care of you.

“Culture Shock” is the name of a film series here in St. Louis that is the cornerstone project of a social enterprise that is an ongoing source of support for Helping Kids Together(http://www.helpingkidstogether.com/) a St. Louis based social enterprise dedicated to building cultural diversity and social awareness among young people through the arts and active living. The films featured for “Culture Shock” demonstrate an artistic representation of culture shock materialized through mixed genre and budgets spanning music, film and theater.

Through ‘A Film Series’ working relationship with Schlafly Bottleworks, they seek to provide film lovers with an offbeat mix of dinner and a movie opportunities. We hope to see everyone this Thursday night!

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: