Classic Horror Fans rejoice! Because, in October of 2009, Warner Brothers released several lesser known works of horror
icons Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in a two disc volume box set. The set features
The Walking Dead, Frankenstein 1970,
You'll Find Out and Zombies On Broadway,
all presented here with pristine clear picture and sound (as well as very nicely done
subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing that even identifies the songs in the film).
With the exception of The Walking Dead, which still
retains its eerie power even after all these years, the remaining three may not
be among tbe best films that
Karloff and Lugosi have done. But they're each extremely enjoyable in their own way,
and are a must for rabid fans of either horror icon actor.
In The Walking Dead (1936), Karloff stars as John
Ellman, an ex-con who’s framed for the murder of a judge who jailed him several
years ago. A young couple named Jimmy and Nancy witness a bunch of thugs dump
the judge’s body into Ellman’s car, but they say nothing until the very last
minute. Yet Ellman is still electrocuted. Dr. Beaumont, a noted medical researcher
whom Jimmy and Nancy work for, manages
to bring Ellman back from the dead with their help. The revived Ellman has no
memories of what occurred before his death, yet eventually, he does begin to
remember, and the men responsible for his wrongful death are in big trouble.
Directed by Michael Curtiz, who would later direct the classic Casablanca, The
Walking Dead is a mesmerizing drama with subtle overtones of horror. Karloff’s understated
performance here is just amazingly good; he gets you on his side from the moment
you first see him. Out of all the films in this set, The Walking Dead is a must
for Karloff fans, and for all fans of great films, period. The film also has a
very well-done commentary by film historian Greg Mank.
In Frankenstein 1970 (1958), the House Of
Frankenstein has fallen on some hard times. The economy is so rough that Baron
Frankenstein (Karloff), the last descendant of the original mad monster maker,
has rented out his family home in Germany to a film crew. The first five minutes
of the film, where a young woman is being chased through the swamp by a
monstrous figure, is very stylishly shot and downright creepy. And then it all
goes downhill from there. This is an el cheapo production that was shot on the
quick (in about eight days) using sets that were left over from another film.
There are some Classic Horror Fans who’ve been waiting years for this
schlock-fest to be released on video, and they’ll be pleased to see it here in
it’s original widescreen format. If you're seeing it for
the first time, then switch on the engagingly funny (and informative)
commentary by actress Charlotte Austin, film historian Tom Weaver, and Bob Burns,
extremely cool film dude extraordinaire.
You’ll Find Out (1940) is mainly a starring vehicle
for conductor Kay Kyser and his "wacky" orchestra. Kyser had a popular radio
show in the 1930s and 1940s known as the Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge
(this would also be later aired as a TV show on NBC). Therefore, the focal point
of the film is Kyser and his band, who are booked to play for a beautiful young
heiress in a spooky mansion who is set upon by dark forces. Unless you’re a fan
of 1940s big bands, the music and the humor in the film will strike you as being
extremely dated (save for one good gag--when Kyser gets bopped on the head, his
friend notes that the assailant "must be a Benny Goodman fan").
You’ll Find Out is of interest to Golden Age Horror
movie fans for the simple fact that it unites Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and
(my favorite actor from this era) Peter Lorre. Once the Unholy Trinity take the
stage, the film becomes much more enjoyable to watch.
In Zombies On Broadway (1945), Jerry and Mike (Wally Brown and Alan Carney) are a pair of press agents who’re working the opening of a new night club in New York City, called The Zombie Hut. They’ve been using every trick in the book to try and get the word out about the club’s opening, which will be within a month. But their latest idea is really wacky: they will have a real zombie at the club on opening night. In reality, it’ll be a washed up boxer just wearing zombie make up. But Ace Miller (Sheldon Leonard), the owner of the club who’s an ex-gangster trying to go straight, wants a real, live zombie--and he charges Mike and Jerry with either getting him a real zombie in time for opening night, or else really bad things will happen to them. And so Jerry and Mike travel to a Caribbean island, where they find a pretty guide (played by Anne Jeffreys) and Bela Lugosi, who wants to add them to his zombie collection.
Zombies On Broadway is a typical B-movie comedy for
the era that it was released in. It featured the low-rent comedy duo of Jerry
and Mike, who try really hard to be Abbott and Costello, but they’re just not
that funny. While tautly and ably directed by Gordon Douglas, most of the humor
in ZOB falls flat, including some unfortunate scenes that are racist. Lugosi is the best thing about the film; he’s
very well cast (channeling his White Zombie villain)
as a mad scientist who’s conducting experiments on making better zombies. Lugosi’s
presence lends ZOB a horror movie gravitas that gives the film a much needed
sense of menace. I originally saw this film for the first time on TV many years
ago, and the bug-eyed zombie make up, which was effective for its time, really
creeped me out as a kid.
--SF
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