Monday, August 26, 2013

SON OF FRANKENSTEIN / Universal Pictures - 1939

It's Monster Monday with Tabonga, here at The Dungeon!.. I have all the Universal Monster Legacy DVD collections, so, time to break 'em out. There is no way that I'm going to post those movies in any particular order, random is a key word around here! Our feature stars horror greats Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Lionel Atwill, 'nuf said? We watched the Hell out of the Universal movies on local Friday night thriller TV shows in the mid to late fifties, what a time that was, wow! You never forget that music.

Eegah!! sent over a soundclip from this classic flick, sooooo, you can push the big red 'GO' button there next to the old sulfur pit, NOW, Ralphie The Tarantula! Here's our audio offering for... SON OF FRANKENSTEIN!

Baron Wolf von Frankenstein moves his family into his infamous father's old mansion with a lab out back. He's interested in his father's work and wishes to persue it. The two photos show the sheer complexity of the place and the feeling of dread that overshadows it.

In a great role Bela plays old twisted neck Igor, a survivor of the gallows. He pops in at the old dilapidated lab while the Baron's inspecting it, he pushes that stone off the ledge, nearly killing the Baron. Igor tells him it was an accident!!

Great shot of the old sulfur pit, wouldn't want to fall into that!

Igor shows the Baron where he has been hiding the monster in a underground chamber. There's some interesting graffiti on his dad's tomb, reminds me of the title sequence in HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER for some reason.

Some nice stills showing the monster being pulled up from below, then, getting a checkup using the Baron's modern medical equipment!

I saw THE WASP WOMAN at the theater in 1959, Michael Mark was absolutely perfect as the old bee.. err, old waspkeeper, Mr. Zinthrop. He also had a small part as a watchman in RETURN OF THE FLY the same year, another flick I saw when it came out!

The butler is brought in to help out. Love this still, it looks like Frankie blew a fuse!

This is a great part, when the monster confronts the Baron and then gets a good look at himself in the mirror!

Igor causes lots of trouble from a distance, he uses his horn to signal the monster to kill his enemies in town!!

The jig is up, the Baron discovers that the monster has kidnapped his son, and, the angry villagers are on their way!! Looks like Dr. Suess did the set and miniature designs!

1 comment:

Douglas McEwan said...

Michael Mark (Whom I met in 1973) was also Hans, the father of drowned Maria who carries her body through the village in Frankenstein. I assume that in Son Of he's playing someone else, since his character died in Bride, when he was played by Reginald Barlow. The monster kills him again in Son of.

Later, in House of Frankenstein Karloff threatens to put his brain into the body of th Monster. He appears afraid of having his brain removed from his puny little mortal body and put into a gigantically strong immortal body. Conversely, Karloff's plan seems a bad idea: putting the brain of your enemy into the body of a gigantically strong immortal monster.

I love Son of Frankenstein. Tremendously great sets and one of the best-constructed plots in the entire series.

Monster Music

Monster Music
AAARRGGHHH!!!! Ya'll Come On Back Now, Y'Hear??