11/25/2007
“Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man for Thanksgiving Left-Overs”… was not the actual title last night, but I think the movie was a great addition to the holiday weekend- especially for those burned out by a couple days of early Christmas shopping. Wow- it won’t be long before a lot of Sven viewers will be following the tradition of wrapping holiday gifts while watching the show! By the way-even with the passing of Thanksgiving, “Franken-Fall” will continue- more Franken-flicks will be coming in the upcoming weeks.
Last night’s movie is a big favorite of a lot of people- many bring up the goofy “fa-lo-la, fa-lo-lee” song, and especially Larry’s interrupting it, sounding like a South Side Chicago guy- “get away from me, all of ya!”
The two big monsters –and who played them- certainly got a work out. Originally, big Lon Chaney was going to play both the Wolf man and the Frankenstein Monster in a rare bit of gimmick stunt casting- but- the production time necessary for him to constantly switch make-ups, etc, brought that idea down. Various stunt men were used as both monsters throughout the film- reportedly, when we first see the Monster in the ice, it isn’t Bela! Since Bela was getting on in years, in most action scenes, except for close-ups, a stunt man fills in as the Monster- also, in the big closing smackdown, in the wide shots of the grappling duo, both are played by stunt men. Actually, while Lon at one time was slated to play both monsters, stuntman Eddie Parker- who worked on many of the Universal movies- ended up playing both monsters in different scenes!
And, yes, the Monster WAS supposed to still be able to speak in this one – but both his dialogue- AND any reference to the Monster being blind (you’ll see why he was blind, next week in “Ghost of Frankenstein”) were cut from the final print. Many sources have confirmed this is so, including the screenwriter, Curt Siodmak. Siodmak is also responsible for the Frankenstein-infested town of Vasaria… this movie was shot during the Second World War, and he was originally from Germany- and fled his home country when German Jews like himself were being persecuted. With string anti-German sentiments prevalent in our country at the time, Siodmak didn’t want to have the Frankenstein castle located anywhere in Germany. He purposely had it moved to the mythical European town of “Vasaria”-which, in German, means “place of water.” That makes perfect sense with the hydro-powered equipment used in the castle- and with the water that eventually puts an “end” (like anything ever does!) to the two monsters! Will they return?…do you even have to ask? Just keep watching “Franken-fall!” And, come back later in the week, for Sven appearance news!
Last night’s movie is a big favorite of a lot of people- many bring up the goofy “fa-lo-la, fa-lo-lee” song, and especially Larry’s interrupting it, sounding like a South Side Chicago guy- “get away from me, all of ya!”
The two big monsters –and who played them- certainly got a work out. Originally, big Lon Chaney was going to play both the Wolf man and the Frankenstein Monster in a rare bit of gimmick stunt casting- but- the production time necessary for him to constantly switch make-ups, etc, brought that idea down. Various stunt men were used as both monsters throughout the film- reportedly, when we first see the Monster in the ice, it isn’t Bela! Since Bela was getting on in years, in most action scenes, except for close-ups, a stunt man fills in as the Monster- also, in the big closing smackdown, in the wide shots of the grappling duo, both are played by stunt men. Actually, while Lon at one time was slated to play both monsters, stuntman Eddie Parker- who worked on many of the Universal movies- ended up playing both monsters in different scenes!
And, yes, the Monster WAS supposed to still be able to speak in this one – but both his dialogue- AND any reference to the Monster being blind (you’ll see why he was blind, next week in “Ghost of Frankenstein”) were cut from the final print. Many sources have confirmed this is so, including the screenwriter, Curt Siodmak. Siodmak is also responsible for the Frankenstein-infested town of Vasaria… this movie was shot during the Second World War, and he was originally from Germany- and fled his home country when German Jews like himself were being persecuted. With string anti-German sentiments prevalent in our country at the time, Siodmak didn’t want to have the Frankenstein castle located anywhere in Germany. He purposely had it moved to the mythical European town of “Vasaria”-which, in German, means “place of water.” That makes perfect sense with the hydro-powered equipment used in the castle- and with the water that eventually puts an “end” (like anything ever does!) to the two monsters! Will they return?…do you even have to ask? Just keep watching “Franken-fall!” And, come back later in the week, for Sven appearance news!
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