11/26/2007

Okay- have the turkey leftovers run out yet? Still spooning out that stuffing that has taken on the consistency of almost-set concrete? Candied yams that are now petrified potatoes? And don’t get me started on the canned cranberry stuff that is now half-molten and totally revoltin’…

There appears to be some controversy regarding when exactly the skin of the Frankenstein Monster was assigned the hue of green! (Hugh Green- wasn’t he a character actor in the late 40s?)From what I’ve read, it happened around “son of Frankenstein”- which the studio was going to make in Technicolor, then changed its mind. The color was noted in some home movies supposedly shot on the set of “Son of…” which are now in the possession of Boris Karloff’s daughter Sarah- and also by a test reel for the “Son of” film that surfaced in the 80s from the Universal vault. That film supposedly disappeared from the desk of an executive, never to be seen again.

I’ve gotten a few messages that dispute that story. First, some information I mentioned before – Keith had read an interview with make-up legend Jack Pierce, who designed Karloff’s make-up. He said that, to make the monster’s flesh look like dead tissue, since everybody’s skin looked gray due to black and white photography- they used green make-up on Karloff.

Keith read this as an endnote commentary in a novelization of the “Bride of Frankenstein” movie.

Then, I got a message from Bill, which stated that, on the Internet Movie Data Base, it states that Pierce’s make-up was actually yellow, which was consistent with Mary Shelley’s original description of the monster. So- now we have two stories that conflict- one, supposedly, coming from the guy who actually DID the make-up.

Let’s add a little more confusion! Paul attended a recent appearance by Sarah Karloff at Hollywood Boulevard Theater in Woodridge- where she appeared along with Lon Chaney’s grandson and Bela Lugosi’s son. Before they showed “ “Frankenstein” on the big screen- she actually showed the aforementioned home movies that are the only existing color footage of her father in the Monster make-up- and, that make-up was green! But- Paul says he thought she said that the movies were shot during the filming of “Frankenstein”- so, more contradiction. Did Paul remember correctly- or were these home movies shot during “Son of…”(during that movies’ filming, by the way, Sarah Karloff, “daughter of…”was actually born!) A side note Paul mentioned- Sarah said that she was planning- for the first and last time- to dress up as her father’s version of the Monster for a party at Hugh Hefner’s mansion that weekend! He said that she already strongly resembles her dad, so- imagine how closely she might resemble the Monster!

(Maybe we can have her send some pictures from the Playboy Mansion- oh, yeah, some of her in the costume, too…) So- bottom line? We still aren’t sure- if you know more, e-mail me- svengoolie@wciu.com…