Bela Lugosi Week Film 6: Glen or Glenda?

This week I've decided to do something a little different here at Blues In The Night. Every film reviewed this week will star Bela Lugosi. For film #6 one of Bela Lugosi's final performances from his brief friendship with director Ed Wood.

Glen Or Glenda?
1954
Directed By Edward D. Wood Jr.



SYNOPSIS

After the suicide of a transvestite, a police inspector (Lyle Talbot) seeks out more information on transvestism. He turns to a psychologist (Timothy Farrell.) The doctor tells him the story of a patient of his, Glenn (Edward D. Wood Jr.) who was coming to grips of telling his fiancee (Dolores Fuller) of his unusual fetish.



MY THOUGHTS

A truly bizarre film that you cannot turn your eyes away from.

Many people know Ed Wood from the Tim Burton film and know of his 'unique' talents as a filmmaker.
Many traits of Ed Wood's later films sprout here for the first time. Horrible acting, seemingly unrelated stock footage, repetitive and/or elliptical writing are many of them.

We don't see any shots where it is day, then night, then day again in the same scene. However, the film's unusual, mostly non-linear story structure would prevent this anyway.

The film, on the surface, is a docu-drama. It remains grounded in fact and reality, presenting the sordid details of transvestism with the psychologist as narrator. Director Ed Wood knew the life well, as he was a transvestite himself and Dolores Fuller was his real-life girlfriend.

But Bela Lugosi also appears in the film. His character is a god-like figure, 'pulling the strings' of life and speaks directly to the camera often cryptically about existence. This clearly knocks it out of reality and as a result makes the film work on far deeper and more abstract levels than anything Wood had done or would ever do again. The seemingly unrelated stock footage can be explained this time.

The narrative of the film stops for nearly 15 minutes as we're shown an extremely well crafted and bizarre dream sequence of how Glen is fraught over telling his fiancee his secret and facing his feminine side. Buxom strippers, S+M, and the devil all appear. It's esoteric and experimental filmmaking that directors like Ingmar Bergman, David Lynch or even surrealist filmmakers like Luis Bunuel would be proud of.

Story-wise there is little going on. But with such interesting ways to pad the story and the different directions the film veers... it makes the film insanely watchable. It is never boring.

Glen or Glenda provides a stark opposite of the perceived view of 1950's life and remains a fascinating, bizarre, and totally original film more than 55 years after it was made.

Bela Lugosi Week Film 5: Bela Lugosi Meets A Brooklyn Gorilla

This week I've decided to do something a little different here at Blues In The Night. Every film reviewed this week will star Bela Lugosi. For film #5 we visit Bela as a mad scientist on a jungle island in the Pacific.

Bela Lugosi Meets A Brooklyn Gorilla
1952
Directed By William Beaudine



SYNOPSIS

The comedic team of Duke (Duke Mitchell) and Sammy (Sammy Petrillo) wind up on an island in the Pacific Ocean. Upon meeting the natives they're introduced to the chief's daughter, Nona (Charlita.) She was educated in the United States and now works for Dr. Zabor (Bela Lugosi) who lives in an old castle on the island. She takess them to the Doctor to see if he can help them escape. Zabor loves Nona, but when she sets her sites on Duke... Zabor's jealousy takes over and he uses his scientific knowledge to get revenge.



MY THOUGHTS

A masochists dream!

I knew about the film for several years before seeing it and often wondered why it hadn't been used on Mystery Science Theater 3000. Now I know why. The show would have been canceled before the episode ended.

The comedy stylings of Duke Mitchell and Sammy Patrillo are a complete rip off of Martin + Lewis. Except Duke Mitchell lacks Dean Martin's suave coolness and great voice, though he does sing a few songs (uggh.) Sammy Patrillo does a decent Jerry Lewis, though he's far, far more annoying (if that's possible?)

With the piss-poor script, the two are not given any funny material to work with, nor do they have any charisma to pull off the obvious knock-off roles. The script is especially unkind to the natives. The 'foreign language' sounds like baby talk spoken with deep voices. The ones that speak English do so like: "Me am hungry." Oh yeah, and their island is named Cola Cola. For a horror-comedy... there is no comedy and the only horror is realizing you're watching something this bad.

Bela Lugosi, once again, is given little to do. His character is very moody and quick to anger over the most minor problems. He looks terrible, most likely from his drug addiction that plagued him significantly in his final years. Ed Wood would come calling next. His films with Lugosi would be an improvement over this stinker.

The film was made by director William "One Shot" Beaudine, who cranked out hundreds of films in his career. He'd made over 300 by the time he made this one, so at least the film didn't look inept. There's no glaring errors at least from his area. It's far from polished though. He got his nickname because he usually only did a scene once.

Not surprisingly, there are several logic problems with the film.
1. The small island somehow can support lions, tigers, giraffes, elephants, wildebeests and more large animals despite there being much room or adequate food supplies.

2. Duke and Sammy made it to the island by falling out of an airplane. Even flying low over the sea, they would have been seriously injured hitting the water. Except for significant brain damage, they are perfectly healthy.

Those may be explained during the lame cop-out ending.

I kept expecting this film to go from "terrible" to "so bad it's good" but that never happened. This is likely the worst film I have ever seen and I'll spend the rest of my days trying to forget it.

Bela Lugosi Week Film 4: Scared To Death

This week I've decided to do something a little different here at Blues In The Night. Every film reviewed this week will star Bela Lugosi. For film #4 Lugosi is a famed illusionist and is again teamed with his mini-me Angelo Rossitto and this time, in COLOR!

Scared To Death
1947 - Golden Gate Pictures
Directed By Christy Cabanne



SYNOPSIS

A dead woman (Molly Lamont) recounts how she ended up that way. She is slowly going mad and claims she is being held prisoner by her husband (Roland Varno) and father-in-law (George Zucco.) A wise cracking maid (Gladys Blake) and a detective (Nat Pendleton) also share the house. Things start to unfold as an old family member (Bela Lugosi) shows up... as does someone lurking about in a green (blue) mask.


MY THOUGHTS

Should have been called "Bored To Death."

At a time when color film was at a premium in feature films, the studios only put out sure-fire successes in color, like the lavish MGM musicals.
Yet, here is a forgettable, poor excuse of a horror film starring two icons of 'b' movie horror (Lugosi and George Zucco,) who are given little to do.
Not surprisingly, the production company would cease to exist after the film.



The script falls into a lame structure, that stifles any interest in the story.
It's told from the perspective of the dead woman (a la Sunset Boulevard released a few years later.) She says a few dry sentences in a voice-over and we're sent into a flashback. This lasts for about 10 minutes or so, then we're back with the body at the morgue. She says some more and we're back in the past. This is repeated many times.

The film lacks any horror and little to no action. It's just people standing around and talking. The film has some good suspenseful music... but nothing suspenseful to go along with it.

Molly Lamont is the dead woman. We never feel sympathy for her. Without that, who really cares what happened to her or who killed her? The character has no likable qualities. She's quick-tempered and a raving lunatic.

We're supposed to believe that George Zucco is mastermind behind driving the woman crazy, but he does little more than sit behind a desk and scowl. If he was a really in control he would have strangled the dumb detective and the bitchy maid long ago. Every line they give is cliched and annoying.

Bela Lugosi is in the house for most of the film. But he's mostly elsewhere and only pops in for a few moments here and there. He's basically playing a creepy character (as usual) and doesn't bring much to the role but that.
Angelo Rossitto disappears 10 minutes into the film and is never seen or spoken of again.

The mask appears lurking in windows. It lacks eye-holes or mouth-holes and looks like a piece of plaster. Not terrifying at all. Everyone says it's green, but it appears blue in the film (maybe the color has faded?)

It's a shame this was the only color film Bela Lugosi starred in because its one of the most rotten films he ever made... and... even including the films he made with Ed Wood... this is the most inept.

Oscar Nominees

Here's a complete list of nominees for the 82nd Academy Awards:

The LA Times

Bela Lugosi Week Film 3: Spooks Run Wild

This week I've decided to do something a little different here at Blues In The Night. Every film reviewed this week will star Bela Lugosi. For film #3, Bela Lugosi teams up with the East Side Kids to bring laughs with the fright.

Spooks Run Wild
1941 - Monogram
Directed By Phil Rosen



SYNOPSIS

The East Side Kids are busted again and are sent to a camp in upstate New York. A radio broadcast announces the 'Monster Killer' is in the area. When Muggs (Leo Gorcey) Danny (Bobby Jordan) and Glimpy (Huntz Hall) set out to meet up with a girl in town, they get lost. The rest of the gang meets up with them, and one gets hurt. The group heads to a seemingly haunted mansion where they meet a man (Bela Lugosi) who just might be the Monster Killer!



MY THOUGHTS



Lugosi gets to spoof his dark, creepy, mysterious screen image that defined him since Dracula. He doesn't play the role that much noticeably different... except in how he delivers his dialogue. It's not as straightforward, filled with many pauses done for comedic purposes. Lugosi also looks like he's relishing in the fun and that adds much to his performance.

Lugosi also gets his very own mini-me in the film played by Angelo Rossitto, who's there for more menace than laughs (and there's not much menace.)



All the East Side Kids have their roles down pat, and with little strife among the characters in the plot, the group works as one to bring the laughs. There's many funny one-liners, slaps and malapropisms shared by all. This was the group's second encounter with a haunted house (the first was Boys Of The City) and there would be even more when they became the Bowery Boys.

The gags are sharper than usual film in the East Side Kids series... but most of the interplay between the boys was ad-libbed. Screenwriter Carl Foreman would later win an Oscar for High Noon but certainly not for this script.
The script has many (if not all) of the staples of a haunted house story like secret passages, people in the shadows, suits of armor, etc. They appear one after another in little vignettes as if Foreman is working with a checklist.
The film also has many "Huh?" moments like when Lugosi and Rossitto simply disappear in a cemetery. Also, the injured kid (David Gorcey) seemingly turns into a zombie.
The 'twist' ending is almost expected and is a cop-out. Lugosi is revealed to be a simple magician and the killer is someone else. How could he turn the kid into a zombie or vanish in thin air without supernatural powers? I've probably thought through this more than Mr. Foreman.

The cinematography is better than normal for the series, possibly because most of the film is in the dark! The lighting crew did a terrible job following the cast with spotlights to augment the candlelight. A candle is supposed to blow out but the spotlight goes off before the candle.

These are some of the problems with tiny budget films cranked out in a week's time. Still, many of these 'b' movies still have a great charm, and Spooks Run Wild is no different.

The kids made 23 films in this series. This one ranks, if not the best, definitely in the top 3, partially thanks to Bela Lugosi.

Lugosi and the East Siders would team up again a few years later in the vastly inferior Ghosts On The Loose.

This DVD probably has the best transfer of any release of this public domain film.

Bela Lugosi Week Film 2: White Zombie

This week I've decided to do something a little different here at Blues In The Night. Every film reviewed this week will star Bela Lugosi. This is the second of 7 films I'll be reviewing starring everyone's favorite vampire. Bela Lugosi hangs up his fangs and is now making zombies do his bidding rather than young ladies.

White Zombie
1932
Directed By Victor Halperin



SYNOPSIS

Madeline (Madge Bellamy) and her fiance Neil (John Harron) head to Haiti to be married at the home of Beaumont (Robert Frazer.) Beaumont is infatuated with Madeline and makes a deal with a local witch doctor (Bela Lugosi) to make her fall for him. Problems arise when she dies and comes back a mindless zombie!



MY THOUGHTS

The first feature film to feature those slow, lumbering zombies in action.

Though shot in just 11 days, the film does have the slow, lumbering pace of an early talkie (or a zombie.) Much of the film was shot on the Universal lot (it was an independent production) and made use of some standing sets from Dracula, Frankenstein and others.

The film's eerie and atmospheric tone echoes those great horror classics... but ultimately it is no where near as good.

Bela Lugosi (with mustache and goatee) hams it up a bit as the villain, but not nearly as bad as everyone else. The acting performances are the film's greatest fault. Many of the actors were silent film stars who'd hit the skids. Their performances still show the exaggerated emotions common in the silent era.... and are often ridiculous. The goofy-looking zombies are even worse.



The script also has problems. It relies too much on talking rather than action and this causes the film to drag in many places. This makes it hard to maintain the great atmosphere set up by the cinematography.

The first zombie film did set up a good framework for all that was to come in this still-popular horror sub-genre.

Bela Lugosi Week Film 1: Dracula

This week I've decided to do something a little different here at Blues In The Night. Every film reviewed this week will star Bela Lugosi. This is the first of 7 films I'll be reviewing starring everyone's favorite vampire. Lugosi appeared in films for over a dozen years before getting his big break... bringing his starring role in the Broadway play of Bram Stoker's classic novel to the big screen.

Dracula
1931 - Universal Pictures
Directed By Tod Browning



SYNOPSIS

Dracula (Bela Lugosi) leaves Transylvania for England with a man named Renfield (Dwight Frye) under his control. He soon finds Lucy (Frances Dade) and her friend Mina (Helen Chandler) and begins to prey upon them. Mina's fiance and her father bring in Dr. Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan) to investigate and he realizes Dracula is a vampire. Now they must stop Dracula before he kills Mina and turns her into a vampire.



MY THOUGHTS

I first saw Dracula many years ago after I saw Frankenstein for the first time and became fascinated with the old Universal horror films. I felt Dracula was the worst of the lot and hadn't revisited until now.

The film is very creaky and shows its age more than any of the other Universal classics. For being such a short movie (1:15,) it moves at a leaden pace, like many early sound films. Thankfully, Frankenstein (released just 9 months later) does not have this problem. I found myself checking my watch just 35 minutes into Dracula.

One of Dracula's big pluses is its atmosphere. The cinematography in this film established the look of all Universal's horror shows to come. The shadowy night, the ever present fog, and cobwebbed castles are just some of the staples introduced here.
The Universal horror films are not frightening or scary (maybe they were at the time) but they excel at being unsettling and macabre. It's all about mood.

Director Tod Browning excelled at telling dark stories for over 15 years before bringing Dracula to film audiences. Dracula's huge success granted him the power to make what ever he wanted to... and he made Freaks. It's the legendary/infamous melodrama starring real life circus sideshow performers. It sadly derailed his career and took decades before it was recognized as a masterpiece.



The film's other big plus is Bela Lugosi. It's certainly clear why this film made him a star. Every time he's not on screen, the film is a horrific bore. Lugosi can induce chills with just his stare (augmented by some perfect lighting highlighting them.) it's no wonder why so many characters fall under his spell. His screen presence allows him to dominate every scene. Lugosi doesn't display much of an acting range in the film, mostly he's there to look menacing and imposing and he does it very well.

His co-stars also help Lugosi to dominate, by giving very hammy, campy performances. They are all very theatrical and silent film-era acting style with hands flailing about and excessive emotions. Dwight Frye, as Renfield, is the king of that here. He's supposed to be a scary, insane man but you can't help but laugh at him and his beyond-over-the-top performance.

The film is much better than I remember it being, but it still is vastly inferior to the other Universal monster films to come.