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ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN – Frank Skinner
MOVIE MUSIC UK CLASSICS
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Studio executives at Universal conceived of an audacious new film featuring their star comedians Abbott and Costello, which would bring them into contact with Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula, the Wolfman, the Mummy and the Invisible Man. Lou Costello was singularly unimpressed with the script, but relented when he was offered $50,000 and informed that his friend Charles Barton would be directing. Robert Arthur was placed in charge of production with a $759,524 budget, Charles Barton would direct, and Robert Lees, Frederic Rinaldo and John Grant were tasked with writing the screenplay. For the cast, Bud Abbott would play Chick Young and Lou Costello would play Wilbur Grey. Joining theme would be Lon Chaney as Lawrence Talbot (The Wolfman), Béla Lugosi as Dr. Lejos (Dracula), Glenn Strange as Frankenstein’s monster, and Lenore Aubert as Sandra Mornay. Read more…
ARABIAN NIGHTS – Frank Skinner
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
The success of The Thief of Bagdad in 1940 spurred Universal Pictures to enter the exotic adventure film genre, resulting in production of four WWII era films, including Arabian Nights in 1942, White Savage in 1943, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves in 1944, and Cobra Woman also in 1944. The first film, Arabian Nights would be derived from the Islamic classic “One Thousand and One Nights”. Walter Wagner was placed in charge of production with a $904,765 budget, John Rawlins was tasked with directing, and Michael Hogan was hired to write the screenplay. For the cast, John Hall would star as Haroun-Al-Rashid, Maria Montez as Scheherazade, Sabu as Ali Ben Ali, Leif Erikson as Kamar, Edgar Barrier as Nadan, Shemp Howard as Sinbad, Thomas Gomez as Hakim, Tuhan Bey as Captain of the Guard, and John Qualen as Aladdin. Read more…
BACK STREET – Frank Skinner
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In 1932 Universal Pictures adapted the 1931 novel “Back Street” by Fannie Hurst. In 1940 the studio decided to remake the film as a way to showcase their star, Margaret Sullavan. Bruce Manning was assigned production with a budget of $675,000, Robert Stevenson was tasked with directing, and the team of Bruce Manning and Felix Jackson would write the screenplay drawing from the script of the 1932 film, and the original novel. Margaret Sullavan would star and play Ray Smith. She insisted that the studio hire Charles Boyer, whom she always wanted to work with, and managed to induce him to accept by agreeing to surrender her top billing to him. He would play Walter Louis Saxel, and joining them would be Richard Carlson as Curt Stanton, Frank McHugh as Ed Porter, and Samuel S. Hinds as Felix Darren. Read more…
THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES – Frank Skinner
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
The 1851 novel The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne was first adapted to the screen in 1910 by Universal Studios. In 1939 studio executives decided to remake the film, believing a retelling of its gothic tale of a self-destructive family consumed by greed would be well-received by the public. It was conceived to be a B-film offering and so Universal assigned one of its B-film producers, Burt Kelly, to oversee production with a small budget of $178,000. Joe May was tasked with directing and Lester Cole was hired to write the screenplay. Despite its small budget, a fine cast was assembled, including; George Sanders as Jaffrey Pyncheon, Margaret Lindsay as Hepzibah Pyncheon, Vincent Price as Clifford Pyncheon, Nan Grey as Phoebe Pyncheon, Dick Foran as Matthew Holgrave, and Gilbert Emery as Gerald Pyncheon. Read more…
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