94 Years of "Dracula" (1931)

Above, Bela Lugosi (left) and his co-stars in a publicity photo. Photo by Universal Pictures.

Today in motion picture history.

On Valentine's Day in 1931, Universal Pictures' Dracula starring Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, Dwight Frye, David Manners and Edward Van Sloan was released. It was the first purely supernatural movie and started the monster/horror cycle at Universal.

From Wikipedia:

Dracula is a 1931 American pre-Code supernatural horror film directed and co-produced by Tod Browning from a screenplay written by Garrett Fort and starring Bela Lugosi in the title role. It is based on the 1924 stage play Dracula by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston, which in turn is adapted from the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. Lugosi portrays Count Dracula, a vampire who emigrates from Transylvania to England and preys upon the blood of living victims, including a young man's fiancée.

Produced and distributed by Universal Pictures, Dracula is the first sound film adaptation of the Stoker novel. Several actors were considered to portray the title character, but Lugosi, who had previously played the role on Broadway, eventually got the part. The film was partially shot on sets at Universal Studios Lot in California, which were reused at night for the filming of a concurrently produced Spanish-language adaptation of the same name, also produced by Universal.

Dracula was a commercial and critical success upon release, and led to several sequels and spin-offs. It has had a notable influence on popular culture, and Lugosi's portrayal of Dracula established the character as a cultural icon, as well as the archetypal vampire in later works of fiction. In 2000, the film was selected by the United States Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." 

Incredible as it seems, the 1931 Dracula has been around for 94 years.

Speaking of Dracula, Rare First Edition Up For Auction

Above, a first edition of "Dracula," similar to this one, is up for auction.

A rare 1897 first edition of "Dracula" by Bram Stoker is up for auction.

According to This Is Cornwall.co.uk:

A rare first edition of the gothic horror story "Dracula"  dedicated to a famous novelist of the day is about to go under the hammer. 

The novel by Bram Stoker, complete with a lurid mustard yellow dust jacket, is to be sold by Lawrences in Crewkerne, South Somerset.

The book, signed by Stoker to novelist Lucy Clifford, is expected to "fetch bids of over £10,000."*

To read the full article, go here.

*£10,000 equals $16,107.00.

"Hollywood Gothic - The Tangled Web of Dracula From Novel To Stage To Screen"

Bela Lugosi achieved celluloid immortality when he signed with Universal Pictures to play the title character in the 1931 Tod Browning-directed Dracula.  Financially, he was screwed.

Lugosi portrayed the vampire king on Broadway to amazing success (amazing, as he was not all that fluent in English at the time, but he mastered the language well enough to no longer need to learn his English dialog phonetically), but he was signed to a contract for a paltry $500 per week for a seven-week shooting schedule.   One wonders what he would have received had he not been the star of the movie!

In contrast, David Manners, for his nothing role as Jonathan Harker in the same movie, was given a $2,000 per week salary (Universal also had to pay Jack Warner his loan-out fee for the use of Manners).  Part of this was Lugosi's own fault.  His campaign for the role was interpreted as "desperation" by the Laemmles (Carl Sr. and Jr.) and they took advantage.  Manners later became disenchanted with Hollywood and claimed to have never seen "his most famous film."

These and other factoids are in abundance in David J. Skal's "Hollywood Gothic - The Tangled Web of Dracula From Novel To Stage To Screen."  The edition I have is the 2004 first revision, which was a Christmas present, thanks to my Lugosi-loving daughter Amber.

Above, Bram Stoker.

Skal is a noted horror film historian who has written several books on the horror movie genre and has appeared in numerous Universal classic monster movie DVD featurettes.  (When I told Skal that I received the book as a Christmas present, his reply was, "Hope you enjoy--happy holidays!")

As the name implies, "Hollywood Gothic - The Tangled Web of Dracula From Novel To Stage To Screen" takes a detailed look at the various incarnations of Dracula from the original 1897 Bram Stoker novel to its theatrical productions; the battles of widow Florence Stoker over the unauthorized German film Nosferatu; the tragedy of Bela Lugosi; and the various movie versions over the decades.

Above, Bela Lugosi in the 1931 "Dracula."

Plus, it delves into the court battles between Bela George Lugosi (an attorney) and Universal over merchandising rights involving Bela Lugosi’s image as Dracula after Lugosi discovered an Aurora plastic model kit bearing his father’s image as Dracula. 

 

Happily, Skal's writing style makes each phase and topic interesting and entertaining.

 

The book also has numerous photographs, most from Skal's own personal collection.

Skal refers to the 20th century as "The Dracula Century" as the character has been in the public eye (in one form or another) throughout all the century's decades.

 

"Hollywood Gothic - The Tangled Web of Dracula From Novel To Stage To Screen" is a great read and Skal's extensive research pays off in spades.

The book was published by Faber and Faber, Inc.  ISBN 0-571-21158-5.  $18.00 U.S.  370 pages.

Bram Stoker, Born 165 Years Ago

Tomorrow marks the 165th anniversary of the birth of Bram Stoker (right), the author of Dracula.

He was born on November 8, 1847 in Dublin, Ireland.

Dracula was published in 1897.  The story of the vampire Count has been adapted into numerous plays and movies over the years, with the most famous movie version being the 1931 Universal Dracula starring Bela Lugosi (below).

Stoker died in London, England on April 20, 1912.

For more on Stoker, go here.