Lost DRACULA 1931 Original Ending FOUND!

Lost DRACULA 1931 Original Ending FOUND! (Full Clip + Context) video by Haunted Blowfish.

Summary:

Dracula 1931's original final scene has been presumed lost for decades and decades. 95 years later, it has unexpectedly been rediscovered and restored.

The full scene is included in this video, along with a dive into the background, context and controversy surrounding it all.

Lost footage found?! There ARE such things!

"Dracula" Opened 95 Years Ago Today

Above, an original Dracula lobby card.

Did you know that Universal Pictures' Dracula (1931) starring Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, Dwight Frye, David Manners and Edward Van Sloan opened to theaters 95 years ago today?

Interestingly,  Universal first advertised 1931's Dracula as a love story when they opened it on Valentine's Day. 

Actor Dwight Frye (Renfield) gained movie immortality with this maniacal laugh:

A Spanish version was produced at the same time with different actors but with the same sets. Technically, many feel that the Spanish version was superior to the English (Lugosi) version. The Lugosi version was filmed during the day and the Spanish version was filmed at night. 

The movie ushered in Universal's monster movie franchises that are still popular today. 

Monster Centennials 8 Years From Now

Above, Boris Karloff as the Monster in a publicity still. Photo by Universal Pictures.

For tonight's New Year's Eve dinner movie, I watched the 1931 Frankenstein starring Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles, Dwight Frye and Edward Van Sloan.  It had been a while since I last viewed it.

Since tomorrow will be 2023, it occurred to me that the movie will be 92 years old as well as Dracula with Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, Edward Van Sloan, David Manners and Dwight Frye. 

Above, Edward Van Sloan and Bela Lugosi in a publicity still. Photo by Universal Pictures.

Eight years from next year, both films will be celebrating their centennials. Will Universal Pictures have any whoop-de-doos to celebrate? I'd imagine they will (well, there's money to be made). 

I guess I'll have to hang on for eight more years to find out.

"Frankenstein" Released 90 Years Ago Today

Above, Boris Karloff in his star-making role as the Monster. Universal Pictures.

It is interesting that a movie, a horror movie at that, is still thrilling audiences 90 years after its release, thanks to today's video technology.

Such is James Whale's Frankenstein (1931) starring Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles, Dwight Frye and Edward Van Sloan. 

The movie, an adaptation of a stage play based on Mary Shelley's novel, was released on November 21, 1931 by Universal Pictures.

Happy 90th Anniversary, Frankie!

Happy Halloween!

 The classic creation scene from Frankenstein (1931).

"Dracula's Daughter"/"Son of Dracula" Double-Feature DVD

My cousin Ralph came over today. We had a good time chatting about all kinds of things.

We also headed to El Pollo Loco for a late lunch and, following that, we headed to CD Trader to rummage around.

The only thing I picked up at CD Trader was a DVD of two of Universal Pictures's Dracula movies. It was two movies in one disc.

I watched both of them tonight. The annoying thing about the disc is that there's no easy way to switch from one movie to the other without shutting down the DVD player first. Going to the "main" menu was impossible. Oh, well. It only cost me $6.99.

The movies:

The first was Dracula's Daughter (1936). The movie picks up where the 1931 Dracula left off. Bela Lugosi, I have read, was signed to do the movie in a prologue, but that was nixed. He was available (and allegedly paid) to play his staked corpse, but Universal chose to use a dummy (that didn't look much like Lugosi) instead.

The Google synopsis:

Although Count Dracula was destroyed by Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan), who is now being tried for his murder, Dracula's daughter, the Countess Marya Zaleska (Gloria Holden), is still alive -- and her father's death has brought her no closer to eradicating her vampiric thirst for blood. When attempts to free herself of the disease fail, she turns to psychiatrist Dr. Garth (Otto Kruger) for assistance, but soon finds herself struggling with the desire to make him one of the undead as well.

The second was Son of Dracula (1943). The movie involves the son of Dracula (named "Count Alucard") played by Lon Chaney, Jr. Chaney was miscast as a Hungarian nobleman, but the movie is entertaining anyway. The plot of the movie involves a woman (Louise Allbritton) seeking immortality for herself and her childhood sweetheart (Robert Paige) by tricking Dracula into making her a vampire. Allbritton is quite alluring in this movie. Too bad her plan didn't quite go the way she planned it. I think there's a goof, though. In standard vampire lore, isn't someone who is bitten by a vampire is generally powerless to turn against the vampire? By the way, "Alucard" is Dracula spelled backwards.

The Google synopsis:

Count Alucard (Lon Chaney) comes out of a lake in his coffin and makes a Southern belle (Louise Allbritton) his bride.

One can always count (no pun intended) on Universal horrors to make for an entertaining evening!

Lugosi's "Dracula" Hits 80!

Yesterday was Valentine's Day. Okay, so what?

Well, it was 80 years ago yesterday that Universal Pictures' Dracula starring Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners, Dwight Frye and Edward Van Sloan, opened in theaters around the country.

Although it may be "slow and creaky" (according to some, but aren't we all?) in its staging, the movie still holds up thanks to the acting, particularly by Lugosi and Frye. For better or worse, Dracula made Bela Lugosi a star.

I still enjoy watching it.