Which “monster” was a decorated WWI veteran who was wounded three times and saved the lives of his fellow soldiers? Well, that was Bela Blasko, who rose to worldwide fame when he played the vampire count in Universal’s 1931 epic “Dracula.” Of course, at that time, he had changed his last name to “Lugosi”, which was derived from his hometown of Lugos, Hungary. He didn’t learn to drive a car either.
I grew up addicted to “Creature Features” on Channel 44, WTG-TV, outside of St. Petersburg, Florida, and loved watching all the classic horror movies they showed. The host was a certain Dr. Paul Bearer (real name Dick Bennick). With so many years of Saturday afternoons and regular nights with the good doctor, my brain was filled with facts and figures about all these heroes of the dark.
Lon Chaney Sr., the renowned silent film star whose most famous roles include “The Phantom of the Opera” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” learned his acting skills in part from his deaf-mute parents. He had to learn pantomime in order to communicate, a talent that greatly enhanced his intensity on screen. He was also an all-round good guy, often helping his fellow actors and film crew without seeking any credit. Chaney once saw a future actor named William Henry Pratt walking home from the studios and gave him a ride. And what do you say? Well, Pratt’s stage name was Boris Karloff, who went on to play Frankenstein’s monster and the original mummy. Chaney gave Karloff indispensable advice on what he should do to improve his own career…advice he listened to. Karloff later co-founded the Screen Actors Guild and narrated “How The Grinch Stole Christmas,” a beloved Christmas cartoon.
Lon’s son, Creighton Chaney, would become Lon Chaney, Jr., and would also engrave his name in the book of horror legends. His most famous role was “The Werewolf,” but he eventually played just about every major horror character that had been created up to that point. Lon Jr. was known as a guy with a big heart, like his father, who helped everyone he could. This help went even beyond the grave. He donated his body to the University of Southern California for medical research.
Peter Lorre was known for a wide variety of roles, but mostly those with a dark edge, including the “M” movies and “Mad Love.” He fled Hungary and Nazi Germany for Hollywood, and was later invited by Adolf Hitler to return to Germany and be a part of his film community. With so many assassin roles in movies, Lorre sent a letter to the Nazis to inform them that they didn’t need his talents because they already had so many assassins in their ranks. In previous years, Lorre studied with Dr. Sigmund Freud, which may explain his understanding of characters with, shall we say, “character flaws.”
Vincent Price was a native of St. Louis, although many people still believe that he is, at least in part, English. His grandfather invented the first cream of tartar sauce and his father was president of the National Candy Company. Vincent was a connoisseur of all things fine, including art and cooking. He educated Americans in the fine arts, sold more than 50,000 items through Sears Roebuck as part of his “Vincent Price Collection,” and published a variety of gourmet cookbooks. With his famous movies like “House of Wax” and “The House on Haunted Hill”, he also branched out into popular music. Price’s voice can be heard on Alice Cooper’s “Devil’s Food / The Black Widow” and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee enjoyed years of working together for Hammer Films in England, becoming best friends. Cushing is best known as the gaunt Dr. Frankenstein and Professor Van Helsing in Hammer’s remakes of many Universal classics. Other roles for Cushing included Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Who, but perhaps his favorite role was as husband to his beloved Helen. Her death in 1971 haunted him for the rest of her life, and he constantly longed for the day he would be reunited with her. His love for his wife was commemorated in the “Helen Cushing Rose”, a special variety of flowers created in 1986.
Christopher Lee has remained the longest-serving purveyor of the classic horror genre, continuing to appear in movies even in his 90s. Best known in recent years for his roles in the films “The Lord of the Rings” and “Star Wars,” Lee’s deep voice has also graced a variety of stage, musical and record productions. He is related through his family to James Bond creator Ian Fleming and appeared in Fleming’s The Man With The Golden Gun. Lee is also a World War II veteran and was knighted by the Queen of England. He speaks English, Italian, French, Spanish, German, Swedish, Russian and Greek.
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The author is a writer, musician, film producer, record producer, and music arranger who was born in Somerville, New Jersey and grew up in Melbourne, Florida. [email protected]