# Glenn Strange : House of Frankenstein



## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

Glenn Strange in House of Frankenstein 

This is the Posthumous Production's replacement parts for the Aurora/Monogram/Polar Lights Frankenstein kit. 

The replacement parts consist of the Glenn Strange replacement head, Jacket, Arms and nameplate for the tombstone. 

Of all the actors to play Frankenstein's monster for Universal Studios in the 1930's and 1940's, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr, and Bela Lugosi, Glenn Strange was the fourth actor to get into the part and was the closest to the original Karloff persona. 










































And in Black and White.....


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

MadCap Romanian said:


> ...Of all the actors to play Frankenstein's monster for Universal Studios...Glenn Strange was the...closest to the original Karloff persona.


Much as I appreciate your modeling skills, MCR, I would argue with your assessment of Glenn Strange's performances as the Monster. While he did work with Karloff to try and get the Monster's movements right, his characterization was little more than that of an automaton. However, I will admit that by the time Strange was cast in the role, an automaton was pretty much what Universal had in mind for the Monster anyway.

And I always felt that Glenn Strange made the best-looking(?) Monster, an opinion that I think your model goes a long way to confirming. Thanks for sharing the photos!

Mark McG.


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## hedorah59 (Nov 24, 2008)

This is another reason why I need to start getting some replacement heads for my kits - It looks great! I really like the B&W pic, I may have to try that some day (If I ever finish one of my kits :freak


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

@ Mark ~ I wrote this description a few years ago on my Fotki Account and just did a copy and paste of the text. However, after watching the films @ 400 times each, and including the Abbott and Costello movies, I would say that Glenn Strange actually got a lot of "Lucky Breaks" compaired to the other actors that played Frankenstein. 

Karloff set the example of the monster. He got to talk in "Bride", but in "Son", that priveledge was revolked. 

Chaney JR didn't get to talk as the monster and was pretty much regulated to being an ockward, lumbering monster. 

Lugosi's monster was more of the "Automoton" and had the "Hissing" sound. 

But with Strange in Abbott and Costello, he got to talk, which was something that the monster didn't do on film for over 10 years. Mind you, it was primarily "Yes Master" to Lugosi's Dracula, but it was more than the other actors after "Bride" got. So that was one of those "Lucky Breaks". 

I also think that Glenn's Monster had more "Action" to him in Abbott.

But I will agree that by time Universal was getting finished with their monster movies, it was pretty much a formula. "The Mummy" movies are notorious for following "the formula" and "House fo Frankenstein" and "House of Dracula" are no exception either, although I preferr "House of Frankenstein" for story.

And I'll also admit that my two most favorite looking actors for the monster are Karloff and Strange. Lugosi and Chaney are just too "Chunky" for that walking undead look. Also, they are easily recognised facially and don't really look like they are wearing the make-up.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

MadCap Romanian said:


> Chaney JR didn't get to talk as the monster and was pretty much regulated to being an ockward, lumbering monster.


I don't think either Universal or Lon Chaney felt he could step into Boris Karloff's boots in any other capacity, MCR. He did have his moments when Ygor's brain took over the Monster at the end of the picture, _Ghost of Frankenstein_ (1941), though.



MadCap Romanian said:


> Lugosi's monster was more of the "Automoton" and had the "Hissing" sound.


The sad thing about Bela Lugosi's performance in _Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man_ (1943) is that he *didn't* play the Monster as an automaton. The script originally had the Monster still speaking as Ygor - logical, since this picture was the immediate sequel to _GoF._ Along the way, it was established that the Monster was still as blind as he had been at the end of the previous film. However Lugosi's lines, delivered in his Hungarian accent, sounded just too ludicrous coming from the Monster; all his speeches were removed from the soundtrack in post-production. This made Lugosi's stiff-armed groping movements, which made perfect sense for the blind Monster, look ridiculous.

You'll recall the horrible grin that the Monster gave Dr. Mannering at the picture's climax; that's because, in addition having returned his strength, the doctor had also restored the Monster's sight. From that moment until the end of the film, Lugosi gave us a pretty dynamic Monster. I've always had a soft spot for _FMtWM_ because it was the first classic Frankenstein picture I saw as a kid and the years, with fuller knowledge about the production, have done nothing to tarnish Lugosi's Monster in my eyes.



MadCap Romanian said:


> ...I also think that Glenn's Monster had more "Action" to him in Abbott.


I have to agree with your assessment of the Glenn Strange Monster, particularly his performance in _Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein_ (1948). Here the script gave him much more to do than in _House of Frankenstein _(1944) or _House of Dracula_ (1945). And he had enough comic ability to be able to pull off that "sitting-on-the-Monster" gag while working with Bud Abbott, who was one of the foremost comic talents of the day.

One of these days I want to get around to doing a Lugosi conversion of the Aurora Frankenstein kit - the pose out of the box would be perfect.

Mark McG.


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

Mark said:


> One of these days I want to get around to doing a Lugosi conversion of the Aurora Frankenstein kit


I was thinking of doing the same and one for Chaney using the Posthumous likenesses of the Lugosi Dracula and Chaney Son of Dracula as a basis. Also, I think the Posthumous Productions Glenn Strange clothing would be better than the kit version because the suit isn't burnt.

As for the Lugosi Frankenstein, a lot can be said. I have the DVD that came out when Universal released the special set for Von Helsing and they talked about Lugosi's part. 

They said that in the original opening of the movie, Lugosi as Frankenstein was chased into a burning building and he was hit on the head with a burning log, thus blinding him. He made it out of the building (Or castle) in his blinded state. 

Sadly, this sequence was cut due to "Time Constraints" or some other Hollywood double talk, and it left the audience wondering why Lugosi was "groping around". Some film historians have said that if they left that sequence in the film, then Lugosi's portrayl would have probably been equil to Karloff. 

As for "Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, I've always liked that movie. Good action, good storyline, and good music.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

MadCap Romanian said:


> ...Some film historians have said that if they left that sequence in the film, then Lugosi's portrayl would have probably been equil to Karloff.


That touches on another aspect of the Frankenstein mythos, that Boris Karloff won fame and fortune playing the Monster because Bela Lugosi turned the part down.

One has to bear in mind that Lugosi had risen to the top of the acting profession in Hungary. In that country they had (and for all I know may still have) a progression of roles that an actor had to essay satisfactorily before a jury. These juried performances determined an actor's status in the Hungarian theatre and, by the time he left the country, Lugosi was a huge star.

Then he acheived a new stardom in the US, in _Dracula_ (1931). But the Laemmles, who owned Universal Pictures, only saw Lugosi as a "monster actor" - possibly a successor to the recently deceased Lon Chaney, Sr. They wanted to cast Lugosi as Frankenstein's Monster - and you know about his objection to the makeup, the failed screen test, and so on.

Of course, Lugosi's biggest peeve about the part was that the Monster was "a scarecrow" - *and he was right! *The script that Lugosi was given had been written by Robert Florey, who was also set to direct the picture. I've seen a synopsis of Florey's _Frankenstein_ script; in it, the Monster was little more than the killing machine that he had degenerated into for Hammer Films. Had Lugosi been approached by James Whale, who realized the power the Monster would have as a sympathetic character, things might have been very different.

As it was, Whale got Karloff, while Florey and Lugosi went on to make _Murders in the Rue Morgue_ (1932). Although this was a fine film, it was by no means in the same class as _Frankenstein_, then or now. Unfortunately, in _FMtWM_, Lugosi's portrayal of the Monster got butchered, so we'll never have a true idea of what he might have done with the part.

Nevertheless, without the efforts of all the talented men we've been discussing on this thread, ours would be a pretty dismal hobby.

Mark McG.


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

I just don't understand why Universal didn't keep Lugosi as Dracula in later movies. Chaney wasn't bad as the Vampire, because it was like a new Vampire movie anyway, but I never liked John Carrodine in the role. He just seemed too...wooden?


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

I've read that Lugosi's star had fallen at Universal by the time he was cast as the Monster in _Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man_. His performance was frowned upon by the Front Office executives, and he had begun appearing in films at third-rate studios (I'm not sure that he was still under contract with Universal at the time). So Universal "punished" Lugosi by casting Carradine as Dracula in the two _House of..._ pictures.

What a rip.

Mark McG.


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

Totally, since Lugosi WAS Dracula.


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## mrmurph (Nov 21, 2007)

Lots of great memories in this thread. In the two "House" movies, the Frankenstein monster sadly doesn't have much to do; he gets offed almost as soon as he gets revived.

I wonder if the monster's dialog from FMTWM doesn't survive in some long forgotten Universal vault. It would be wonderful to hear Lugosi's lines. 

Funny how Karloff, Lugosi, and Chaney were all typecast and almost viewed as second-tier actors. Years after their deaths, these folks are probably the most revered actors from their time. Certainly, their movies are more popular than most of those made in the 30's and 40's. I read somewhere that Anthony Hopkins channeled some of Lugosi for his Dr. Lector performance, and Martin Landau won an academy award for playing Bela (though not necessarily in a flattering light). 

Oh, and I think the built-up of the Glenn Strange Frankenstein is spot-on. With these kits released yet again, we can experiment away without worrying whether or not we'll mess up a rare model.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

murph,

I'm afraid Lugosi's dialogue in _Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man_ probably went the way of his screen test as the Monster for _Frankenstein_. The studio would have had no use for the material and therefore no reason to save it. The best-connected film enthusiasts have been trying for decades to find this stuff but keep coming up empty-handed. Still, they did piece Thomas Edison's 1910 _Frankenstein_ back together - you can see it on YouTube, of all places. So I suppose anything is possible.

In their heyday, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Lon Chaney (senior and junior) were big stars. Karloff probably managed his career better than the others, who ended up demonstrating yet again why Hollywood is not known for its humanity. But the actors' estates have established their right to get a cut of the huge profits that the studios have been raking in long after the performers passed away. So at least Boris, Bela, _et al_ have gotten the last laugh - appropriately enough, from the other side of the grave.

I would hardly term the Aurora monster kits "rare". The Fab Four have been reissued at least once per decade since their initial release in the 1960s. They turn up regularly on the e-auction sites, and a visit to the vendors room of any model show (IPMS or not) is bound to unearth a couple. And Tom Lowe just re-released the Witch, among other classic kits. I think our favorites will be around for a long time to come.

So don't be afraid to make like Dr. Pretorious and keep on experimenting!

Mark McG.


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## mr.victor (Feb 11, 2009)

I have all the old Dracula, Frankenstein & Wolfman movies on DVD. Does anyone happen to know their release dates? I'd like to watch them in the order they came out.


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## frankenstyrene (Oct 5, 2006)

MC, how'd you get that slight speckly-sparkly look to the green skintone?


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

Glad you asked that! Actualy, I'm glad you noticed it!  

I mix in a yellow pearl powder I bought for model car finishes with a dull clearcoat. It's an effect I like to call "Sweat" in that it looks like little sweat crystals. It also gives a bit of a tonal brillance to the skin. 

I only use it on Frankensteins because I think it wouldn't work on regular fleshtone. 

I bet it would look good on The Creature From The Black Lagoon though.


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## wolfman66 (Feb 18, 2006)

One of Favorites actors to play the Monster and also a favorite replacement parts for the Aurora Franky.Plus MCR you did a Fantastic job on him:thumbsup:


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

Thanx!


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

mr.victor said:


> ...Does anyone happen to know their release dates?


Here you go, Mr. Vee:

*Frankenstein*
_Frankenstein _(1931)
_Bride of Frankenstein _(1935)
_Son of Frankenstein _(1939)
_Ghost of Frankenstein _(1942)
_Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man _(1943)
_House of Frankenstein _(1944)
_House of Dracula _(1945)
_Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein _(1948)

*Dracula*
_Dracula _(1931)
_Dracula's Daughter _(1936)
_Son of Dracula _(1943)
_House of Frankenstein _(1944)
_House of Dracula _(1945)
_Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein _(1948)

*The Wolf Man*
_The Wolf Man_ (1941)
_Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man _(1943)
_House of Frankenstein _(1944)
_House of Dracula _(1945)
_Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein _(1948)

Looks like you're going to need a lot of popcorn!

Mark McG.


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

Technically, although Dracula and Frankenstein both came out in 1931, Dracula came out first.

@ Mcgee....you forgot The Mummy, The Invisible Man, and The Creature From The Black Lagoon.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

MCR,

You're right, _Dracula_ was released on Valentine's Day of 1931 and _Frankenstein_ came out in December. I was just too lazy to note the month for each film on the list. And no, I didn't forget the Mummy, the Invisible Man, nor the Creature From the Black Lagoon - Mr. Victor didn't ask about them. :tongue: Myah!

However, I do realize I made a serious omission: _Werewolf of London_ (1935) was Universal's first lycanthropically-themed motion picture. _She-Wolf of London_ (1946) was a far less serious omission. Let's not worry Mr. Vee about these films right now - they're not really part of the other monsters' time line and I wouldn't want to yank him out of his popcorn-induced haze...:freak:

Mark McG.


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

I was going to post the entire timeline from Universal. I bought the movie packages that came out with Van Helsing and they have the dates on them.


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## mr.victor (Feb 11, 2009)

Thanks for the dates. Yes, I'm going to need a lot of popcorn. And I do have the Mummy, Creature and Invisible Man DVDs, too. I'll watch them all and then get back to modeling them.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Okay, here's the whole kit and kaboodle. This is only the Universal *monsters* canon, so if you're looking for _The Invisible Ray_ (1936) or _Man-Made Monster_ (1940), you're on your own.

*The Universal Monsters Timeline*​
*1923*_ - The Hunchback of Notre Dame_
*1925*_ - The Phantom of the Opera_
*1931*_ - _(Feb.)_ Dracula__; _(Dec.) _Frankenstein_
*1932*_ - The Mummy_
*1933*_ - The Invisible Man_
*1935*_ - (Apr.) Bride of Frankenstein; (May) Werewolf of London_
*1936*_ - Dracula's Daughter_
*1939*_ - Son of Frankenstein_
*1940*_ - (Jan.) The Invisible Man Returns; (Sep.) The Mummy’s Hand; (Dec.) The Invisible Woman_
*1941*_ - The Wolf Man_
*1942*_ - (Mar.) Ghost of Frankenstein; (Aug.) Invisible Agent; (Oct.) The Mummy’s Tomb_
*1943*_ - (Mar.) Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man; (Aug.) The Phantom of the Opera; (Nov.) Son of Dracula_
*1944*_ -__ (Jun.) The Invisible Man’s Revenge; (Jul.) The Mummy’s Ghost; (Dec. 1) House of Frankenstein; (Dec.22) The Mummy’s Curse_
*1945*_ - House of Dracula_
*1948*_ - Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein_
*1951 *_- Abbott & Costello Meet the Invisible Man_
_*1953 *- Abbott & Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde_
*1954 *_- The Creature From the Black Lagoon_
*1955*_ - (Jun.) Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy; (Jul.) Revenge of the Creature_
*1956* - _The Creature Walks Among Us_

I included the Abbott & Costello pictures because the monsters were in the cast. Now get back to your video players and let me get back to my workbench. :freak:

Mark McG.


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

ThanX for the list Mark!


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## Night-Owl (Mar 17, 2000)

Well done MCR! :thumbsup:


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

Thanx!


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