News

A new show is burning up the Nielsen streaming charts — and it aired its last episode almost fifty years ago. Gunsmoke, the longest-running Western TV show in history, has just ridden on to the Acquired streaming charts, landing at #8. The series, which starred James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon, is currently streaming on Paramount+ and Peacock.

It's no surprise to see a Western on the streaming charts: shows like Yellowstoneand 1923 have been solid successes for Paramount+. However, even on Nielsen's list of Acquired streaming shows, which includes shows that premiered on linear TV before making their way to streaming, Gunsmoke stands out. It's up there with shows like NCIS, The Big Bang Theory, and Bob's Burgers — venerable series all, but they all made their debuts this century. Not so for Gunsmoke, which aired its first episode on CBS in 1955. According to Nielsen, this has been a long time coming,...

Few literary characters have left as lasting an impact on sci-fi and horror cinema as Frankenstein's monster. Since Mary Shelley first unleashed her tragic creation onto the world in 1818, filmmakers have happily taken on its themes of hubris and the blurred line between life and death. Over the decades, Frankenstein has been adapted, reimagined, and parodied in countless ways, with some versions staying true to Shelley's original vision and others taking creative liberties that reshape the story entirely.

In fact, the story is a perfect archetype for all kinds of interpretations. With two major adaptations on the horizon -- Guillermo del Toro's long-awaited take and Maggie Gyllenhaal's unique reimagining -- now is the perfect time to revisit the best Frankenstein movies ever made. From classic Universal horror to modern reinterpretations, these ten films prove that Frankenstein’s monster is truly immortal.

Horror Meets Humor When Abbott and...

Theres something to be said about the enduring legacy of Gunsmoke, the Western that became an institution on both radio and television, and a big part of that includes the late actor, Burt Reynolds. Created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston, the radio series ran from 1952 to 1961 and the Gunsmoke show ran for 20 years on CBS, from 1955 to 1975. It was a feat unheard of for live-action prime-time television until the record was finally broken by NBCs Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which premiered in 1999 and is still active 25 years later.

The wildly successful Gunsmoke follows U.S. Marshall Matt Dillon as he fights for justice in 1870s Dodge City, Kansas. Dillon was played by actor James Arness, who was joined by an ensemble of previously established stars rounding out the Gunsmoke cast, including Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake, Dennis Weaver, Glenn Strange, Buck Taylor, and Ted Jordan. When...

Within a seven-year span, Lon Chaney, Jr. played the same werewolf an impressive total of five times. Among the many actors associated with Universal's rich library of monster movies is Lon Chaney, Jr., a talented actor with an extremely deep and impressive filmography. The son of Phantom of the Opera star Lon Chaney, the actor quickly carved a path for himself in Hollywood as a horror movie star. Much like his father before him, Chaney, Jr. often used heavy makeup for his roles, which were often monsters in classic horror movies.

Chaney. Jr. was active in the industry for decades, getting his start in the silent era during his youth and finally retiring in the early 1970s. During this time, Chaney, Jr. worked in several mediums and genres, ranging from Western movies to adventure films. However, horror will always be what Lon Chaney Jr. is most closely associated with.

Universal's biggest horror crossover happened in a comedy from all the way back in 1948. 76 years ago, audiences were treated to yet another entry in a long-running series of films starring Universal's go-to comedic duo, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. But as the title implies, Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein wasn't just another vehicle for the two actors; it was also an avenue for several horror icons to make an exciting return to the big screen.

During the 1940s, Universal tapped into an interest in the possibility of their monster villains crossing paths with each other. Rather than keep creatures like Count Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, and the Wolf Man confined to their respective franchises, Universal started mixing them up, making movies like Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. In terms of box office revenue, this was a working strategy for the studio. This paved the way for it to go even further with the concept,...

Gunsmoke, a legendary Western TV show, featured a talented cast, including stars like Burt Reynolds, Bette Davis, and John Wayne. Notable actors from Gunsmoke, like Roger Ewing and Buck Taylor, went on to have successful careers in the industry. The series also showcased many iconic guest stars, such as Harrison Ford, Jodie Foster, and Kurt Russell, who have continued to work in Hollywood.

As a series that ran from 1955-1975, there are sadly only a few of the Gunsmoke cast still alive, but these actors have continued with long and notable careers, or have gracefully exited the acting world to pursue personal interests. Gunsmoke was originally a radio series of the same name that broadcast from 1952 to 1961 and in 1955, Gunsmoke became a television show that lasted for 20 years. The series is centered on Dodge City, Kansas in the 1870s as the settlement of the American West is getting underway.

Often...

Glenn Strange's departure from Gunsmoke was abrupt and left a void that the show never fully recovered from. Despite his declining health, Strange continued acting on the show until his final episodes were aired posthumously. Before becoming a beloved Western TV bartender, Glenn Strange was best known for his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in classic Hollywood movies.

Veteran character actor Glenn Strange made a big mark on the popular Western series Gunsmoke, and his sudden departure left a hole that was never truly filled. Starting its unprecedented TV run in 1955, Gunsmoke follows Marshall Matt Dillon (James Arness) as he tries to maintain law and order in the Wild West town of Dodge City, Kansas. Pushing the boundaries of what was possible on TV at the time, Gunsmoke capitalized on the popularity of Westerns while also adding prestige to the growing TV medium. The series ran for 20 seasons and featured an ensemble cast,...

When the moon is high and the shadows stretch long, there’s nothing quite like a monster mash to get the blood curdling in the best possible way. Yep, we’re talking about those rare cinematic feasts where Dracula toasts with Frankenstein, and the Wolfman crashes the party, only to find out the Mummy’s been hogging the dip. Welcome to the ultimate guide to horror’s most iconic gatherings – a list that promises more monster movies than a Halloween bash at Castle Dracula.

Before we unleash the monsters, a quick plug! Dive deeper into classic and modern monster lore with our “Graveyard Smash” limited podcast series on Patreon. Our latest haunt? Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Don’t miss it! Support us and get exclusive access at Nightmare on Film Street on Patreon.

20Th Century Studios 10. Transylvania 6-5000 (1985)

Directed by Rudy De Luca, this offbeat comedy takes a jab...

Some classic TV shows from the past still have plenty to offer modern audiences. Old TV shows often don't have a place on modern streaming platforms, but they still hold up today and deserve to be watched. Shows like I Love Lucy, Roots, and The Twilight Zone still influence new shows being made decades later.

Although the modern era is widely regarded as the golden age of television, some TV shows from decades ago still make brilliant viewing. Some shows from as far back as the 1950s still have plenty to offer modern audiences, whether they're sitcoms, sci-fi anthologies, or adaptations of popular novels. These shows influenced TV for generations to come, and they contain some innovations which are still being felt in the modern TV landscape.

Classic TV shows don't get the same attention given to classic movies. TV wasn't traditionally seen as an equally serious art form, but...

Universal's classic monster movies featured iconic performances and boosted the careers of horror actors like Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. Lon Chaney Jr. came very close to playing all of Universal's classic monsters, as he played the Wolf Man, Frankenstein's monster, the mummy, and Count Dracula. Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee also played multiple classic monsters, but no actor has played all six monsters, making Chaney Jr.'s record hard to break.

Universal’s classic monsters have been adapted to various movies for decades, and though there have been actors who have played more than one, only one legendary actor came very close to almost playing all the monsters. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Universal Pictures released a series of horror movies based on different monsters. The success of the films and the popularity of the characters led Universal to market them under the brand name Universal Studios Monsters,...

Quentin Tarantino, known for his iconic movies, is a massive fan of horror films, and his favorites include classics like Jaws and The Exorcist. Tarantino's love for horror influences his filmmaking, evident in his non-horror movies that often include intense and bloody scenes. Tarantino appreciates a wide range of horror movies, from comedy horrors like Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein to revenge films like Audition.

One of the most iconic movie directors of all time, Quentin Tarantino, is a massive fan of horror movies and has been heavily influenced by many genre classics in his filmmaking career. He's delved into the genre professionally as a director, producer, and actor. Tarantino has appeared in the likes of From Dusk Till Dawn, executive produced the likes of Hostel, and directed the brilliant Death Proof. Quentin Tarantino has made some of the best movies ever, and it is clear he knows what makes a movie truly scary.

Between Slotherhouse arriving on Hulu, buddy comedy Shaky Shivers arriving on Screambox, and the theatrical release of Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, this week belongs to the horror comedy. Horror comedies also happen to make for perfect Halloween viewing, as they frequently offer tricks and treats in the form of laughs and scares. Naturally, this week’s streaming picks are dedicated to horror comedies, emphasizing lesser-seen titles.

Here’s where you can stream them this week.

For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.

Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein – Prime Video

This is the first of many movies in which the comedic pair encounter Universal Monsters, and it’s a delightful mashup all ages can enjoy. Here, Lon Chaney Jr.’s Larry Talbot tries to warn Chick (Bud Abbott) and Wilbur (Lou Costello) that Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) has arrived in their town with nefarious plans to...

How do you like to celebrate the arrival of October and true autumn? Perhaps you have a favorite sweater you like to pull out of the drawer; or maybe you’re a fiend for consuming pumpkin-spiced… everything! For ourselves, it’s always been about putting on that first horror movie (or three). While the whole year is a fine time to watch scary movies, there’s something especially crisp about a favorite chiller to match the cool evenings outside.

Spooky season has to start somewhere, and for us it might as well be with a film that either makes us shriek or smile. So if you’re looking for suggestions on how to best ease yourself into the reason for the season, these are the movies that we think make Halloween a wickedly fine time.

It’s not Halloween until I watch… The Shining (1980)

There aren’t many of the...

John Wayne was a towering figure of Hollywood's Golden Age in the '40s and '50s, so it's hard to imagine The Duke being embarrassed by making these three Western movies. In the '20s, Wayne started out making pre-Code movies that capitalized on his college football days such as The Brown of Harvard but wanted to act in Westerns, and in the '30s, he made the sort that only took a couple of days to shoot. Wayne made dozens and dozens of low-budget Westerns prior to getting his big break in John Ford's Stagecoach, where he played an outlaw traveling through Comanche territory along with a coach full of colorful strangers.

The Duke had to find his footing in those early days, and before John Wayne's best movies established the image of him most fans have today, he played a lot of different types of characters.

In the glory days of Universal Pictures, the studio had two big things going for it at the box office: the Universal Monsters, and a comedy duo known as Abbott and Costello. Bud Abbott and Lou Costello met on the burlesque circuit — the story goes that one day, Costello's regular comedy partner got sick, allowing Abbott to step in and begin a long, prosperous partnership. Abbott, tall and thin, was the straight man; a surly, frowning bully who frequently had it up to here with his sidekick. Costello, short and stout, was the fool; the childlike clown who was prone to falling down and acting like a buffoon, all to Abbott's annoyance. The act worked like gangbusters, with the duo moving on to radio before landing a movie contract in 1940. By 1942, they were considered to be the top box office stars in the country.

As for the Universal Monsters, they...

Christopher Lee, born on this day in 1922, had an amazing career of fantastic performances and remains the greatest villain actor in film history. He was the last classic horror star and Wamg thanks him for all the monster memories.

Christopher Lee was married to his wife Birgit (Gitte) for 54 years.

Here, according to Movie Geeks Jim Batts, Dana Jung, Sam Moffitt, and myself, are Christopher Lee’s ten best roles.

10. Frankenstein

It’s only fitting that The Curse Of Frankenstein, the film that truly began England’s Hammer Studios’ theatrical run of full color gothic horror epics, should team their greatest stars, Peter Cushing as Baron Victor Frankenstein and Christopher Lee as his monster. This was the first big screen incarnation of the monster after Universal’s 30’s and 40’s classics with Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, Glenn Strange, and, of course, Boris Karloff. Because the Jack Pierce make-up is owned by that studio,...

One of the best yet least seen of John Sturges’ westerns couples a fine screenplay with strong star perfs and superb direction: the straightforward story builds tension throughout. Kirk Douglas is a sheriff out for both justice and revenge and Anthony Quinn is the he-bull rancher who stands in his way: the guilty party is Quinn’s son. It looks sensational in VistaVision, with a fine music score by Dimitri Tiomkin — it’s a pleasure all the way through, with strong support from Carolyn (swoon) Jones, Earl Holliman, Brian Hutton and Brad Dexter.

Last Train from Gun Hill

Region-free Blu-ray

Viavision [Imprint] 101

1959 / Color / 1:78 widescreen (VistaVision) / 95 min. / Street Date December 29, 2021 / Available from Imprint and Amazon / 39.95

Starring: Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, Carolyn Jones, Earl Holliman, Brad Dexter, Brian G. Hutton, Ziva Rodann, Bing Russell, Val Avery, Walter Sande, John Anderson, Dabbs Greer, Ty Hardin, Glenn Strange, Julius Tannen, Sid Tomack.

Cinematography:...

ClassicFlix comes forward with an entire 26 original episodes of the comic duo’s 1952 TV show, all fully remastered by the 3-D Archive people. That’s 13 + hours of Abbott and Costello comedy, looking better than new — even the original opening logos have been restored. The repeating leads are fully attuned to A&c’s style of comedy — Sid Fields, Hillary Brooke, Gordon Jones, etc.. The full set comes with numerous audio commentaries and featurettes.

The Abbott and Costello Show Season 1

Blu-ray

ClassicFlix

1952-1953 / B&W / 1:33 flat / 676 min. / Street Date December 14, 2021 / Available from ClassicFLix / 49.99

Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Sid Fields, Hillary Brooke, Gordon Jones, Joe Besser, Joe Kirk, Bobby Barber, Joan Shawlee, Veda Ann Borg, Elvia Allman, Virginia Christine, Bingo the Chimp; Iris Adrian, Glenn Strange.

Cinematography: George Robinson

Art Director: Mac Capps

Film Editor: Gene Fowler Jr., Fred R. Feitshans Jr.

Original Music: Raoul Kraushaar

Written by Sid Fields,...

The original Universal Pictures iteration of The Wolf Man terrified audiences for the first time on this date 80 years ago, December 12th, 1941. Featuring one of the most iconic creature makeup designs in history (courtesy of the great Jack Pierce) and spooky performances by stars Lon Chaney Jr., Claude Rains, Evelyn Ankers, Maria Ouspenskaya and Bela Lugosi that remain unforgettable to this day, The Wolf Man was a runaway hit, helping kick off a second wave of creature features for Universal Pictures in the wake of Son of Frankenstein (1939), released two years prior.

Chaney’s tormented titular werewolf, Lawrence “Larry” Talbot, would go on to hope for death across four follow-ups, all ultimately wrapped up within the grander Universal Classic Monsters world (let’s call it “Ucm” because that sounds hip) beget by the original 1931 Lugosi-starring Dracula. Though only two of them explicitly name him in their monikers, his plight generally...

John Sturges’ first color western is a tightly organized and unpretentious winner about a stern Union prison warden and a Confederate prisoner teaming up to fight an Apache enemy … wait, that sounds familiar. William Holden and Eleanor Parker strike sparks out on the ruddy mesas, while Sturges has a field day with the amazing Death Valley scenery and a highly original action scene. ‘Realistic escapism?’ It’s like a formula for future action cinema. And the ads didn’t let us forget: it all looks sensational in glowing Ansco Color.

Escape from Fort Bravo

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1953 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 98 min. / Street Date May 18, 2021 / 21.99

Starring: William Holden, Eleanor Parker, John Forsyth, William Demarest, William Campbell, Polly Bergen, Richard Anderson, Carl Benton Reid, John Lupton, Howard McNear, Glenn Strange.

Cinematography: Robert Surtees

Film Editor: George Boemler

Original Music: Jeff Alexander

Written by Frank Fenton from the story Rope’s End...

Writer, director, producer, editor, cinematographer, and actor Larry Fessenden chats with hosts Joe Dante & Josh Olson about some of his favorite movies.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Habit (1995)

Jakob’s Wife (2021)

Phantom Thread (2017)

The Last Winter (2006)

Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)

The Crawling Eye (1958)

The Reptile (1966)

Peeping Tom (1960)

Casablanca (1942)

Jaws (1975)

Man Of A Thousand Faces (1957)

Scarlet Street (1945)

Suspicion (1941)

Rope (1948)

The Lady Vanishes (1938)

Night Of The Living Dead (1968)

Frankenstein (1931)

The Wolf Man (1941)

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

Dracula (1931)

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Taxi Driver (1976)

Mean Streets (1973)

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

Playtime (1973)

The Thing (1982)

The Howling (1981)

An American Werewolf In London (1981)

An American Werewolf In Paris (1997)

I Was A Teenage Werewolf (1957)

Ginger Snaps (2001)

The Terminator (1984)

The Wolfman (2010)

Van Helsing (2004)

The Mummy (2017)

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)

The Invisible Man (1933)

The Invisible Man (2020)

Amazon Women On The Moon (1987)

Wendigo (2001)

Fargo (1996)

Raising Arizona (1987)

Seven (1995)

Man Bites Dog...

When Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall grew too paunchy for their Dead End Kid personas they simply switched gears and became the Bowery Boys—older and far dumber versions of their former street-smart selves. Low-brow and low-budget, the Boys took a Stooges-like slapstick approach to their adventures and 1949’s Master Minds is one of their most polished efforts. It’s a horror comedy featuring a mad scientist bent on swapping Hall’s barely functional brain with a hulking monster played by Glenn Strange (who does a great Huntz Hall imitation).

The post Master Minds appeared first on Trailers From Hell.

Christopher Lee, born on this day in 1922, had an amazing career of fantastic performances and remains the greatest villain actor in film history. He was the last classic horror star and Wamg thanks him for all the monster memories.

Christopher Lee was married to his wife Birgit (Gitte) for 54 years.

Here, according to Movie Geeks Jim Batts, Dana Jung, Sam Moffitt, and myself, are Christopher Lee’s ten best roles.

10. Frankenstein

It’s only fitting that The Curse Of Frankenstein, the film that truly began England’s Hammer Studios’ theatrical run of full color gothic horror epics, should team their greatest stars, Peter Cushing as Baron Victor Frankenstein and Christopher Lee as his monster. This was the first big screen incarnation of the monster after Universal’s 30’s and 40’s classics with Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, Glenn Strange, and, of course, Boris Karloff. Because the Jack Pierce make-up is owned by that studio,...

On paper it’s a western with everything — a major star, decent supporting players, a cult director and sideways references to the blacklisting years. But even with its ya-gotta-see-it-to-believe-it high noon showdown scene, Joseph H. Lewis’s last feature film is still a lower-tier United Artists effort. Sterling Hayden goes up against Sebastian Cabot and Nedrick Young, armed with a, with a . . . aw, you probably know already.

Terror in a Texas Town

Blu-ray

Arrow Academy

1958 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 80 min. / Street Date July 11, 2017 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95

Starring: Sterling Hayden, Sebastian Cabot, Carol Kelly, Eugene Martin, Nedrick Young, Victor Millan, Frank Ferguson, Marilee Earle, Byron Foulger, Glenn Strange.

Cinematography: Ray Rennahan

Original Music: Gerald Fried

Written by Dalton Trumbo, fronted by Ben Perry

Produced by Frank N. Seltzer

Directed by Joseph H. Lewis

Auteurists in the early 1970s championed directors like Phil Karlson, Budd Boetticher and Anthony Mann. These stylists...

The Frankenstein Monster is arguably the greatest monster in all fiction. There have been a few genuinely excellent films made about him, but all too many of them are pretty bad. While the latest attempt in Victor Frankenstein falls flat, Cinelinx looks at the film history of Frankenstein to see which of them worked and which of them didn’t.

The Frankenstein Monster was the invention of 18 year old Mary Shelly (wife of poet Percy Shelly) who was vacationing in Switzerland with her husband, their close friend Lord Byron and John Polidori. Incessant rain left them housebound and reading ghost stories to each other. This led to a challenge from Byron, daring them all to create the scariest story ever told. Mary Shelly seemed outclassed by her literary companions until she heard legends of a crazy scientist named Conrad Dipple who performed illegal experiments using parts of dead bodies and electricity.

Coming this Halloween is the new film Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse. Part comedy, part horror, director Christopher Landon’s latest movie has Scouts saving the world from the Undead. Landon says audiences will be “screaming and laughing their heads off. This movie is an amusement park ride.”

What’s better than the mashup of comedy and horror to get you shrieking in fear! Just like a Reese’s cup – peanut butter and chocolate – the two just go together. Making scary themes into funny romps, while doing it cleverly, is a hard act to pull off. The films that have done it well have become part of the zeitgeist with fans of both genres.

Before you catch Scouts vs Zombies, check out our list of the funniest horror films.

Zombieland

Tallahassee: My mama always told me someday I’d be good at something. Who’d a guessed that something’d be zombie-killing?...

Robert Mitchum ca. late 1940s. Robert Mitchum movies 'The Yakuza,' 'Ryan's Daughter' on TCM Today, Aug. 12, '15, Turner Classic Movies' “Summer Under the Stars” series is highlighting the career of Robert Mitchum. Two of the films being shown this evening are The Yakuza and Ryan's Daughter. The former is one of the disappointingly few TCM premieres this month. (See TCM's Robert Mitchum movie schedule further below.) Despite his film noir background, Robert Mitchum was a somewhat unusual choice to star in The Yakuza (1975), a crime thriller set in the Japanese underworld. Ryan's Daughter or no, Mitchum hadn't been a box office draw in quite some time; in the mid-'70s, one would have expected a Warner Bros. release directed by Sydney Pollack – who had recently handled the likes of Jane Fonda, Barbra Streisand, and Robert Redford – to star someone like Jack Nicholson or Al Pacino or Dustin Hoffman.

The day monster kids have dreaded for some time has arrived. Mournful, nostalgic, and melancholy – it’s the end of an era for more than one generation of horror fans. It seemed like Christopher Lee would live through all eternity, but unlike some of the characters he played, there’s no bringing him back to life this time. He made it to 93 and went out on a high note, appearing in the final Hobbit film just this past winter. He had an amazing career of fantastic performances and remains the greatest villain actor in film history. Rip to the last classic horror star and thank you for all the monster memories.

Christopher Lee was married to his wife Birgit (Gitte) for 54 years.

Here, according to Movie Geeks Jim Batts, Dana Jung, Sam Moffitt, and myself, are Christopher Lee’s ten best roles.

10. Frankenstein

It’s only fitting that The Curse Of Frankenstein,...

Review by Sam Moffitt

When I was a kid I loved the monster mash ups that Universal made during the end of their run of classic monster movies. In fact the very first Universal Monster movie I ever got to see was House Of Dracula, which featured Lon Chaney’s Wolfman, John Carradine’s Dracula, Glenn Strange’s version of Frankenstein’s Monster plus a mad scientist and a hunchbacked nurse.

Many times over the years those classic monsters have been put through their paces in one form or another, in different configurations. Film makers as diverse as Paul Naschy, Jess Franco, Al Adamson and Ed Wood have thrown together two or more of the classic monsters from Hollywood’s golden age, usually to mixed results. The ultimate monster mash up, in my opinion, is Fred Dekker’s Monster Squad, one of my favorite movies of all time.

Frankenstein Vs...

Abbott: “You’re making enough noise to wake up the dead! “

Costello: “I don’t have to wake him up. He’s up!”

Abbott And Costeelo Meet Frankenstein Screens Saturday October 11th at St. Louis’ fabulous Hi-Pointe Theater (1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, Mo) at 10:30am.

It’s interesting that Lou Costello initially was reluctant to do Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein, since it became probably the most popular and successful instalment in their career. It was so popular, in fact, that many of the Abbott & Costello movies to follow were along similar lines — they would go on to meet The Mummy, The Invisible Man and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. You can sort of see where he was coming from … horror/comedy isn’t exactly a highly respected genre, although there have been several classics in it since (Young Frankesntein comes to mind).

The story starts when...

Abbott: “You’re making enough noise to wake up the dead! “

Costello: “I don’t have to wake him up. He’s up!”

Abbott And Costeelo Meet Frankenstein Screens October 2nd at Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood

It’s interesting that Lou Costello initially was reluctant to do Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein, since it became probably the most popular and successful instalment in their career. It was so popular, in fact, that many of the Abbott & Costello movies to follow were along similar lines — they would go on to meet The Mummy, The Invisible Man and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. You can sort of see where he was coming from … horror/comedy isn’t exactly a highly respected genre, although there have been several classics in it since (Young Frankesntein comes to mind).

The story starts when a couple of crates arrive in the Us, to an...

In the long history of horror fiction, few characters are as iconic and well-known as the Frankenstein monster. Mary Shelley’s creation has appeared hundreds of times across different media, and his name and image are instantly recognizable the world over. While the most famous cinematic depiction of the creature is, of course, Boris Karloff in James Whale’s Frankenstein (1931), many other actors have played the role over the years, including Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, Glenn Strange, Christopher Lee, David Prowse, Clancy Brown, Chris Sarandon, and Robert De Niro. Now we have I, Frankenstein, a fantasy-action film based on the graphic novel of the same name by Kevin Grevioux and starring Aaron Eckhart as the titular monster. Despite some nice visuals and a good cast, I, Frankenstein is pretty mediocre overall, and largely squanders what potential it did have.

Shortly after the death of his creator in 1795, the Frankenstein...

Boris Karloff portrayed the original monster in Frankenstein in 1930. He also played the monster in sequels throughout the decade but by 1944 he had graduated to human status. Coming full circle in House of Frankenstein he played Dr. Frankenstein and mentored the new monster Glenn Strange. The movie was a hit and its sequel House of Dracula (1945) despite its title prominently featured the monster. Strange also played the monster in Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).

Jeanne Crain: Lighthearted movies vs. real life tragedies (photo: Madeleine Carroll and Jeanne Crain in ‘The Fan’) (See also: "Jeanne Crain: From ‘Pinky’ Inanity to ‘Margie’ Magic.") Unlike her characters in Margie, Home in Indiana, State Fair, Centennial Summer, The Fan, and Cheaper by the Dozen (and its sequel, Belles on Their Toes), or even in the more complex A Letter to Three Wives and People Will Talk, Jeanne Crain didn’t find a romantic Happy Ending in real life. In the mid-’50s, Crain accused her husband, former minor actor Paul Brooks aka Paul Brinkman, of infidelity, of living off her earnings, and of brutally beating her. The couple reportedly were never divorced because of their Catholic faith. (And at least in the ’60s, unlike the humanistic, progressive-thinking Margie, Crain was a “conservative” Republican who supported Richard Nixon.) In the early ’90s, she lost two of her...

Ann Blyth movies: TCM schedule on August 16, 2013 (photo: ‘Our Very Own’ stars Ann Blyth and Farley Granger) See previous post: "Ann Blyth Today: Light Singing and Heavy Drama on TCM." 3:00 Am One Minute To Zero (1952). Director: Tay Garnett. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Ann Blyth, William Talman. Bw-106 mins. 5:00 Am All The Brothers Were Valiant (1953). Director: Richard Thorpe. Cast: Robert Taylor, Stewart Granger, Ann Blyth. C-95 mins. 6:45 Am The King’S Thief (1955). Director: Robert Z. Leonard. Cast: Ann Blyth, Edmund Purdom, David Niven. C-79 mins. Letterbox Format. 8:15 Am Rose Marie (1954). Director: Mervyn LeRoy. Cast: Ann Blyth, Howard Keel, Fernando Lamas. C-104 mins. Letterbox Format. 10:00 Am The Great Caruso (1951). Director: Richard Thorpe. Cast: Mario Lanza, Ann Blyth, Dorothy Kirsten, Jarmila Novotna, Richard Hageman, Carl Benton Reid, Eduard Franz, Ludwig Donath, Alan Napier, Pál Jávor, Carl Milletaire, Shepard Menken, Vincent Renno, Nestor Paiva, Peter Price, Mario Siletti, Angela Clarke,...

Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, Sam Moffitt, and Tom Stockman

The film career of legendary English actor Sir Christopher Lee began in 1948 and continues to the present day. Lee is best known for his roles in horror films, especially the string of seven Dracula movies he starred in for Hammer Studios between 1958 and 1974, but be may be best known to younger audiences for his roles in the Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films. Almost all of the roles that Lee has played have been villains and here, according to We Are Movie Geeks, are his ten best.

10. Frankenstein

It’s only fitting that The Curse Of Frankenstein, the film that truly began England’s Hammer Studios’ theatrical run of full color gothic horror epics, should team (well, they’re both in the 1948 Hamlet, but have no scenes together) their greatest stars, Peter Cushing as Baron Victor Frankenstein...

Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Glenn Strange, Lon Chaney, Jr., and Bela Lugosi in Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein, 1948.

Looking for something to get you into that Halloween frame of mind? Why not do it with fellow movie geeks and fans of the horror genre tomorrow afternoon and evening in Hollywood. The Academy is hosting an October-long celebration of classic horror films in honor of .Universal.s Legacy of Horror.- part of the studio.s year-long 100th anniversary celebration.

Saturday Double-double Feature*

.Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. (1948) and .The Ghost and Mr. Chicken.(1966)

Saturday, October 27, at 2 p.m.

Linwood Dunn Theater

1313 Vine Street, Hollywood

Special guests scheduled include actress Joan Staley, who played Alma Parker in .The Ghost and Mr. Chicken,. and Karen Knotts, daughter of Don Knotts, who played Luther Heggs in the film. Figuring the answers to the mystery lie in the old Simmons mansion, Luther Heggs (Knotts...

Chicago – Universal’s landmark line of Blu-ray releases under the banner of the company’s 100th anniversary continues with four more of the studio’s most beloved films — “Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein,” “Airport,” “Harvey,” and “Sixteen Candles.” It’s clearly an eclectic bunch and a wonderful sampler platter of what this line of releases have offered Blu-ray owners. Jimmy Stewart, Burt Lancaster, Bela Lugosi, and Molly Ringwald — it’s a star-studded quartet that is sure to have at least one release that appeals to the Blu-ray collector in your family.

In alphabetical order (star rating takes into account transfer & special features along with the film itself):

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

Photo credit: Universal

“Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein”

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Synopsis:

Comedy meets horror when Bud Abbott and Lou Costello encounter Universal’s classic monsters in the frightfully funny Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The world of baggage handlers Chick Young...

by Michael Juvinall, MoreHorror.com

As part of their 100th anniversary celebration, Universal Studios announced they will be releasing what many believe to be the best horror/comedy of all time, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein on blu-ray DVD combo pack this August. The film features classic monsters from the Universal stable such as the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney Jr.), Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi), Frankenstein (Glenn Strange) and even a cameo from the Invisible Man (Vincent Price).

Plot Synopsis:

Comedy meets horror when Bud Abbott and Lou Costello encounter Universal’s classic monsters in the frightfully funny Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The world of baggage handlers Chick Young (Abbott) and Wilbur Grey (Costello) is turned upside down when they receive the remains of Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and Frankenstein (Glenn Strange) bound for the House of Horrors museum. When Dracula and Frankenstein escape, complete chaos ensues as Chick and Wilbur...

As part of their 100th anniversary celebration, Universal is releasing a number of their classic titles on Blu-ray. We previously reported on the Blu-ray edition of Jaws and we’ll be getting some of the Universal Monsters on Blu-ray later this year.

One of Universal’s latest announcements is a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, which features Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, Glenn Strange, and a brief invisible cameo from Vincent Price.

Synopsis: Comedy meets horror when Bud Abbott and Lou Costello encounter Universal’s classic monsters in the frightfully funny Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The world of baggage handlers Chick Young (Abbott) and Wilbur Grey (Costello) is turned upside down when they receive the remains of Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and Frankenstein (Glenn Strange) bound for the House of Horrors museum. When Dracula and Frankenstein escape, complete chaos ensues as Chick and Wilbur get...

When the awesome Dwight Yoakam had to drop out of the villain role in the upcoming "The Lone Ranger," we wondered who and how they would be able to fill in that gap. He has a particular screen presence that few can fill. But it seems we forgot about William Fucking Fichtner. But director Gore Verbinski and Disney haven't as they wisely tapped the excellent character actor to take over the role and square off against Johnny Depp in the film. Awesome. Fichtner -- who has worked with a pretty wide berth of Hollywood -- has never crossed paths with Depp, but he couldn't ask for a better project to do it with it. He'll be taking the meaty villain role of Butch Cavendish (played by Glenn Strange in the tv show), who leads a band of baddies across the West killing and stealing, with The Lone Ranger (Armie Hammer...

Having survived some very public budget battles and the possibility of being canceled outright, Gore Verbinski's "The Lone Ranger," starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer, is back in the saddle with everyone they wanted, and headed in front of cameras...but it looks they're are going to need to do some casting again. Country musician, actor and all around badass Dwight Yoakam has left the film, citing the always vague "scheduling conflicts." Yoakam first signed on way back in July, taking the meaty villain role of Butch Cavendish (played by Glenn Strange in the show), who leads a band of baddies across the west killing and stealing. It's a bit of a loss for the film as Yoakam brings a unique ability to look fearsome and be both frightening and deadpan hilarious all at the same time. We can only imagine his presence lent a certain shape and direction to the character,...

Two pieces of feedback on yesterday’s piece about spook shows are too good not to share. First, Bob Burns was kind enough to send along a newspaper ad for a 1948 show at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles that promised lucky kids a chance to see both Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and Frankenstein’s monster (Glenn Strange) onstage. As Bob says, “What a thrill to see Bela and Glenn in person!” The ad was given to him by Strange, a lifelong friend of Bob’s who played the monster in a number of the 1940s Universal features—including the one on this bill, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

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Two pieces of feedback on yesterday’s piece about spook shows are too good not to share. First, Bob Burns was kind enough to send along a newspaper ad for a 1948 show at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles that promised lucky kids a chance to see both Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and Frankenstein’s monster (Glenn Strange) onstage. As Bob says, “What a thrill to see Bela and Glenn in person!” The ad was given to him by Strange, a lifelong friend of Bob’s who played the monster in a number of the 1940s Universal features—including the one on this bill, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

Two pieces of feedback on yesterday’s piece about spook shows are too good not to share. First, Bob Burns was kind enough to send along a newspaper ad for a 1948 show at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles that promised lucky kids a chance to see both Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and Frankenstein’s monster (Glenn Strange) onstage. As Bob says, “What a thrill to see Bela and Glenn in person!” The ad was given to him by Strange, a lifelong friend of Bob’s who played the monster in a number of the 1940s Universal features—including the one on this bill,…...

Country musician and effective big screen villain (David Fincher used him perfectly as the baddie Raoul in Panic Room) – Dwight Yoakam has been cast to play Butch Cavendish, the villain of Disney’s The Lone Ranger!

Played by Glenn Strange in episodes of the original show and Christopher Lloyd in the 1981 film, Cavendish is regularly cited as being heavily involved in the origins of The Lone Ranger – so I guess we now have a good idea of how this film will play out. Yoakam will play the leader of a wild ragtag gang who cause havok across the Wild West, killing and robbing in every town they come across, including slaughtering a bunch of Texas Rangers in what I presume will be the film’s opening, leaving just one alive, Reid. He is then nursed back to health by Tonto and made strong…. and they then set out to take...

By Scott Essman

In the history of the modern American cinema, there are but few legacies of makeup artists. While the legendary Burman and Dawn names each include three generations of makeup artists, there is but one lasting family that features four working generations: the Westmores of Hollywood. With ties to virtually every studio in the annals cinema, the Westmores have created classic makeups in top contemporary film and TV shows back to the earliest years of silent film.

George Westmore, the patriarch of the Westmore clan at the turn of the century, worked as a wigmaker in his native England — where he was born in 1879 — and gave birth to sons Mont (born in 1902), twins Perc and Ern (born in 1904), Wally (born in 1906), and a daughter, Dorothy (born in 1907). The young family traveled to the U.S. to seek better opportunities and maintained a wig-making and beauty salon business which floated amongst various cities,...

When was the last time Halloween came five times in one month? It’s been happening this October thanks to Bob Burns, monster kid fandom’s legendary “gift that keeps on giving”—and it has only taken him 42 years to get it all together! At the Bob Burns’ Hollywood Halloween website, a two-hour-plus documentary telling the story of Bob and Kathy Burns’ live Halloween shows has been serialized; the first of the five parts became available on October 5, and the rest are being spaced throughout the month.

For newbies, a bit of backstory: In 1967, Bob and wife Kathy, ensconced in their new Burbank home, decided to do a little more for trick-or-treaters than drop candy in their bags. When kids knocked on the door, it opened to reveal a “mad lab” complete with Frankenstein’s Monster (a dummy strapped to a diagonal operating table) and crackling lab equipment. For the next several years,...