OH, MAE! OH, HELEN!

What are the chances of two of Universal horror's leading ladies appearing in the same issue of a Hollywood fan magazine? Pretty good in 1932 it seems, when it came to Mae "Frankenstein" Clarke and Helen "Dracula" Chandler. Both were enjoying rising fame and popularity at the time and these two feature articles from SCREENLAND magazine (February 1932) tell about their personal lives and work in the best that Hollywood fan mag jargon could describe.

EXTRA! SCREENLAND also regularly printed a page with information on how fans could write to their favorite stars.

HELEN CHANDLER LOVED THE RAIN AND THURSDAYS

Actress Helen Chandler (February 1, 1906 – April 30, 1965) had everything going for her in the 1920's. She was popular on Broadway (at the age of 19!) and was cast in her first movie in 1927. She is of course best known in her role as Mina Harker in Unversal's DRACULA and her film career seemed to be unabated.

In the late 1930's, Chandler began her long journey down the road of alcoholism, which continued for the rest of her life. In 1950, she was horribly disfigured in a fire set by her own hand -- she had fallen asleep with a cigarette in her hand. Fifteen long years later she died under the surgeon's knife in an operation for a stomach ulcer.

This article from the July 1931 issue of SCREENLAND magazine shows Chandler's during brighter days. It tells of her fondness for rain because good things seemed to always happen to her on rainy days. She was born on a rainy day, she met her first husband, Cyril Hume on a rainy day, and they were married on a rainy day (but divorced not long after this article was published). A brief mention of her "inferiority complex" may have been an indication of an underlying cause of her later alcoholism. Also, as a warning to the socially-sensitive; there is a quote where she uses a racially derogatory term that was used in the day.

In her most famous role, with Bela Lugosi and Dwight Frye.

A nineteen-year-old Helen Chandler.

Chandler in the stage play, First Flight (1925).

Chandler in the 1920's.

THE ETHEREAL HELEN CHANDLER

The wispy and ethereal Helen Chandler appeared in this photo as a featured actress in the October, 1931 issue of the NEW MOVIE MAGAZINE. By that time she had already gained notoriety as Mina Harker in Universal's DRACULA, released earlier, in February.

NOTE: This photo also appeared in the January, 1932 issue of SCREENLAND and posted at MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD HERE. The photographer was identified as Preston Duncan.

HELEN CHANDLER AFTER DRACULA

Born in New York City on 1 February 1909, Helen Louise Chandler enjoyed a hugely successful career on the stage in the 1920's until Hollywood seductively lured her away.

While she is widely remembered for her role as the doleful Mina in DRACULA (1931), she made a number of films afterwards. For example, the portrait shown here from the January 1932 issue of SCREENLAND magazine by photographer Preston Duncan was for a film released on 5 December of the previous year entitled HEART AND HAND. The film was also shown as A HOUSE DIVIDED, and starred Walter Huston. Bette Davis screen tested, but Helen Chandler got the job playing Ruth Evans. Contrary to the photo caption, there were other women who played in the movie.

Chandler was busy in 1931, as she was cast in no less than six films. After that, her film career dwindled. She returned to the stage in 1937. However, she had become an alcoholic and dependent on prescription drugs. She was burned and disfigured in a fire in 1947 and she became even more deeply depressed. She died after surgery for a bleeding ulcer 30 April 1965.