THE BLACK CAT (Edward G. Ulmer, 1934)
(Directed by Edward G. Ulmer from a script by Peter Ruric "suggested by"* the story by Edgar Allan Poe; starring Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, David Manners, and Jaqueline Wells. Released 07 May 1934; watched 2023w41 via Criterion Channel)
"Suggested by" = not at all similar but the name is a nice touch.
While mostly forgettable until the last third, wanted to mention Lugosi's performance here: a rare turn as one of the good guys (ok, a vengeance-driven, cat-killing (via throwing knife, I believe), Karloff-flaying good guy but hey) that makes his Dracula typecasting all the more tragic. Sure, the accent could be limiting (something of a Schwarzenegger-before-Schwarzenegger situation), but he brought genuine presence and nuance to the role – unlike the good guy-good guy, David Manners, who, as in all of his appearances, made total lack of charisma a calling card.
Maybe this one was done a disservice by how closely I watched it to THE OLD DARK HOUSE, which - minus the Satanist cult angle that popped up in the rather excellent last third - delivered a similar narrative with far more panache and better performances all around.
links/2023w12
Very cool; if they follow the pace and restraint of the original (and utterly brilliant) film, this should make a fantastic series: Eddie Redmayne To Lead ‘The Day Of The Jackal’ Series For Peacock & Sky | Deadline
Beethoven’s DNA decoded from locks of hair saved by his fans | WaPo
Off to a good start: Tech guru Jaron Lanier: ‘The danger isn’t that AI destroys us. It’s that it drives us insane’ | The Guardian
Recently picked up an issue of the original at an antique mall. Count me in on this: Gold Key Comics is back with Boris Karloff’s Gold Key Mysteries | The Beat
"This deck was drawn by artist, designer and architect Boris Kobe (1905--1981) in 1945 while at the Allach concentration lager, a sub-camp of Dachau in a suburb of Munich... After surviving the Holocaust, he continued his architectural career and created no other known artistic works related to his time in the camps." The Daily Heller: Cards From Hell | PRINT Magazine
Mesmerized: Meticulous Flat Lays of Vintage Toys and Miniatures Celebrate the History of Play and Design | Colossal
This needs to be canon: Horrific Mario Manga Shows 1-UP Mushroom Growing Out Of Plumber | Kotaku
And a hearty 🖕 to you too, Funko: Funko Lays Off Most of Mondo Staff, Poster Business in Limbo | The Wrap
Universal Weekly advert for BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, 09 February 1935.
“If Lon Chaney could speak”
Nothing like a little posthumous blurbing to sell your latest star (Chaney had been dead for two years when this ad ran) from Universal Weekly, 19 November 1932:
Yet more gold from the Internet Archive’s collection 20s-30s issues of Universal Weekly.
THE BLACK CAT advert in Universal Weekly, March 1934.
“Regards, Boris Karloff”
