MOVIE OF THE WEEK: Saturday October 20, 2012 - MOVIE - Melodrama "THE WOLF MAN" (1941). Stars Lon Chaney Jr., Claude Rains, Bela Lugosi, Ralph Bellamy and Evelyn Ankers. The film that shot Chaney Jr. to super-stardom as a horror actor. Larry Talbot (Chaney) is bitten by a werewolf (Bela Lugosi) and becomes a tortured soul who changes into a werewolf by moonlight. Even a man who is pure at heart....you know how it goes! Suggested by Ron Adams,Ligonier, PA.
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The perfect Halloween movie and the birth of one of the greatest Universal monsters ever - THE WOLF MAN played by Lon Chaney Jr. Claude Rains, Bela Lugosi, Evelyn Ankers, Ralph Bellamy...what a cast! Besides his character Ygor, thos is another great, great non-Dracula type performance by Bela Lugosi. Subtle, restrained and tormented as Bela the Gypsy. The fog, the dead trees, Larry Talbot's curse...the perfect anti-hero. This is one of my favorite movies of ant genre.
-Ron Adams, Ligonier, PA
  One of the last "Golden Age" horrors I saw-during 1971-72, saw all of
them on CREATURE FEATURE with Bob Wilkins, but this one finally came
to THE GOOD OLD SCARY MOVIE (after CREATURE FEATURE) on Memorial Day
weekend when my family was going to Yosemite. Asked my Mom if we
could leave after the movie, but got the raised eyebrows and knew it
was a no-go. Finally saw it in 1978 with my first girlfriend and, to
be honest, not really impressed with it. Didn't watch it for a few
years until last night and found much to appreciate about it. GREAT
cast (and many of Universal's great supporting players like Doris
Lloyd, Olaf Hytten, Harry Stubbs, etc), cool sets they re-used and
that still incredible Jack Pierce makeup.
Find this probably the saddest of all the Universals-Larry is a big
loveable lug and certainly doesn't deserve the horrible hand fate
deals him and have you noticed, NO ONE really tries to help him, other
than Maleva. He is either patronized or has his concerns
pooh-poohed, especially by his own Father, who is kind of a jerk,
although the look of shock, horror and grief on Claude Rain's face at
the end will tug at your heart, especially when he realizes Larry was
telling him the truth, but family position took precedence over
family matters. Rains was always great and he is actually buried in
New Hampshire, about 20 minutes or so from where we live.
I believe this was the first pairing of Chaney and the beautiful
Evelyn Ankers and they have such good chemistry together - I was very
surprised finding out years later they did not like one another at
all.
Very good film that has grown on me-A shame the scene where Lon
wrestles with the bear and showing his emerging bestial state was
cut-Would have been interesting to have seen it. ****
Steve Schimming
Sanbornton, NH
Hi Ron
Thought i would send my comments, even if late,
Wolfman, classic from start to finish, I have seen it I dont know how many
times, and still holds me, what a cast, Rains,Chaney, Bellamy,Ankers,
Lugosi, W.Warrens, and of course, 0uspenskaya...doesnt get any better
then that! oh Fay Helm too..Lonsters cursed,tortured soul, gets to ya
everytime! thanks...
Jay " J50smonstakid(:" Maggio, Kingsman, AZ
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