APOLOGY

To my blog followers and other readers:  please accept my sincere apologies for the lack of postings here in the past months.  Gary Rhodes and I are deep into our new Lugosi book and I simply have not had time to update anything here.  At this point, its far more important I think to put my energies toward completion of the book, after which I will be able to devote more time to the blog.  My sincere thanks for your understanding!

Another Excellent Bela Blog for Your Reading Pleasure

Just to let everyone know - if you don't already know - Andi Brooks has an excellent Bela Lugosi blog built around the book Vampire Over London and Bela's nearly nine months in England during 1951.  You can find it at:

http://beladraculalugosi.wordpress.com/

Enjoy!

Bela Update

I apologize for not posting in such a long time. And for having to take some of my previously published blogs offline.  I thought it best to save certain things for the Bela book that is currently in the works.  The long range plan is to have the writing of the book completed by Christmas of this year with a publishing date as early as possible in 2012.

I will definitely still be posting items here from time to time.  There is still a wealth of new information and photos regarding Bela Lugosi that are outside the parameters of the book, i.e. either prior to or subsequent to the years 1945 - 1951.  And a rather large backlog at that.  So, once the first draft phase of the Bela book is done, you can expect to see an upswing of posts here on this blog - things will pick up posting-wise as we head into the summer months.  I regret that I can't reveal more of what will be in the book but suffice it to say we believe it will be worth waiting for.

So keep checking back here from time to time and, as I mentioned above, you can expect regular postings to start back up sometime in June.


Thanks to all my readers for your support!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: NEW BELA LUGOSI BOOK IN THE WORKS

I am pleased to announce that Gary Rhodes and myself (Bill Kaffenberger) have plans underway to write a new Bela Lugosi book tentatively titled: "NO TRAVELER RETURNS: BELA LUGOSI THE LOST YEARS".  Emphasis will be on what we all affectionately call "the nomad years", primarily from 1945 (when film roles steadily dried up) up to April of 1951 when Bela and Lillian sailed to England for the Dracula play revival.

So much new material is being discovered regarding Bela's career during those years that it almost begs for a new volume to be done.  Subjects which will be covered include but are not limited to "Bela and Nightclubs", "Bela and Vaudeville", "Bela Summer Theater Prior to Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein", "Bela Summer Theater After A&C Meet Frankenstein", newly discovered radio and television appearances as well as (potentially) a detailed calendar in chronological order of all Bela's known activities from 1945 to early 1951.

Again, this is just in the planning stages at the moment.  We hope to be doing more research over the next few months with a tentative schedule of writing the text later summer to early autumn.  We'll seek a publisher and hope to have a publishing date of no later than autumn 2012.

Of necessity, there are things that I was planning to include in my blog which I will have to hold back for the book.  I regret it must be that way but I am sure it will be well worth the wait to have everything in book form and in the proper context.

Will keep everyone posted as we move forward.  I still welcome any new Bela information that anyone has or may discover;  we certainly will give proper credit in the book to anyone who supplies us new information.

The previously announced magazine articles likely will still happen at some point but of course are now on the back burner, so to speak, in deference to the book.

DIG THAT BELA HEP CAT SHIRT!

Another in my series of Bela Lugosi Mystery Photos.  All will be revealed eventually!  Any guesses on this one?

DIG THAT BELA HEP CAT SHIRT!!!!!!!

APOLOGY AND NEWS

To all my faithful readers, an APOLOGY.  I have not been able to post anything for the past month for two major reasons: (1) I was ill for over two weeks which prevented me basically from writing or researching; and (2) once I felt well enough, I went on a binge of Lugosi research which, I am happy to say, has yielded some surprising results in the way of new and expanded information.  You can expect me to be sharing some of that beginning later this week.

Additionally, I am pleased to announce that Gary Rhodes and I will be co-writing a series of at least three, possibly four articles together that will consist of much new Bela information.  The first article will deal with the Bela Spooks Shows (with emphasis on the 1950-1951 tour).  Much new information has been found, particularly at this point regarding the Trenton, New Jersey premiere of the tour that took place on December 26, 1950.  Word from Gary is that Monsters from the Vault magazine will be publishing the spook show article.  A timeframe on publishing date will be provided later.


Unfortunately for this blog, of necessity, I won't be sharing much about the new spook show finds as it would defeat the purpose of doing a magazine quality article complete with cool photos, ads, and so forth.  I'll probably give everyone a teaser or two as time goes on but, especially in fairness to Monsters from the Vault, the really good stuff will have to wait for the publishing of the magazine article!


Check back later this week for a fresh new installment!

MORE BELA MYSTERY PHOTOS

Again, while I am working on my next blog article, here are two more Bela mystery photos to whet your appetite and challenge your brain!  Any guesses folks?

 Bela looks chilly in this photo.  Exactly where is he and what is he doing there?

 Hmm, Bela appears to be singing here...  there he is at top right with his hand on that lady's shoulder.  Where is he and what is he doing there?

Until next time...  "I show you the vay!"

Bela Lugosi: Miscellaneous Mysteries

While I am in the process of preparing my next major blog (Bela Lugosi's vaudeville stint at the Olympia Theater in Miami, FL in 1948), I thought I would share with my readers some "Bela mysteries" that I have come across in my research - perhaps someone out there has the answers or some theories in response.

1938

Bela's career problems during the 1937 -1938 period are by this time well known.  His lack of film, radio and stage offers during most of 1938 - with the exception of his gig with Karloff on the Ozzie and Harriet radio show - no doubt exacerbated an already shaky financial situation.  With that as background, I was surprised to find the following short article in the Thursday January 20, 1938 edition of Daily Variety under the headline DON TERRY GETS TOP SPOT IN COLUMBIA SERIAL: "Don Terry is set in hero spot fopr Columbia's 15-spool serial, "The Secret of Treasure Island", starting Monday [note: that would have made it Monday January 24, 1938]  under direction of Elmer Clifton.  Cliffer deals with adventures of a newspaper reporter.  Grant Withers and Bela Lugosi also are prominently in the cast.  Femme lead is yet to come."

So, Bela was originally going to be the villain in this Columbia serial.  Considering his lack of work during the time period, it doesn't seem logical that Bela would have backed out of this production...  he of course needed the money badly!  The mystery of course is what role in the serial Bela was slated to play and exactly why and how he was dropped from the production.  Other than Grant Withers,  the chief villains of the piece ended up being taken by actors Walter Miller and Hobart Bosworth with Bela nowhere to be seen.

1945

As mentioned in a previous blog, the August 4, 1945 edition of The Billboard, in its section on the "Legitimate" stage, ran a small article under the title BELA LUGOSI TO MAKE P.A.s (reporting date was July 30 from New York City) which stated: "Bela Lugosi who makes with the eyes in the blood chilling B flickers is being submitted for theater dates.  He's currently working on a new routine with Don Marlowe who will appear with him.  Understand he's penciled in at Loew's State."  

This little blurb raises a lot of questions.  Previously, based on published works about Bela, I always thought his association with Don Marlowe didn't start until mid-1947 at the earliest.  So was Marlowe acting in the capacity of manager here or only writer / performer?  So far I have been unable to find any follow on data for this article.  Certainly Bela would have had several months available for personal appearances after the filming of "Genius at Work" (1945, RKO) even if it meant traveling to New York City.  Another little mystery that needs further research and clarification.

1946

Lugosi's known recording disk output was slim to say the least, with the "Tell Tale Heart" platters that turned up in recent years being the most prominent example.  However, a short article in the July 20, 1946 edition of The Billboard, in the MUSIC section, raises a tantalizing possibility of lost Lugosi recordings - or at a minimum another planned project that never came to fruition.  

Under the title MUSICRAFT EYES DISK PACKAGE PROPOSITIONS (with a July 13, 1946 Hollywood reporting date), the article reads as follows:  "Something new in record albums has been cooked up by radio scripters Merwin Gerard and Seelig Lester, who have written material to be narrated by movie spookster, Bela Lugosi, and tagged Mysterioso.  Platter idea is now in negotiation stage with Musicraft Records and will probably be waxed in series of eight 12-inch records.  Script idea calls for series of "mood" horror tales, each one dealing with another phase of violence, chills or sudden death.  Lugosi narration should be backed by theme music in keeping with spine-chilling format.  Musicraft also is reported dickering with MCA for a similar package idea under which MCA will supply talent, music and writers for the series."

Rather odd that a similar announcement for a proposed t.v. series starring Lugosi, with the same name - MYSTERIOSO - was announced in trade publications after his return from the England "Dracula" tour.

1947

The "straw hat circuit" theater performances of plays such as "Dracula" and "Arsenic and Old Lace" went a long way toward keeping the Lugosi family solvent during the years 1947 - 1950.  More and more additional Bela appearances in such plays have come to light during recent years, especially as the growth of the internet and the availability of some newspaper archives online has made research easier and quicker.  A tantalizing little article that I came across recently indicated the possibility of yet an additional Bela "Dracula" stage performance to add to the list.

The August 7, 1947 edition of The Kentucky New Era newspaper (from Hopkinsville, KY), on page four, ran the following short article under the title LET'S BACK THIS and it reads as follows:  "Speaking of cultural entertainments it is possible that Bela Lugosi, the bad man of the screen, will visit Hopkinsville some time in the fall, and under the sponsorship of guess who?  The Junior Chamber of Commerce!  This up-and-coming organization you will remember, sponsored the excellent performances of "Life With Father" last year, and through their enterprise they have been offered a performance of  Bela Lugosi in "Dracula".  If there is enough interest they will bring it to the stage of the Hopkinsville High School Auditorium.  If you would like to see this famous actor in the well-known play, please let Melburn Keith know, and if enough folks are interested, it will be done."

Unfortunately, no additional information on this has been discovered thus far.  If it occurred, it would likely have been sometime during September or October of 1947 in light of Bela's other commitments around that time.

As reported in a previous blog, the November 15, 1947 issue of The Billboard reported from New York City that Tom Elwell, former general manager for Hunt Stromberg Jr., was putting together a "package" starring Bela Lugosi and Ann Thomas (Bela's co-star earlier that year in  the "Three Indelicate Ladies" stage play) and written by Nelson Sykes.  The package was to be a comedy mystery "show" offered as a vaudeville-style unit to theaters.  Another case of an announced project that never happened?  It remains to be seen.  Bela certainly had time to fill in the New York City area before he embarked on his short "Tell Tell Heart tour with Don Marlowe.

1948

Smack dab in the middle of Bela being hard at working filming "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (Universal-International, 1948), the Wednesday February 18, 1948 edition of Daily Variety stated that Bela Lugosi had signed a term contract with 20th Century-Fox and that his scheduled "Dracula" appearance in London (which was ultimately cancelled) would depend on clearance by Fox if it was to happen at all.

What to make of this?  Was this story just planted by Bela's agent to somehow increase his prestige since his name was back in the limelight?  On the other hand, if Fox really did sign him, what happened?  Why was he never used by them in any films?  It seems unlikely that the article was a plant as Fox surely would have complained or stated that it was not true.

Despite the fact that the Frankenstein film was particularly successful, Bela made no further films in 1948 before ultimately returning to New York City as his headquarters for radio, t.v. and stage work.  Quoting the online AllMovie Film Glossary:  "For the most part, actors and actresses are now hired for particular parts on particular films.  Contract players (directors as well) hired on with the production corporation for a term -- perhaps seven years or seven films -- with a specific company, studio or producer.  The performer under contract was at the disposal of the corporation and could not, in most cases, work independently from that studio, corporation or producer to whom they were contracturally committed and liable."  Perhaps he really was signed to Fox and actually paid a salary without any suitable properties being found for him before the expiration of his contract.  Sort of like Universal paying him to NOT appear in "Dracula's Daughter" (Universal, 1936).  Another Bela mystery waiting for an answer!

Date Unknown

Don Marlowe, Bela's former agent, has a photo of himself and Bela in his book "The Hollywood that Was" (Branch-Smith, Ft. Worth, TX, 1969) with the caption "Bela Lugosi and Don Marlowe in a scene from the stage play, "On Borrowed Time")".  The photo, however, is actually one of the publicity photos from the Tell Tale Heart Tour.  Still, it does raise the possibility of a previously undocumented stage production by Bela.  It all depends however whether or not this was simply another one of Don Marlowe's many "exaggerations".

I hope you have enjoyed reading about some of the remaining Bela Lugosi career mysteries.  Perhaps someone out there has access to resources that can resolve these issues!

Until next time...  "You know, some people's brains would never be missed!'

New material is (C) 2011 by William M. Kaffenberger Jr.

Gary Rhodes Interviews Actors that Worked with Bela Lugosi in Florida

I have just been informed late this evening, in separate emails from Gary Rhodes as well as the editor of MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT, that Issue Number 28 of that magazine will include an extensive article on Bela's Dracula appearance in St. Petersburg, Florida in March of 1950 (see my new blog below).  The keystone of that article will be a long interview with two of the actors that worked with Bela in that production.  I have been privileged to read an advance copy of that article... let me tell you, it is EXCELLENT, contains some nice new Lugosi nuggets, and will be well worth the purchase price!  I encourage everyone who reads this blog to purchase a copy directly from Monsters from the Vault once Issue 28 is released!

Bela Quote: "Horror Comes Back and I Come Back!"

I found this movie ad in a number of old film industry publications.  I thought I would share a copy of it with everyone while I am working on my next blog.  Enjoy!

For more information on THE SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (Universal, 1939) click THIS FIRST LINK or THIS SECOND LINK.