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With Dracula (1931), Bela Lugosi instantly became the first horror star of sound cinema. It’s not easy being a trailblazer, and Bela would have difficulty capitalizing on his newfound stardom. In this episode we’ll discuss how Dracula made him, and trapped him, and trace the subsequent vampire roles that became his bread and butter.
Bela Lugosi, Dracula, 1931
Helen Chandler and Bela Lugosi, Dracula, 1931
Bela Lugosi, White Zombie, 1932
Bela Lugosi, Return of the Vampire, 1943
SHOW NOTES:
Sources:
The Moguls: Hollywood's Merchants of Myth by Norman J. Zierold
The Immortal Count: The Life and Films of Bela Lugosi by Arthur Lennig
Silent Stars by Jeanine Basinger
A History of Horror by Wheeler Winston Dixon
Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the 1930s by Christopher Workman and Troy Howarth
City of Dreams: The Making and Remaking of Universal Pictures by Bernard F. Dick
Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror by Michael Mallory
Lois Weber in Early Hollywood by Shelley Stamp
“Scare ‘Em To Death -- and Cash In” by Richard G. Hubler. Saturday Evening Post, May 23, 1942
Music:
All of the music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro and outro, is from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca. Outro song: “Darkness” by The Human League. Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode: “Waltz for Cello 1” by Jonatan Järpehag, “Clumsy Detective 01 and 02” by Thomas Lundgren, “Reflectif” (Artist unknown), “Mystery Minute 5” by Anders Ekengren, “Victoria's Vintage Pearls 2” by Peter Sandberg, “Bad Guy Approaching” by Merlean, “Vampires Suck” by Jon Björk, “Chant” (uncredited) from White Zombie (1932), “Russian Dance Off” by Håkan Eriksson, “Some Autumn Waltz 1” by Jonatan Järpehag, “Playful and Slightly Mysterious Orchestral” by Gavin Luke, “Quirky Orchestra 5” by Josed Habib.
Credits:
This episode was edited by Sam Dingman and Jacob Smith, and produced by Karina Longworth with the assistance of Lindsey D. Schoenholtz. Special thanks to Taran Killam who guest stars as Bela Lugosi. Our logo was designed by Teddy Blanks.
Bela Lugosi, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, 1948