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KARLOFF Boris Karloff Karloff and Lugosi

Although they seem strange, the master of terror has a hundred films, but the strange thing is that films are also "lost" in this actor. Thanks to Cinefania

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There seems to be much disagreement about the number of films that Boris Karloff was filmed during the silent era. Would be 57 films, between 1916 and 1929, with only eight of which have come down to us:

Last of the Mohicans (1920)
DYNAMITE DAN (1924)
THE BELLS (1926)
Old Ironsides (1926)
THE NICKELHOPPER (1926)
THE EAGLE OF THE SEA (1926)
TARZAN AND THE GOLDEN LION (1927)
Sharpshooters (1928)

There are however some mysteries surrounding this group of films. For example, there seems no trace of Boris at Old Ironsides or Last of the Mohicans, while Sharpshooters is not usually included in the filmography of the actor. His time of greatest activity as an actor would come with his first sound film (called "Talkies"), between 1929 and 1932. is believed that during this time the actor came to participate in, at least, some thirty films, including some serials. In this period there were only five terror or suspense movies:

FRANKENSTEIN (Frankenstein, 1931) BEHIND THE MASK
(1931) - This is actually a primitive spy film with Jack Holt. THE OLD DARK HOUSE
(The Old Dark House, 1932)
THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (The Mask of Fu Manchu-1932)
THE MUMMY (The Mummy, 1932)

The rest were gangster films, a genre very appellant in the early '30s (films like THE CRIMINAL CODE or Scarface) exotic adventures (such as THE SEA BAT), westerns, serials (such as KING OF THE KONGO and KING OF THE WILD), and some comic roles such as FIVE STAR FINAL. Much of these films have reached our days. Certain films

traditionally included in his filmography, but not actually present. This occurs in MOTHER'S CRY (1930), BLIMP (1931) and ALIAS THE DOCTOR (1932). The first, directed by Hobart Heinley, quotes the actor as manager of the role of a "Murder Victim." The only death that there really is a woman, and is played by Helen Chandler, who made it in Mina DRACULA Bela Lugosi ... Was it a edited scene of the final footage that featured Karloff?

In the second case, directed, is a Frank Capra film in which Boris is often cited in the deal, although there is no sign of him anywhere. Columbia could have announced the cast for the advance publicity, but was not summoned. Will this appear on any of the several scenes of the film has mass? Would be unlikely, since by the time of the shooting, Boris had already been consolidated as an interpreter of sharing (and already exceeded their extra stage).

The issue of ALIAS THE DOCTOR, a film by Lloyd Bacon starring Richard Barthelmess, is more interesting. It is known Boris filmed several scenes characterized as coroner. Were considered too raw for the public at the time, and the studio decided to re-shoot the entire sequence, this time without Karloff (perhaps busy with another project), with actor Nigel de brulien. The resulting scene is the best of the film, so that one can not help wondering as I would have stayed with Boris. Another film

not lost, but it is very difficult to find is THE BAD ONE (1930) by George Fitzmaurice, in which the actor played the watch of a penal colony, was exhibited in 1972 during a tribute to Karloff made by the Film Archive of Belgium. Another film virtually BUSINESS AND PLEASURE is undiscoverable (1932), a comedy for Fox with the ineffable Will Rogers. Fans can see scenes from this movie in the wonderful documentary broadcast on A & E entitled "BORIS KARLOFF: THE GENTLE MONSTER."

Other films seem to be definitely lost. A western Rex Lease (one of the many stars of the far west of the decade class B) entitled THE UTAH KID (1930), Richard Thorpe, a crime melodrama with Richard Dix and the boy named Jackie Cooper DONOVAN YOUNG KID (1931); an affair with Regis Toomey titled GRAFT (1931) and directed by Christy Cabanne, a police gangsters with Leo Carrillo and Robert Young, THE GUILTY GENERATION (1931) Rowland V. Lee, a musical with Gloria Swanson and Melvyn Douglas called TONIGHT OR NEVER (1931) and directed by Mervyn Le Roy, and a family comedy with Ben Lyon, Kellys, The Cohens AND IN HOLLYWOOD (1932) directed by John Francis Dillon.

There are traces of other films of Boris, which, however, it is uncertain whether or not the actor appears. Such is the case of THE LAST PARADE (1931), a police film Erle C. Kenton (later to direct the classic ISLAND OF LOST SOULS). In THE MAN WHO DARED, starring in 1933 by Zita Johann Preston Foster and directed by Hamilton McFadden, something similar happens. In 1972 Peter Underwood elaborated in his book "Horror Man" one of the first filmographies cited the actor and the film in question in 1946 (directed by John Sturges change), saying that Boris joined the role of a "Murderer." In that year there was whether a remake of The Man .. This report has been much debated and it is assumed that Boris was in the original version. Because both versions are now hard to find sick, can not be confirmed neither the one nor the other. Taken

very strong by the censor, there were scenes that were amputated TOWER OF LONDON (The Tower of London, 1939), a classic in which Karloff played the role of Mord the executioner. DEVIL'S ISLAND (1940), the Columbia film also suffered several pruning, and, The Body Snatcher (1945), one of the best RKO films and American films of the 40s, maimed circulated for a long time. The stage hit was the end (most electrifying of all) and eliminated all levels of the ghostly body of John Gray (Karloff) when overlapped on Dr. Macfarlane (Henry Daniell), during the mad rush of the cart under rain.

As technology advances and research, we have more films of Boris Karloff to analyze intensively. The DVD editions are accompanied by enlightening documentaries and interviews and regularly come to light with films old files "missing." Will we one day unravel some of the enigmas nominees on this page? Only time will tell.





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