Lugosi
His Life in Films, on Stage, and in the Hearts of Horror Lovers
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About the Book
He was born Béla Ferenc Dezso Blasko on October 20, 1882, in Hungary. He joined Budapest’s National Theater in 1913 and later appeared in several Hungarian films under the pseudonym Arisztid Olt. After World War I, he helped the Communist regime nationalize Hungary’s film industry, but barely escaped arrest when the government was deposed, fleeing to the United States in 1920.
As he became a star in American horror films in the 1930s and 1940s, publicists and fan magazines crafted outlandish stories to create a new history for Lugosi. The cinema’s Dracula was transformed into one of Hollywood’s most mysterious actors. This exhaustive account of Lugosi’s work in film, radio, theater, vaudeville and television provides an extensive biographical look at the actor. The enormous merchandising industry built around him is also examined.
About the Author(s)
Bibliographic Details
Gary Don Rhodes
Foreword by F. Richard Sheffield
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 430
Bibliographic Info: 69 photos, filmography, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2006 [1997]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2765-9
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0077-2
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
Foreword by F. Richard Sheffield ix
Preface and Acknowledgments xi
I. Lugosi, the Man 1
1. A Biography 3
2. Personal Data 39
Imperial-Cameo Pictures Corporation Biographical Information (1935) 39
Residences 42
3. Lugosi in Court 47
4. Lugosi in Politics by Frank J. Dello Stritto 57
II. Lugosi, the Performer 65
5. Feature-Length Films 67
Hungary 67
Germany 70
United States and United Kingdom 74
6. Serials 146
7. Stage Appearances 152
Hungary 153
United States, United Kingdom and Canada 165
8. Vaudeville and Live Appearances 188
9. Radio Performances 201
10. Television Appearances 208
11. Other Celluloid Appearances 212
12. Newsreels and Short Subjects 215
13. Unfinished Projects and Canceled Roles 217
III. Works By or About Lugosi 227
14. Reviews, Articles, and Pamphlets 229
15. Books 278
Biographies 278
Film and Stage Histories 279
Novels and Film Novelizations 282
Published Scripts 286
16. Quotations from Lugosi 288
17. Quotations About Lugosi 300
18. Quotations About Lugosi and Karloff 309
19. Sources and References 321
Audio Sources 321
Visual Sources 324
Documentary Sources 327
Multimedia Sources 332
Theatrical References 332
Animation References 332
Visual References 333
Verbal References 336
Television Sources 336
Archival Sources 337
IV. Critique and Appreciation 339
20. Image, Apparition, and Icon 341
21. Authority Survey 354
22. Advertising Lugosi 359
23. Collecting and Merchandising Lugosi 363
24. Unmasking the Mysteries 370
V. Index 385
Book Reviews & Awards
“everything Lugosi ever said or did”—Library Journal; “highly engaging…exhaustive…a magnificent collation of facts and figures”—Film Review; “for serious students of Lugosi, this is the place to start”—Movie Collector’s World; “belongs in any film lover’s library”—Filmfax; “I have this book and I treasure it…grand”—Scarlet Street; “nothing short of amazing”—Cult Movies; “highly recommended!”—Midnight Marquee; “it can easily lay claim to being the best book ever written about Bela Lugosi”—Little Shoppe of Horrors; “illustrated throughout with rare stills, candid publicity shots and trade posters…this is an essential purchase”—Crimson; “probably won’t be topped”—Fangoria; “I really can’t praise this book highly enough”—Samhain; “truly an achievement”—The Silents Majority On-Line Journal; “excellent…definitive and comprehensive chronology of Lugosi’s career”—Monsters from the Vault; “first class”—The Other Side of Show Business; “the most revealing biography of all”—www.maremagnum.com; “a book that should answer every question a Lugosi fan might have”—Big Reel.
