The Horse's Head

#329) This Is Cinerama (1952)

OR “Curve Appeal”

Directed by Merian C. Cooper and Gunther von Fristch (with Ernest B. Schoedsack and Michael Todd Jr.)

Class of 2002

No original trailer, but here’s one for the 2017 HD restoration.

The Plot: It’s 1952 and television is keeping people away from the movies in droves. “This Is Cinerama” is a feature-length demonstration of the new three-camera widescreen process that will bring audiences back to the theater. Introduced by broadcaster/producer Lowell Thomas, “This Is Cinerama” takes us around the world with its curved wide screen and stereophonic sound. Highlights include a roller coaster at Rockaways’ Playland, a performance by the Vienna Boys’ Choir, the La Scala production of “Aida”, the water ski show at Cypress Gardens, and a bird’s eye view of practically every American landmark. You won’t see any of this on Sullivan, that’s for sure.

Why It Matters: The NFR gives a synopsis and history of Cinerama, plus a detailed essay by film expert Kyle Westphal.

But Does It Really?: “This Is Cinerama” is a benchmark for film techniques, and essentially the birth of the widescreen movie as we know it. The spectacle of Cinerama still comes across over 65 years later, and the film is an entertaining and effective demonstration of what widescreen can accomplish. “This Is Cinerama” is a pivotal moment in film history, and more than worthy of preservation by the NFR.

Shout Outs: The prologue features clips from such early films as “The Kiss”, “The Great Train Robbery” and “The Son of the Sheik”.

Everybody Gets One: Before “This Is Cinerama”, Lowell Thomas was already a well-known author, broadcaster, and world traveler. He famously interviewed and photographed T.E. Lawrence while in Arabia, which he later turned into a stage show that escalated Lawrence’s notoriety. Look for a portrait of Lawrence during one of Lowell’s on-camera appearances.

Seriously, Oscars?: Although it premiered in New York in September 1952, “This Is Cinerama” didn’t play Los Angeles until 1953, and received one Oscar nomination. The film’s score lost to the Leslie Caron film “Lili”. Nominee Louis Forbes is credited with composing the score, but was in reality the musical director, with the actual score being penned by an uncredited Max Steiner. Steiner was under contract with Warner Bros. at the time, and any outside work would have been a violation.

Other notes

• Before we go any further, what exactly is Cinerama? Well I’m glad you asked. Cinerama is a widescreen process that was filmed using three cameras simultaneously. These three films were then projected on a screen that was three times wider and twice as tall as the average movie screen. In addition, this screen was curved at 146 degrees, approximating peripheral vision. The result was a film that seemingly surrounded the audience, creating a unique immersive experience.
• Cinerama co-creator Fred Waller had tinkered with widescreen film using multiple cameras for decades. His 11-projector “Vitarama” was first demonstrated at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Waller received a technical Oscar for his work on Cinerama, but passed away two months later.

• In addition to co-creating Cinerama, Merian C. Cooper is best remembered for writing and directing the original “King Kong”. Coincidentally, the King Kong musical is currently playing at the Broadway Theatre, the same venue “This is Cinerama” premiered at!
• Kudos to the team behind the film’s 2012 restoration. “This Is Cinerama” is presented in its original roadshow version, and in the curved “Smilebox” widescreen format. There’s even a digitally added curtain to give the full effect of being in the theater.
• The on-ride footage of the Atom Smasher roller coaster was originally intended for the finale, but Merian C. Cooper convinced the producers to make it the first sequence to draw the audience in. It’s the right choice, and an exhilarating opening.

• For all of Cinerama’s early achievements, on-set sound wasn’t one of them. Lowell Thomas sounds a bit muted once his introductions go from the standard Academy Ratio to Cinerama.
• The church choir’s performance of “Hallelujah” from “The Messiah” fares much better in the sound department, though the acoustics help. This choir definitely has a Handel on the material. Thank you!
• One of Cinerama’s ongoing issues was the blending of the three cameras onto the screen. The “seams” between the frames were always visible, though it is fun watching people squash and stretch as they cross the screen.
• I assume all of these members of the Vienna Boys’ Choir turned down “The Sound of Music”. Also, did you know the “Blue Danube Waltz” has lyrics? I sure didn’t.
• Oh man, the La Scala performance of “Aida” goes on forever. Please, Elton John, have mercy.

• Cypress Gardens was a Florida attraction known for its botanical gardens, water ski shows, and…Southern Belles? Still can’t figure that one out. After a change in ownership, the site closed in 2009, and is currently the home of Legoland Florida.

• Why so much screen time devoted to water skiing? Fred Waller held a patent on water skis. It’s all connected, people!
• The last segment of the movie is essentially ‘50s-style “Soarin’”, with too many American landmarks to mention them all. I can only imagine what a stirring, moving viewing experience this must have been in 1952. Television was tiny and black-and-white, there was no home video or streaming, so seeing this much of the country in widescreen and color was an once-in-a-lifetime event.

Legacy

• “This Is Cinerama” only played in one theater in 1952 – the Broadway Theatre in New York – but was so popular it became the highest grossing film of the year!
• The Hollywood studios weren’t quick to take on three-camera Cinerama for their upcoming epics, but this film inspired every studio to take a crack at their own one-camera widescreen process. Within a year there was Panavision, CinemaScope, and Todd A-O (created by Michael Todd, one of this film’s producers). Widescreen very quickly became the standard for film going forward.

• Cinerama was the precursor to IMAX, as well as Disney’s Circle-Vision, which also specialized in uber-patriotic panoramas.

• A few more films were made in Cinerama over the next decade, primarily travelogues such as “Cinerama Holiday”. The technology was impressive, but costly, making Cinerama difficult to catch on as the next big thing. A few narrative features were produced (including NFR entry “How the West Was Won”), and although several standard widescreen films bare the Cinerama name, the three-camera process was discontinued in the mid-60s.

• Cinerama’s expensive operating has also prevented the revival many of its creators had hoped for. Although the Blu-Ray release tries its best to recreate the experience, there’s nothing like seeing “This Is Cinerama” on a big curved screen.

#328) Hoosiers (1986)

OR “Hackman Fever”

Directed by David Anspaugh

Written by Angelo Pizzo

Class of 2001

The Plot: Loosely based on real events, former college basketball coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) arrives in the farming town of Hickory, Indiana to coach the high school team. His methods are unorthodox and he clashes with the townspeople, but ultimately his coaching leads to the Hickory Huskers’ surprise winning streak and a place in the finals.  There are obstacles along the way, including one player’s alcoholic father (Dennis Hopper), and an intelligent schoolteacher (Barbara Hershey) with information regarding Norman’s past.

Why It Matters: Another brief synopsis from the NFR, the only descriptor being when they call the film “at times bleak and at others inspiring”.

But Does It Really?: The best movies are powered not by logic, but rather by emotions. “Hoosiers” is the textbook example: the plot points and character development are rudimentary at best, but once you understand what is at stake in these basketball games, you feel for these characters, and that emotion carries you all the way to the end. “Hoosiers” has its flaws, but its inspirational spirit and love of the game is flawless. I think the NFR jumped the gun a bit on its induction (the film had only been eligible for five years), but “Hoosiers” is definitely preservation-worthy, and one of the greats of the feel-goods.

Everybody Gets One: Director David Anspaugh and writer Angelo Pizzo both hail from Indiana, were in the same fraternity at Indiana University, and later attended film school at USC. The idea for “Hoosiers” originated in their frat days when they were discussing the 1954 Milan High basketball team and their surprise win at the state championships.

Wow, That’s Dated: I know it’s an intentional juxtaposition, but Jerry Goldsmith’s use of synthesizers in the score always sticks out to me. The rest of the movie is relatively timeless, so hearing electronic music out of nowhere seems anachronistic.

Take a Shot: Amazingly, despite Indiana being officially nicknamed the Hoosier State for over 150 years, no one definitively knows the origin of the word “hoosier”.

Seriously, Oscars?: “Hoosiers” played a one-week Oscar qualifying run in December 1986, and quickly expanded once it received two Oscar nominations. Dennis Hopper was nominated for Best Supporting Actor (though he believed he should have gotten the nod for “Blue Velvet”), but lost to an overdue Michael Caine in “Hannah and Her Sisters”. Jerry Goldsmith’s score was also nominated, losing to jazz legend Herbie Hancock for “’Round Midnight”. Notable among its precursor nominations, “Hoosiers” was up for the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature, and lost to Spike Lee’s “She’s Gotta Have It”.

Other notes

• As if having two Hoosiers as director and writer wasn’t enough, the entire film was shot on location in Indiana. Production headquarters were set in Indianapolis, and scenes were filmed in Ninevah, Knightstown, Danville and Lebanon. Also worth noting: there’s a city in Indiana named Lebanon.
• Oh great, Norman and Myra’s meet-cute is not only a “we hate each other for now”, but also an expositional dump. The relationship doesn’t get much better (more on that later).
• Only one of the Huskers basketball players was an actor (David Neidorf). The rest were all locals who were selected after an audition/basketball game. These are definitely basketball players who do their own acting, and not the other way around.
• How many scenes in this movie are going to be townspeople telling Hackman that they don’t like change? And why are these guys getting confrontational with Hackman? Don’t mess with him, he’s Lex Luthor!
• Shooter Flatch is not Dennis Hopper’s greatest performance, nor his most iconic, but it’s an effective performance in one of his rare forays into a quote-unquote mainstream film. And no matter what movie he’s in, something about Hopper’s acting style always makes me ask, “What the hell is he saying?”

• Barbara Hershey’s performance in this movie is 50% clunky dialogue, 50% looking disappointed in the bleachers. Several additional scenes were filmed that showcased a more dimensional Myra, but Orion wanted a 2-hour movie, and this subplot suffered the most. Neither Hershey nor the filmmakers were pleased with these cuts.
• This is another movie that would have been significantly shorter if these characters had the internet. One Google search of “Norman Dale” would have revealed everything about his past.
• The slow clap may be one of my top five favorite movie scenes. I get a big smile on my face every time I see it.

• The first half of this movie has a lot of set-up, but once we hit the second half, the payoffs start coming and you find yourself rooting for everyone. It’s the equivalent of having to eat your least favorite vegetable before getting to the tastiest dessert.
• Why do the Huskers cut every game so close? The score is always tied in the fourth quarter. Didn’t they ever play the Indiana equivalent to the Washington Generals?
• This film’s drinking game is every time Gene Hackman does his quick chuckle that he sneaks into most of his movies.
• I freely admit the scene where Shooter takes over as coach makes me cry every time.

• What I wouldn’t give to see Norman Dale go toe-to-toe with Gene Pingatore (aka the “Hoop Dreams” coach).
• The final game was shot at Butler University’s Hinkle Fieldhouse, the site of the 1954 Indiana state championship game that inspired this movie. I can only imagine how insane it must have been to coordinate a staged basketball game with hundreds of extras.

• That final shot is what I call a “Reverse Shining”.

Legacy

• Anspaugh, Pizzo and Goldsmith reunited to do the other great inspirational sports movie based on a true story: 1993’s “Rudy”.

• The gym used as Hickory’s home court is still in operation. Now known as the Hoosier Gym, the site is a popular tourist attraction, hosting several games throughout the year.
• Steve Hollar (Rade) came under hot water with the NCAA after “Hoosiers” was released. Hollar was playing basketball at DePauw University, and college players are not allowed to receive payment for playing basketball. After an investigation, it was determined that Hollar was paid for acting in the movie, not playing basketball. He did however, have to give 5% of his payment to DePauw, and he was suspended for three games.
• “Hoosiers” fandom has grown over the years, and it consistently ranks among the best sports films. Vice President (and former Governor of Indiana) Mike Pence recently called the film “the greatest sports movie ever made”, which may be the only time I agree with our Vice President on something.

#327) Little Caesar (1931)          

OR “The Power of ‘Myeah’”

Directed by Mervyn LeRoy

Written by Francis Edward Faragoh and Robert N. Lee. Based on the novel by W.R. Burnett.

Class of 2000

The Plot: The crime scene of 1930s Chicago gets an unexpected jolt with the arrival of Caesar Enrico “Rico” Bandello (Edward G. Robinson). Tired of being a small-time crook, Caesar and his cohort Joe Massara (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) join gang leader Sam Vettori (Stanley Fields), who gives Rico the nickname “Little Caesar”. While Rico climbs the organizational ladder – eventually becoming the leader of several Chicago territories – Joe becomes a successful dancer and spends more time with his partner/girlfriend Olga (Glenda Farrell). Rico suspects Sam has “gone soft” on him and attempts to get Sam back in his fold, but his newfound power may have gone to his head. This all begs the question: “Mother of Mercy, is this the end of Rico?”

Why It Matters: The NFR praises both Robinson and director LeRoy, though does mention that the film contains “every gangster cliché in its original form”, and that some of the film’s artistry is due to “constraints of sound recording in its early days.”

But Does It Really?: This is another movie whose cultural impact really can’t be measured. Very few people realize their gangster impression is Edward G. Robinson in “Little Caesar”, but the influence of Robinson’s iconic performance is still being felt today. As a whole, “Little Caesar” is an entertaining gangster picture that never outstays its welcome, but Robinson is the reason for its warranted NFR induction.

Wow, That’s Dated: Well the NFR was on to something: this film has every ‘30s gangster cliché, from Italian mobsters to Irish cops.

Seriously, Oscars?: A big hit in 1931, “Little Caesar” received one nomination at the 4^th Academy Awards. The film’s Best Adapted Screenplay nod lost to that year’s Best Picture winner, “Cimarron”. Edward G. Robinson never received an Oscar nomination throughout his career, but was honored with a lifetime achievement Oscar in 1973. Sadly, Robinson died shortly after the initial announcement, and his widow Jane accepted the award on his behalf.

Other notes

• While not Edward G. Robinson’s first film, “Little Caesar” was his first starring role after a handful of supporting credits. For the record, the “G” stands for Goldenberg, his actual surname before pursuing an acting career.
• Right from the beginning, Rico is established as someone not to be messed with. Rare is the gangster who can be intimidating while wearing a bowtie.
• I see why Edward G. Robinson impressions are so frequent; he says “myeah” quite a bit in this film. The parodies write themselves.

• Every time someone says Joe Massara’s name, I get “Fruma-Sarah” stuck in my head.
• It seems to be purely coincidental, but there is a scene where Olga asks Joe where he’s going with that gun in his hand. Did Jimi Hendrix ever see this movie?
• We’re only four years into talking pictures, but “Little Caesar” still feels the need to include a handful of intertitles. The few present in this film establish either a scene’s location or a passage of time.
• Like all the early film greats, Edward G. Robinson is fully aware that less is more. Everyone in this movie overacts around him, but Robinson knows the power of stillness and economy of movement.
• In addition, Robinson has that “joy of acting” about him. It’s not necessarily the character having fun, but you can tell that Robinson is enjoying playing this part. It helps you enjoy an otherwise unlikable character.
• Was there a studio policy against quick cuts? The hold-up sequence is done with several dissolves, whereas today it would be more tightly edited.
• Allegedly, Robinson always closed his eyes when firing a gun, so his eyes had to be taped open. It makes for good copy, but does anyone know if that’s true? And if so, can you spot the tape in the final film?
• I am living for Thomas E. Jackson’s performance as the super sarcastic Sergeant Flaherty. Apparently he played this stock character in several other films of the era.
• Say what you will about Rico, he set a goal for himself and damn it, he’s going to achieve it. Do you think he had a five-year plan?

• Thank god this is pre-code, some of these kills are pretty brutal. But I tip my hat to filmdom’s alleged first drive-by shooting.

• I think this movie’s alternate title was “Italian Stereotype Bingo”. Mamma mia!
• Do newspapers still have society pages? I guess in order to have them there need to be newspapers.
• Wow, this movie did the Spielberg mirror shot 50 years before Spielberg did!
• If Ma Magdalena sounds familiar, she’s character actor Lucille La Verne, best remembered as the voice of the Queen/Peddler Woman in “Snow White”. Ma Magdalena’s voice sounds like a combination of the two.
• The police entice Rico to come out of hiding by printing stories in the paper about what a coward he is. That’s actual yellow journalism!
• Although the Hays Code was not in effect yet, Warner Bros. still felt the need to tone down the film’s final line for fear of offending state censorship boards. Therefore, “Mother of God” became “Mother of Mercy, is this the end of Rico?”

Legacy

• “Little Caesar” was Edward G. Robinson’s breakout role, and he leaned into the typecasting of gangsters for pretty much the rest of his career.

• This movie is also responsible for every single Edward G. Robinson impression you’ve ever heard, from Bugs Bunny to Billy Crystal to Chief Wiggum.

• While not the first gangster picture of the ‘30s, “Little Caesar” is the one that convinced Warner Bros. to start cranking them out. Among the follow-ups are fellow NFR entries “The Public Enemy” and United Artists’ “Scarface”.

• I can’t find evidence that Little Caesars Pizza is named after the movie, but I just want to point out how much I enjoy the delicious pizza that Little Caesars has been offering for 60 years. And don’t forget to order Crazy Bread!

Please give me free pizza.

#326) Jazz on a Summer’s Day (1960)

OR “Wake Up Little Rhody”

Directed by Aram Avakian and Bert Stern

Written by Albert D’Annibale and Arnold Perl

Class of 1999

The Plot: Filmmakers Aram Avakian and Bert Stern covered four days of the Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island in July 1958. Every style of jazz from bebop to Dixieland is highlighted, intercut with footage from the recent America’s Cup races. On the roster are performances by the Jimmy Giuffre 3, the Thelonious Monk Trio, Sonny Stitt and Sal Salvador, Anita O’Day, George Shearing, Dinah Washington, the Gerry Mulligan Quartet with Art Farmer, Big Maybelle, Chuck Berry, the Chico Hamilton Quintet, Louis Armstrong and his All-Stars, and Mahalia Jackson.

Why It Matters: As with many of the early NFR entries, the official description for “Jazz on a Summer’s Day” is a brief synopsis of the film and a rundown of the talent roster.

But Does It Really?: I’m always down to support a documentary that covers a specific culture, especially if that culture has an awesome soundtrack. Plus it’s great to see footage of the likes of Armstrong and Jackson, “Jazz” being one of the rare opportunities to see what these greats were like live. “Jazz on a Summer’s Day” is another film that passes all three NFR criteria for me: culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.

Everybody Gets One: Director Bert Stern was primarily a photographer, most famously for one of Marilyn Monroe’s final photo shoots in 1962.  Co-Director Aram Avakian was also a photographer, known for his photos of the jazz recording sessions produced by his brother George Avakian. “Jazz on a Summer’s Day” was the first directorial effort for both Stern and Avakian, with Avakian also editing the picture. This is also the only NFR entry for a majority of the performers, most notably Louis Armstrong. Though performing since the ‘20s, Armstrong didn’t gain popularity until the jazz revival of the early ‘40s. His large mouth earned him the nickname “Satchel Mouth”, later shortened to the more familiar “Satchmo”.

Seriously, Oscars?: “Jazz” did not receive a nomination for Best Documentary. Weirdly, there were only two nominees in the category that year, the winner being something called “The Horse with the Flying Tail”.

Other notes

• The 1958 Newport Jazz Festival took place from Thursday July 3^rd to Sunday July 6^th. This film is primarily from the sets on the 5^th and 6^th. As best I can tell, the America’s Cup race wasn’t until that September.
• Oh no, these credits lead me to believe I’m watching another “Staring at Water” movie! Not again!
• I’ll argue that “documentary” is a misleading label for this movie. Yes, it is reportage of an event, but like jazz itself, the film doesn’t really adhere to structure or form. There’s plenty of footage of the performances, intercut with the audience and other nearby sights. Not so much a documentary as it is an atmospheric tone poem.
• In the time of do-wop and early rock ‘n’ roll, jazz was still considered underground and experimental. A public showcasing for jazz was still pretty progressive in 1958, as was a desegregated event with no questions asked.
• I don’t know what it is, but watching all this footage of boats with Thelonious Monk playing in the background just feels right.

• Anita O’Day is on hand representing the West Coast style of jazz. Her disciplined scat style is quite impressive, even more so when she revealed years later that she was most likely high on heroin during that performance.

• Pianist George Shearing may be Peter Sellers’ finest character work ever.
• Dinah Washington is best remembered for her hit single “What a Diff’rence a Day Makes”. Here she sings “All of Me”, and it’s great watching her kill at something more upbeat. Plus there’s a jazz xylophonist! What’s not to love?

• Some audience members are really digging this, which begs the question: are we sure that’s just cigarette smoke?
• Like Dinah Washington, Big Maybelle is also best remembered for a slower crossover single (“Candy”), but gets to cut loose here with the upbeat “I Ain’t Mad At You”.

• For those of you paying attention, that’s two different NFR entries that include Chuck Berry performing “Sweet Little Sixteen”. You can never have too much of a good thing.

• That being said, does Chuck Berry’s rock ‘n’ roll/rhythm and blues sound really qualify as jazz?
• Louis Armstrong’s appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival is a little perplexing, seeing as how he didn’t consider the bebop sound of the younger jazz musicians real music. But Armstrong did enjoy performing (doing as many as 300 shows per year) and as they say, a gig’s a gig. Not surprisingly, his set is composed of older standards like “Up the Lazy River”.

• I enjoyed this movie’s soundtrack, but it was Mahalia Jackson’s take on “Didn’t It Rain” that got my toes tapping.

• Apparently the Saturday night set at the festival went so long Mahalia Jackson didn’t get to the stage until it was technically Sunday morning. Appropriately enough, the film concludes with her somber, stirring rendition of “The Lord’s Prayer”.
• Also playing at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival was a young up-and-comer named Ray Charles. Call it shortsightedness, but Charles is nowhere to be seen in “Jazz”. Charles’ set was, however, recorded by Atlantic Recording, and released as an album four months after the festival.

Legacy

• Bert Stern never directed another film after “Jazz”, returning to his photography, while Aram Avakian directed a handful of credits, including the cult film “End of the Road”.

• Co-writer Arnold Perl went on to write and direct the documentary “Malcolm X”, posthumously released in 1972. Spike Lee would use this film’s screenplay as the basis for his own “Malcolm X”.

• We’ll see more of Thelonious Monk on the Registry in the 1988 documentary “Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser”.

• After moving to New York in 1972, the Newport Jazz Festival returned to Rhode Island in the ‘80s, and has played every summer ever since.

Listen to This: Louis Armstrong is represented by several National Recording Registry entries, notably his Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings from 1925 to 1928, and his 1956 cover of “Mack the Knife”. Mahalia Jackson can be heard in her 1948 recording of “Move On Up a Little Higher”. Of the remaining performers, the Registry includes Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven”, Thelonious Monk’s “Brilliant Corners” album, and The Gerry Mulligan Quartet’s “My Funny Valentine” (featuring Chet Baker).

#325) The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)         

OR “Something Old, Something New, Someone Buried, Dead Like You”

Directed by James Whale

Written by William Hurlbut. Adapted by Hurlbut and John L. Balderston. Based on the novel “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley.

Class of 1998

The Plot: Picking up immediately from where the first film left off, it turns out both Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) and his creation (Boris Karloff) survived their confrontation in that burning mill. The monster escapes a vengeful mob and wanders the countryside, being befriended by a blind hermit (O.P. Heggie) who teaches him speech. Henry returns home and swears off playing God, but a visit from his mentor Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger) convinces Henry to create a mate (Elsa Lanchester) for the creature. Will lightning literally strike twice for the doctor?

Why It Matters:The NFR praises the performances of Karloff and Thesiger (“captivatingly bizarre”), mentions the “surreal visuals” and the film’s standing as “superior to the original.” And hey, there’s that essay from film critic Richard T. Jameson again!

But Does It Really?: Like its predecessor, “Bride of Frankenstein” is unquestionably iconic enough for preservation. That being said, I don’t know if this film is better than the original. Despite sharing the same creative team, these are two surprisingly different films. “Bride” is somehow simultaneously more theatrical and more cinematic than the first film. In addition to actually having a score (from the legendary Franz Waxman) the technical leaps made in “Bride” are outstanding (it helps that the budget for “Bride” was 35% larger than “Frankenstein”). The two “Frankenstein” films are apples and oranges, but “Bride” stands next to the first as the horror film all others strive to be.

Everybody Gets One: Stage actor Ernest Thesiger was a colleague of James Whale’s during their theater days in England. Whale insisted on Thesiger for the role of Pretorius over Universal’s first choice: Claude Rains. Also featured is Universal contract player Valerie Hobson, replacing an unavailable Mae Clarke as Elizabeth.

Take a Shot: This is the first film in the series to explicitly refer to the monster as “Frankenstein”, and Thesiger does call the mate “the bride of Frankenstein” near the end of the film.

Seriously, Oscars?: This film outdid the original in at least one aspect: it got an Oscar nomination. “The Bride of Frankenstein” was up for Best Sound Recording, but lost to fellow NFR-entry “Naughty Marietta”.

Other notes

• Plans for a “Frankenstein” sequel began immediately, but were delayed as James Whale rejected draft after draft. The final screenplay is a combination of two drafts: one by “Frankenstein” screenwriter John L. Balderson, and one by playwright William Hurlbut. Both use a subplot from the original novel of Dr. Frankenstein’s attempts at making a mate for the creature.
• What a difference a few years make; Boris Karloff goes from a “?” credit at the bottom of the original film’s cast list to over-the-title billing (as simply “Karloff”). The “?” distinction goes to Elsa Lanchester as “The Monster’s Mate”. Speaking of credits, Mrs. Percy Shelley finally gets her due, being credited here as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.
• Elsa Lanchester also plays Mary Shelley in a prologue where she tells the story of “Bride of Frankenstein” to Percy Shelley and Lord Byron. There was no home video or streaming services in 1935, so the story begins with an extensive “Previously on ‘Frankenstein’” sequence.

• Sadly, Reginald Kerr passed away in 1933, so Baron Frankenstein does not appear in the sequel, nor is it explained what happened to him.
• In the interim between “Frankenstein” films, Whale directed “The Invisible Man”, where he first worked with Una O’Connor, whom he cast here as Minnie, one of filmdom’s most shrill second-bananas. And no, she’s not “Hold-Me, Touch-Me”.
• When people refer to this film as “campier” than the original, they are definitely talking about Ernest Thesiger as Doctor Pretorious. There isn’t a piece of scenery left un-chewed.
• And then Pretorious shows off his homunculi and things get real weird real fast. Very impressive effects, though.

• Once again, Karloff makes you feel the tragedy of the creature. He’s just trying to make sense of the world. But then again, aren’t we all?

• You may notice that the monster looks a little different in this film. Jack Pierce gave the monster scars and less hair, as befitting a burn victim. He also subtly changed the makeup throughout the film so that the monster’s wounds appeared to be healing. Where. Is. His. Oscar?
• The scenes between the monster and the blind hermit are genuinely sincere, but I found myself laughing throughout, thinking of Gene Hackman and his espresso.

• Dwight Frye, aka Fritz from the first “Frankenstein”, shows up here as Pretorius’ henchman Karl. I guess they liked having him around.
• And then they get to Henry’s old laboratory and the camera angles become more slanted than a “Batman” episode.

• Henry’s exclamation of “She’s alive!” just doesn’t pack the same punch as it did the first time. His heart’s not in it.
• Kind of amazing how effective Elsa Lanchester is as the Bride. She has maybe three minutes of screentime.

• “You stay. We belong dead.” Oof, that stings.
• Okay, that is a very cut-and-dried ending; definitely no more sequels for the “Frankenstein” series.

Legacy

• The next sequel in the “Frankenstein” series was 1939’s “Son of Frankenstein” with Basil Rathbone as Wolf von Frankenstein, Boris Karloff in his last performance as the Monster, and Bela Lugosi as an assistant named Ygor.

• There isn’t an interpretation of the Bride out there that isn’t the frizzy-haired version created for this film. Look no further than Madeline Kahn’s riff on the bride in “Young Frankenstein”. Speaking of “Naughty Marietta”…

• This is also the first film where the creature starts talking, so any impression out there that involves “friend good” or “fire bad” can trace its lineage back to “Bride of Frankenstein”.

• “The Bride of Frankenstein” was remade in 1985 as “The Bride” with Sting as the doctor, Clancy Brown as the monster, and Jennifer Beals as the bride. She’s a welder by day and a monster by night.

• And much like the Javier Bardem “Frankenstein” remake, the Angelina Jolie “Bride of Frankenstein” Dark Universe entry has been shelved.

Further Viewing: A line from “Bride of Frankenstein” served as the title for the 1998 James Whale biopic “Gods and Monsters”; starring Ian McKellen in his first Oscar-nominated performance. The film features a recreation of scenes from “Bride of Frankenstein”.