The Fred Allen Show (Radio, April 25, 1943)



A pretty forgettable skit where Bela is called to play a fictional version of himself. It's all bad one-liners and over-the-top humor, so Bela doesn't really have much to do. One of his jokes mentions doing an episode of Inner Sanctum, but I can't seem to find any evidence that such an episode exists.


Plot (0-5 points): Really nothing worth discussing. Mildly humorous at best. 0/5

Atmosphere (0-5 points): Unconvincing sound effects that were probably intended to be lousy so as not to frighten folks tuning in for a comedy show. 0/5

Other Actors (0-3 points): Forgettable, just like everything else here. 0/3

The Lugosi Factor (0-10 points): He hams it up appropriately to fit the tone of the skit, and it's just as forgettable as the rest of the production. I do like how he keeps saying "Fred Allen" like it's one word. 2/10

Overall: 2/23

Mystery House: "The Thirsty Death" (Radio, 1944)



The first episode of what was initially intended to be an ongoing series starring Bela. There doesn't seem to be any information out there on why the second episode that Bela solicits at the end of this first one never ended up materializing. It's a surprisingly good story, and John Carradine co-stars.


Plot (0-5 points): A relatively complex and non-traditional psychological tale in which a jealous husband has sought revenge upon his wife and the man he believes she has cheated with by injecting one with rabies in their sleep (he won't say which), locking them in, and leaving a knife. It's brief and to the point (after all, this is radio), but it would have earned a solid 5/5 if it had been properly adapted to film length. 4/5

Atmosphere (0-5 points): The radio announcer won't stop bragging about how convincing those howling dogs are, and he's right. However, that's pretty much it for sound effects. 1/5

Other Actors (0-3 points): John Carradine isn't as memorable as I'd like him to be here, but his voice is distinct and enjoyable in any context. 1/3

The Lugosi Factor (0-10 points): We're in late 1944 by this point, and it's great to hear Bela really acting again. Whereas the pain has really gotten to him on those extended shoots that require days of work and lots of physical movement, a radio production places far less physical demand upon him, and so we have Bela really and truly acting again. He has fantastic range here. Of course, it's hard to ever give his radio performances anything higher than an 8/10 since we're not getting the facial expressions and physical mannerisms seen in his finest 10/10 roles.

Overall: A truly quality production. Definitely Bela's best radio role yet. Too bad the series didn't continue. I wonder if this was due more to Bela's medical issues or to a sponsor pulling out. 16/23

I had the time & inclination to google it...

The other actor was the great Edward Everett Horton, and the other fellow was director/actor/producer Gregory Ratoff.

Zombies on Broadway (1945)



Forget Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein; THIS is the best meeting of a comedy team and Bela Lugosi. While Carney and Brown have nothing on the comedy team they are clearly copying, the script itself is immensely entertaining from beginning to end, with humor, action, suspense, and a plot that never stalls nor fails to turn over new complications that never feel forced.

Also worth noting that this film is a sort of unofficial sequel to RKO's I Walked with A Zombie (1943), a film that should make everyone's top ten classic horror list. While the original film is never directly acknowledged, we are on the same island, with the same sets, the same overall tone, the same creepy zombie, and the same foreboding dude with the guitar who sings the exposition. If you ever watched I Walked with A Zombie and found yourself wanting to know more about the common people on the island (who are frequently discussed, but seldom seen) here's a story told from that perspective, and it works. Sure, this one's a comedy, but it's very respectful of the original film's premise and visuals all the same.

Perhaps stranger is the name of Bela's character in this film, Dr. Renault. Only a year before I Walked with a Zombie was released, 20th Century Fox produced Dr. Renault's Secret. Could the character be a nod to that film? Of course, that mad scientist was more of a Dr. Moreau, and he died at the end.


Plot (0-5 points): Nothing brilliant, but thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end! The comedy isn't always laugh-out-loud, but it's quite good, and the film seamlessly blends suspense, action, and plot development along with it. It's never just a gag-a-minute script. 4/5

Atmosphere (0-5 points): Perfectly emulates the cinematography of the first film. Of course, there are a few less shadows, and the camera is a little less expressive, but that appropriately suits the more lighthearted nature of the film. Perhaps just as important, none of the new sets ever look cheap. Lots of furniture and ornaments in the backgrounds, always keeping the film feeling authentic. 4.5/5

Other Actors (0-3 points): I really like Sheldon Leonard as a surprisingly complex ex-mafia guy/antagonist. Brown and Carney are no Abbott and Costello, but they are funny enough to make every moment of the film work. Carney particularly shines while a zombie. It's hard to be funny when you can't make facial expressions nor use your eyes, but he really makes it work. 2/3

The Lugosi Factor (0-10 points): Work is beginning to dry up for Bela again, and that seems to have given him some time to rest and recover, as he comes off more confident and physically well than he's been in a long time. He delivers a powerful performance, full of range, and channeling some of his early prowess in ways reminiscent of Dracula and White Zombie. And, while he isn't really doing anything new here, that's appropriate since the film only wants him as a cliche mad scientist. Still, he delivers laughs when he beckons, "Bring me the one called...Mike," and he truly emits pathos when he prays that his zombie injection will finally last this time. I truly wish we could have gotten this level of Bela in a more serious film, as it's a bit wasted here in a film that only needed C-level Bela acting. This film doesn't care whether Bela is providing a master performance, whereas it would have gone far in a film like Return of The Vampire. 7/10

Overall: This is only my second time seeing this one, and I didn't realize how much I loved it until this viewing. Still, while Bela is fantastic in this film, he is hardly what makes the film fantastic. 17.5/23

I think you'd recognize Edward Everett Horton. He was in a ton of movies from silent films in 1922 to his death in 1970. For Boomers & subsequent generations, he was the narrator of the Fractured Fairy Tales cartoons and played medicine man Roaring Chicken on F Troop (and a similar role on an episode of Batman).

Scared To Death (1947)



If you thought Monogram Studios was a low point in Bela's career, here comes a film for Golden Gate Pictures. You remember Golden Gate Pictures, don't you? According to IMDB, they released a total of six films (this being the last of them), and boy does it show. I guess someone decided springing for color would boost ticket sales, but this is sickly, ugly looking color by 1947 standards, and it absolutely conflicts with the two genres this film struggles between -- noir and horror. Fortunately, Bela brings his best to the role and justifies this film's existence almost entirely on his own merits.


Plot (0-5 points): Horrendous dialogue, hideous characterization, and ill-timed humor, but the backstory is at least unique and somewhat interesting. 1/5

Atmosphere (0-5 points): Someone's Uncle Joe was clearly contracted out to handle the colors, and it ends up looking like grandma's shag carpet. Having a green face peer through the windows is somewhat creepy and helps try to justify the color. Otherwise, this film would have looked FAR better in black and white. It is fascinating to finally see Bela in color, though. Almost entirely what I expected, but, even though I knew his eyes were blue, I still wasn't ready for the sight of them. They are so bright in contrast to his otherwise dark features. 1/5

Other Actors (0-3 points): Soooo bad. And the actors stumble over their lines so much that I wonder if they tried to do everything in one or two takes to save on the cost of color film. 0/3

The Lugosi Factor (0-10 points): He's old, he's ailing, he's clearly in pain, but he acts his heart out in this one. Possibly one of his strongest performances (certainly one of his best of the 1940s), as he is clearly desperate to convince someone...anyone...to hire him for another film. Poor poor Bela. 9/10

Overall: A little painful to watch, but Bela makes it worth the journey. 11/23



I'm sorry to say this is now the last readily available Bela Lugosi film that I hadn't seen. It's all familiar territory from here.

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)



Universal's swan song for its classic horror monsters, this film gets an impressive 90 minute run time, a lavish budget, and most importantly reunites all of the original monster actors except Karloff (who refused, and yet agreed to promote the film). Why Universal suddenly invited Bela back to play his iconic role after snubbing him in the previous "House" films remains a matter of debate. Perhaps they felt he had a right to return for the final film. Perhaps Universal still felt Lugosi's name had star power and his aging and ailments would be less of a detraction in a comedy. Whatever the reason, Bela finally gets to play Dracula on the screen for the second time after fifteen years of trying. And it's a nice note to go out on because, in an age before Ed Wood was a household name, this was the last film most of mainstream America ever saw Lugosi in.


Plot (0-5 points): The first 40 minutes are priceless, as Abbott and Costello bring their A game while coming face to face with the classic Universal monsters truly attempting to play it straight and not for laughs. Unfortunately, the plot is ludicrous, uninteresting, and totally out of character for all three monsters, so the film always drags for me once we are knee deep in rising action. An entertaining film throughout, but the first 40 minutes are so much more engaging than the 50 minutes that follow. 2.5/5

Atmosphere (0-5 points): Outstanding sets and camera work appropriate to the blending of horror and comedy. So much of what works about this film is that it still FEELS like a Universal horror. 5/5

Other Actors (0-3 points): Bud and Lou (especially Lou) bring their very best. Lon Chaney Jr. and Glenn Strange are as good as ever (how good that is remains debatable). Lenore Aubert nearly steals the show as the complex and conflicted doctor working under Dracula, and Jane Randolph proves the only real weakness in the cast, feeling like the cliche girl reporter of 1940s films (even though she's actually an insurance investigator). 2/3

The Lugosi Factor (0-10 points): It's Bela back in the cloak and looking surprisingly good in spite of how badly his face has aged since the last time we saw him in a film a year earlier. My only gripe is that he isn't really playing Dracula. In both Dracula and Mark of the Vampire, there was an inhuman quality to his performance. He could entertain a parlor full of guests if necessary, but it was an act intended to lure in prey. In Return of the Vampire, he came off as more human, but only as a means of enacting a very personal revenge. Here, he feels more like the stereotypical arch-nemesis Bela often plays in his B films, only clad in the outer trappings of Dracula. He does the mannerisms and inflections, but he's just a mad scientist trying to animate the Frankenstein monster (and really, why would Dracula ever care about that?). One further peculiarity is Bela's penchant for covering his face with his cloak in this film. What was up with that? Were they having him do that so that they could use stand-ins when his leg pain got too bad? 7/10 really just on the basis of Bela playing Dracula again and looking pretty good. His performance itself is a bit of a letdown.

Overall: As with any farewell episode or film, nostalgia dominates my feelings for this one, but when you look at it for what Bela is actually bringing to the role, it's not what a true fan would have hoped for it to be. 16.5/23