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Date Posted: 11:08:05 09/30/09 Wed
Author: Joystar
Subject: Another "Lost Universal"

Hello all! Have you ever wondered what happened to Henry and Elizabeth? Both before FRANKENSTEIN and after THE BRIDE? Also, why the Frankenstein family spoke perfect British? Where did they go? and how did they survive unmolested? Also, how in Heaven's name did Wolf end up as a medical professor in the US? Someone else makes an appearence, too, but it's NOT who you would expect...
It also tells what happened to Wolf and Elsa and Peter in a brief afterward.

Can you imagine this if the Laemmles had been able to keep UNIVERSAL, and Whale was still King?

PS. NO Basil Rathbone! I liked the man immensely, but he had no respect for the role whatsoever. I would have cast the young Louis Hayward...

Let me know what you think, guys.
JS

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Replies:

[> Re: Another "Lost Universal" -- Tim, 14:35:22 10/01/09 Thu [1]

Son of Frankenstein was certainly a departure from the previous two films on many levels. Clearly the absence of James Whale was a huge change. If Whale had been behind the camera we would be talking about a much different film and probably a much different cast, with the exception of Karloff.

Louis Hayward as Wolf Frankenstein would have been interesting, to be sure. Peter Lorre was originally slated to play Baron Wolf, and Claude Rains had also been considered at one point (to me Rains seems a more likely choice than Lorre). Of course the role ultimately fell to Basil Rathbone, a fine actor who was born to play Sherlock Homes but was no match for Colin Clive when it came to playing a Frankenstein. I am unsure as to how Henry Frankenstein's son ended up being a medical professor in the US, although others may have their theories.

While Son of Frankenstein is not up to the standards of its two predecessors, it's still a fun ride. Bela Lugosi as Ygor and Lionel Atwill as Inspector Krogh pretty much steal the show. Their performances alone are worth the price of admission.

Tim


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[> [> Re: Another "Lost Universal" -- Joystar, 16:16:38 10/01/09 Thu [1]

Actually, Tim..I'm working on a short bridge story about this right now. The reason I mentioned Louis Hayward, was because he had worked with Clive in his last film, and was able to portray the Frankenstein intensity, along with the necessary intelligence. MY theory is that Henry and Elizabeth migrated to England with 3 year old Wolf just before WWI. Henry's mother was British. Young European men of the noble classes usually went on "Grand Tours", and that is where the "old Baron" met his wife. Henry had dual citizenship through his mother, and Elizabeth was naturalised through her marriage to Henry.

Henry was suffering from EXTREME depression and a crippled arm after their escape from the tower, and it would be natural that Elizabeth would want to get him away to a new venue...

Do you see where I'm headed? ...more or less... (g)


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[> [> [> Re: Another "Lost Universal" -- Tim, 18:42:35 10/01/09 Thu [1]

Yes, and it sounds like an intriguing concept for a story, Joystar! The possibilities are practically limitless because so little is known about the 25 year gap between the events of Bride of Frankenstein and Son of Frankenstein. Likewise, not much is known about the pre-Frankenstein years.

I am sure many Universal/Frankenstein fans would enjoy reading such a story involving these timeless characters.

Tim


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[> [> [> [> Re: Another "Lost Universal" -- DAN, 11:24:19 10/02/09 Fri [1]

I also believe if the Laemmle's had kept Universal and Whale was still king, "Son of Frankenstein" would have been a completely different film with a different cast except for Karloff as the monster.

There is a big gap between "Bride" and "Son" with many missing pieces that I have wondered about for a long time.

A couple of years ago I joined in a discussion with several other members on another horror forum about the Universal horror films, and the SoF timeline was one of the films that brought in a big discussion.

Before I gave my opinion on what happened after Bride I had to rewatch Son pf Frankenstein, and Ghost of Frankenstein, and listen closely to the dialogue.

On the train at the beginning of SoF Wolf is talking to his wife Elsa about moving to their new home he inherited from his father and how his father died hated by creating a monster.
Wolf continues to tell Elsa that when he was a child in England his mother told him stories about Henry's, bungling assistant who stole a criminal brain and how his father was made to suffer for that mistake, and that nine out of ten people call that misshapen creature...FRANKENSTEIN!

Later in the film Wolf is reading Henry's last words to him from a letter along with Henry's records. The letter is saying that if Wolf doesn't agree with Henry then he should distroy all the records. But then the letter continues and says if you (Wolf) like me burn with the irresistable desire to explore the unknown, then carry on.

Ok this tells me that after Bride, Henry and Elizabeth must have moved to England and had two sons. But Henry still had that big sesire to experiment, and he became so obsessed with it that he left England and his family and got a new castle in his old village.

In "Ghost of Frankenstein" Ygor told Ludwig he knew his father and brother very well.

So that tells me that at some point Henry must have met Ygor and used him to rob graves. During this time Ygor finds out all about Henry and the monster, and where The monster is buried. Ygor being an evil man dug the monster out of the old lab tower rubble and forced Henry to revive him, which Henry did.

Then after Ygor turned the monster into nothing but a killing machine, it caused Henry great dispair for the rest of his life.
The law finally caught up with Ygor and hung him...which was unsuccessful.
With Ygor now released, he went back to Henry's castle with the monster.
Then sometime later while the monster was "HUNTING" (I love that Line from Ygor) the monster got struck down by lightning and went into a coma.

Elizabeth remained in England for the rest of her life and Wolf went to medical school in the US and became a professor until he came back to gain his inheritance.

Well this was the best idea everyone seemed to agree with.

But I still can't figure why Wolf would go to the U.S. when there were excellent schools in England?

And I haven't figured out exactly when Henry died, and why Wolf waited so long to move back to his old village?

Anyway Joy, I look forward to reading any more ideas you or anyone else has to help fill in the gaps.


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[> [> [> [> [> Re: Another "Lost Universal" CORRECTION. -- DAN, 11:45:59 10/02/09 Fri [1]

I had to change part of the story because I made a small mistake about Ygor's hanging.

After Ygor was cut down from the noose, he was pronounced dead, then they threw him in Henry's Castle along with the already dead Henry and the comatose monster.

I wish I could come up with a good time line as to when Henry died?


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[> [> [> [> [> [> Re: Another "Lost Universal" CORRECTION. -- Joystar, 16:24:03 10/02/09 Fri [1]

In my story, Wolf was SENT to America by his parents, to escape any taint of anti-German prejudice. Henry and Elizabeth also changed changed their name to Mannering..the name of their British relatives. Wolf is known as Robert W. Mannering. All he remembers of his parents is a small double photograph of them. He is raised by the woman he believes to be his aunt...Minnie Neimann.
Minnie, of course, knows the WHOLE story, but her love for Elizabeth keeps her from telling it. She does tell him about his father..."miserable, and bleak...black of spirit". She also tells "Rob" that "no good can ever come of chemicals and electricity." Rob merely laughs, and tells her that he is a Doctor, not a wizard.

In the mean time, Henry has procured a job as a diagnostician in St. Bart's Hospital in London. He has never fully recovered from the explosion in the tower, and his depression and paranoia are evident. Being a surgeon is no longer an option with his maimed arm. What is intriguing, is that he has an uncanny empathy with crippled soldiers. In working with them, he has found a modicum of peace...

---more to come---


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