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)

Gary Don Rhodes, a documentary filmmaker, is a professor at the Queen’s University, Belfast.

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.