William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor who was primarily known for his roles in horror films. He portrayed Frankenstein's monster in "Frankenstein" (1931), "Bride of Frankenstein" (1935) and "Son of Frankenstein" (1939). He also appeared as Imhotep in "The Mummy" (1932). In non-horror roles, he is best known to modern audiences for narrating and as the voice of the Grinch in the animated television special of Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" (1966). For his contribution to film and television, Karloff was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Introduction
Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff | Introduction
Yes - Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Son of Frankenstein (1939). "Frankenstein", "Bride of Frankenstein" and "Son of Frankenstein". “Frankenstein”, "Bride of Frankenstein” and "Son of Frankenstein” to name a few. Yes, "Frankenstein", "Bride of Frankenstein" and "Son of Frankenstein"
who played the mummy in the old movies
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Boris Karloff
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has he also acted in any other film?
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Karloff was reunited with Whale at Universal for "The Old Dark House" (1932), a horror movie based on the novel "Benighted" by J.B. Priestley, in which he finally enjoyed top billing above Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Raymond Massey and Gloria Stuart. He was loaned to MGM to play the titular role in "The Mask of Fu Manchu" (also 1932), for which he gained top billing. Back at Universal, he was cast as Imhotep who is revived in "The Mummy" (1932). It was as successful at the box-office as the other two films and Karloff was now established as a star of horror films.
Boris Karloff | Horror star
That same year, he also played an Indian Maharajah on the installment of the adventure series "The Wild Wild West" titled "The Night of the Golden Cobra".
Boris Karloff | American International Pictures (AIP)
William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor who was primarily known for his roles in horror films. He portrayed Frankenstein's monster in "Frankenstein" (1931), "Bride of Frankenstein" (1935) and "Son of Frankenstein" (1939). He also appeared as Imhotep in "The Mummy" (1932). In non-horror roles, he is best known to modern audiences for narrating and as the voice of the Grinch in the animated television special of Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" (1966). For his contribution to film and television, Karloff was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Boris Karloff | Introduction
The original series of films consisted of six installments, which starred iconic horror actors such as Boris Karloff (only in the original one, as Imhotep); Tom Tyler and Lon Chaney Jr. as Kharis; and lastly Eddie Parker, who played Klaris, a cousin of Kharis. The series of films is part of the larger Universal Classic Monsters series.
The Mummy (franchise) | Universal Classic Monsters film series (1932–1955)
Horror films experienced a decline in popularity after the war, and Karloff found himself working in other genres. For the Danny Kaye comedy, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (1947), Karloff appeared in a brief but starring role as Dr. Hugo Hollingshead, a psychiatrist. Director Norman Z. McLeod shot a sequence with Karloff in the Frankenstein monster make-up, but it was deleted from the finished film. Karloff appeared in a film noir, "Lured" (1947), and as an Indian in "Unconquered" (1947). He had support roles in "Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome" (1947), "Tap Roots" (1948), and "Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff".
Boris Karloff | Post-war
He appeared in "Mad Monster Party?" (1967) and starred in the second feature film of the British director Michael Reeves,"The Sorcerers" (1966).
Boris Karloff | "The Grinch"
For his contribution to film and television, Boris Karloff was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 1737 Vine Street for motion pictures, and 6664 Hollywood Boulevard for television. Karloff was featured by the U.S. Postal Service as Frankenstein's Monster and the Mummy in its series "Classic Monster Movie Stamps" issued in September 1997. In 1998, an English Heritage blue plaque was unveiled in his hometown in London. The British film magazine "Empire" in 2016 ranked Karloff's portrayal as Frankenstein's monster the sixth-greatest horror movie character of all time. On June 25, 2019, "The New York Times Magazine" listed Boris Karloff among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.
Boris Karloff | Legacy
"Caligostro" premiered in Berlin on 8 April 1929. It was later shown in Paris on 21 May 1929. In the early 1930s, Universal Pictures planned a "Cagliostro" film starring Boris Karloff in the title role, which was later re-written into the script for "The Mummy".
Cagliostro (1929 film) | Release
Unlike other Universal Monsters films, "The Mummy" had no official sequels, but rather was reimagined in "The Mummy's Hand" (1940) and its sequels, "The Mummy's Tomb" (1942), "The Mummy's Ghost" (1944), "The Mummy's Curse" (1944), and the studios' comedy–horror crossover movie "Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy" (1955). These films focus on the titular character named Kharis (Klaris in the Abbott and Costello film). "The Mummy's Hand" recycled footage from the original film for use in the telling of Kharis' origins, where Karloff is clearly visible in several of these recycled scenes but was not credited. Lon Chaney Jr. played the Mummy in "The Mummy's Tomb", "The Mummy's Ghost", and "The Mummy's Curse".
The Mummy (1932 film) | Sequels
Make-up artist Jack Pierce was responsible for the look of the Mummy. After studying photos of ancient mummies, Pierce came up with the look bearing a resemblance to the mummy of Ramesses III. Pierce began transforming Karloff at 11 a.m., applying cotton, collodion and spirit gum to his face; clay to his hair; and wrapping him in linen bandages treated with acid and burnt in an oven, finishing the job at 7 p.m. Karloff finished his scenes by 2 a.m., and another two hours were spent removing the make-up. Boris Karloff found the removal of gum from his face painful, and overall found the day "the most trying ordeal I [had] ever endured".
Horror film | 1932: Edgar Allan Poe Double Feature and The Mummy
Berg wrote that the last installment in which Karloff appeared—"House of Frankenstein"—was what he called a " 'monster clambake,' with everything thrown in—Frankenstein, Dracula, a hunchback and a 'man-beast' that howled in the night. It was too much. Karloff thought it was ridiculous and said so." Berg explained that the actor had "great love and respect for" Lewton, who was "the man who rescued him from the living dead and restored, so to speak, his soul."
Boris Karloff | Producer Val Lewton and other films
"The Mummy", produced the following year, combines the plot of "Dracula" with the make-up tricks of "Frankenstein", to turn Karloff into an incredibly aged and wrinkled Egyptian prince. Again, Pierce and Karloff's collaboration was critically acclaimed and impressed audiences. That same year, Pierce designed the Satanic make-up for Lugosi in "White Zombie", although this was an independent film, rather than a Universal production. On November 20, 1957, Ralph Edwards got Jack Pierce reunited with a smiling Boris Karloff on the celebrity biography program "This is Your Life". On that night's program, Jack unveiled some memories of working together with Karloff on the Universal film lot.
Jack Pierce (make-up artist) | Collaboration with Karloff
In this decade Lon Chaney Jr. became the studio's leading monster movie actor supplanting the previous decades' leading stars Karloff and Lugosi by a wide margin in terms of the number of leading roles that he played. Chaney is best known playing Larry Talbot in "The Wolf Man" (1941) and its sequels and crossover films. He also played Frankenstein's monster in "The Ghost of Frankenstein" (1942), taking over Boris Karloff in the main role. The "Mummy" series was also continued with "The Mummy's Tomb" (1942), "The Mummy's Ghost" and "The Mummy's Curse" (both 1944) all starring Chaney Jr. as the Mummy.
Horror film | Other productions in the 1940s
The image of Karloff wrapped in bandages has become one of the most iconic images in the series. Jack Pierce would also come to design the Satanic make-up for Lugosi in the independently produced "White Zombie" (1932).
Horror film | 1932: Edgar Allan Poe Double Feature and The Mummy
He played an Indian in "The Last of the Mohicans" (1920) and he would often be cast as an Arab or Indian in his early films.
Boris Karloff | Early films
Hyde, two roles which had previously been portrayed by Boris Karloff in the studios' previous film franchise. In June 2017, the studio announced the name, logo, theme music (written by Danny Elfman), and upcoming schedule for the shared universe titled Dark Universe. It received negative reviews and is considered a box office bomb scrapping the plans for the upcoming films of the dark universe.
The Mummy (1932 film) | Reboot
In recent times, Tim Janson of The SciFi Movie Page gave "The Mummy's Tomb" 3 1/4 stars. He writes, "Lon Chaney Jr., was a welcome addition as Kharis. He was physically more imposing than Tom Tyler or Boris Karloff". http://www.scifimoviepage.com/review-of-the-mummys-tomb-from-1942/
The Mummy's Tomb | Critical reaction
In the first Kharis film, "The Mummy's Hand" (1940), the character was played by Western-film actor Tom Tyler, while the three subsequent films, "The Mummy's Tomb" (1942), "The Mummy's Ghost" (1944), and "The Mummy's Curse" (also 1944), starred Lon Chaney, Jr. in the role. Although the iconic image of the mummy's face is usually Karloff's, the Kharis films are responsible for the enduring stereotype of the lumbering, foot-dragging monster, as Karloff's bandaged creation is seen only briefly, while Kharis is a major on-screen character in all four follow-up films. The Kharis movies also introduce the notion of tana leaves as integral to the mummy's survival.
Kharis | History
Because the Motion Picture Production Code (known as the Hays Code) began to be seriously enforced in 1934, horror films suffered a decline in the second half of the 1930s. Karloff worked in other genres, making two films in Britain, "Juggernaut" (1936) and "The Man Who Changed His Mind" (1936). He returned to Hollywood to play a supporting role in "Charlie Chan at the Opera" (1936) then did a science fiction film, "Night Key" (1937). At Warners, he did two films with John Farrow, playing a Chinese warlord in "West of Shanghai" (1937) and a murder suspect in "The Invisible Menace" (1938).
Boris Karloff | Non-horror period
Once Karloff arrived in Hollywood, he made dozens of silent films, but this work was sporadic, and he often had to take up manual labour such as digging ditches or delivering construction plaster to earn a living. His first on screen role was in a film serial, "The Lightning Raider" (1919) with Pearl White. He was in another serial, "The Masked Rider" (1919), the first of his appearances to survive. Karloff could also be seen in "His Majesty, the American" (1919) with Douglas Fairbanks, "The Prince and Betty" (1919), "The Deadlier Sex" (1920), and "The Courage of Marge O'Doone" (1920).
Boris Karloff | Early films
"Cauldron of Blood," shot in Spain in 1967 and co-starring Viveca Lindfors, was also released after Karloff's death. While shooting his final films, Karloff suffered from emphysema. Only half of one lung was still functioning and he required oxygen between takes.
Boris Karloff | Final films
Karloff returned to England to star in "The Ghoul" (1933), then made a non-horror film for John Ford, "The Lost Patrol" (1934), where his performance was highly acclaimed.
Boris Karloff | Horror star
Karloff acted in eighty movies before being found by James Whale and cast in "Frankenstein" (1931). Karloff's role as Frankenstein's monster was physically demanding – it necessitated a bulky costume with four-inch platform boots – but the costume and extensive makeup produced a lasting image. The costume was a job in itself for Karloff with the shoes weighing each. Universal Studios quickly copyrighted the makeup design for the Frankenstein monster that Jack P. Pierce had created. It took a while for Karloff's stardom to be established with the public – he had small roles in "Behind the Mask" (1932), "Business and Pleasure" (1932) and "The Miracle Man" (1932).
Boris Karloff | "Frankenstein"
Around the same time, he played occult expert Professor Marsh in a British production titled "The Crimson Cult" ("Curse of the Crimson Altar", also 1968), which was the last Karloff film to be released during his lifetime. He ended his career by appearing in four low-budget Mexican horror films: "Isle of the Snake People," "The Incredible Invasion," "Fear Chamber" and "House of Evil." This was a package deal with Mexican producer Luis Enrique Vergara. Karloff's scenes were directed by Jack Hill and shot back-to-back in Los Angeles in the spring of 1968. The films were then completed in Mexico. All four were released posthumously, with the last, "The Incredible Invasion," not released until 1971, two years after Karloff's death.
Boris Karloff | Final films
The Universal Classic Monsters series began in earnest with 1930s' "Dracula" starring Bela Lugosi who's performance was instantly lauded, the following years "Frankenstein" with Boris Karloff in the role as the monster and "The Mummy" also starring Karloff, this time in the role as the mummy Imhotep, were equally successful and cemented each character as well as their actors as horror icons.
Horror icon | 1930s: Universal Monsters appear
However, in 1909, he left university without graduating and drifted, departing England for Canada, where he worked as a farm labourer and did various odd itinerant jobs until happening upon acting.
Boris Karloff | Early years
His most unusual role was that of Kharis the mummy in Universal's "The Mummy's Hand" (1940), in which he was cast because the studio felt he resembled a younger Boris Karloff well enough to match stock footage of Karloff from "The Mummy" (1932).
Tom Tyler | Reliable Pictures and Victory Pictures
Karloff appeared in "Black Sabbath" (1963) directed by Mario Bava. He made "The Raven" (1963) for Roger Corman and American International Pictures (AIP). Corman used Karloff in "The Terror" (1963) playing a baron who murdered his wife. He made a cameo in AIP's "Bikini Beach" (1964) and had a bigger role in that studio's "The Comedy of Terrors" (1964), directed by Jacques Tourneur and "Die, Monster, Die!" (1965). British actress Suzan Farmer, who played his daughter in the film, later recalled Karloff was aloof during production "and wasn’t the charming personality people perceived him to be". In 1966, Karloff also appeared with Robert Vaughn and Stefanie Powers in the spy series "The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.", in the episode "The Mother Muffin Affair," Karloff performed in drag as the titular character.
Boris Karloff | American International Pictures (AIP)
Karloff returned to film roles in "The Climax" (1944), an unsuccessful attempt to repeat the success of "Phantom of the Opera" (1943). More liked was "House of Frankenstein" (1944), where Karloff played the villainous Dr. Niemann and the monster was played by Glenn Strange. Karloff made three films for producer Val Lewton at RKO: "The Body Snatcher" (1945), his last teaming with Lugosi, "Isle of the Dead" (1945) and "Bedlam" (1946). In a 1946 interview with Louis Berg of the "Los Angeles Times", Karloff discussed his arrangement with RKO, working with Lewton and his reasons for leaving Universal. Karloff left Universal because he thought the Frankenstein franchise had run its course; the entries in the series after "Son of Frankenstein" were B-pictures.
Boris Karloff | Producer Val Lewton and other films
In 1921, an archaeological expedition led by Sir Joseph Whemple (Arthur Byron) finds the mummy of an ancient Egyptian high priest named Imhotep (Boris Karloff). An inspection of the mummy by Whemple's friend Dr. Muller (Edward Van Sloan) reveals that the viscera were not removed, and from the signs of struggling Muller deduces that although Imhotep had been wrapped like a traditional mummy, he had been buried alive. Also buried with Imhotep is a casket with a curse on it. Despite Muller's warning, Sir Joseph's assistant Ralph Norton (Bramwell Fletcher) opens it and finds an ancient life-giving scroll, the "Scroll of Thoth".
The Mummy (1932 film) | Plot
Kharis () is a character featured in Universal Studios's "Mummy" series in the 1940s following their original 1932 film "The Mummy", which starred Boris Karloff as a different mummy character, Imhotep, though their backstories are practically identical. Universal's "Mummy" films were inspired by worldwide interest in Egyptian archeology during the first half of the 20th century.
Kharis | Introduction
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0120439/?ref_=tt_ov_dr https://www.kinopoisk.ru/name/301212/
Boris Buneev | External links
At Warners he was in "British Intelligence" (1940), then he went to Universal to do "Black Friday" (1940) with Lugosi. Karloff's second and third films for Columbia were "The Man with Nine Lives" (1940) and "Before I Hang" (1940). In between he did a fifth and final Mr Wong film, "Doomed to Die" (1940).
Boris Karloff | "Son of Frankenstein" and horror revival
The Mummy is a 1932 American pre-Code horror film directed by Karl Freund. The screenplay by John L. Balderston was from a story by Nina Wilcox Putnam and Richard Schayer. Released by Universal Studios, the film stars Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Edward Van Sloan and Arthur Byron. The film is about an ancient Egyptian mummy named Imhotep who is discovered by a team of archaeologists and inadvertently brought back to life through a magic scroll. Disguised as a modern Egyptian named Ardeth Bay, Imhotep searches for his lost love, whom he believes has been reincarnated into a modern girl.
The Mummy (1932 film) | Introduction
"The Mummy's Tomb" was the first of Lon Chaney, Jr.'s three appearances as Kharis the mummy and the first sequel to "The Mummy's Hand" (in which Tom Tyler played Kharis). Filming began June 1, 1942. Chaney disliked the role of Kharis the mummy. Make-up artist Jack Pierce spent up to eight hours each day wrapping Chaney in artificially-aged gauze. Instead of the painstaking, cotton-based makeup used on Boris Karloff and Tom Tyler in Universal's earlier Mummy films, Chaney wore a rubber mask. For unknown reasons, Wallace Ford's character's name is changed from Jenson from the previous film to Hanson in this film.
The Mummy's Tomb | Production and release
Universal found reissuing "Dracula" and "Frankenstein" led to success at the box-office and began to produce horror films again starting with "Son of Frankenstein" (1939). Karloff reprised his role, with Lugosi co starring as Ygor and Basil Rathbone as Frankenstein. After "The Mystery of Mr. Wong" (1939) and "Mr. Wong in Chinatown" (1939) he signed a three-picture deal with Columbia, starting with "The Man They Could Not Hang" (1939). Karloff returned to Universal to make "Tower of London" (1939) with Rathbone, playing the murderous henchman of King Richard III. Karloff made a fourth Mr Wong film at Monogram "The Fatal Hour" (1940).
Boris Karloff | "Son of Frankenstein" and horror revival
Warner Oland played "Boris Karlov" in a film version in 1931. Another possible influence was thought to be a character in the Edgar Rice Burroughs fantasy novel "H. R. H. The Rider" which features a "Prince Boris of Karlova", but as the novel was not published until 1915, the influence may be backward, that Burroughs saw Karloff in a play and adapted the name for the character. Karloff always claimed he chose the first name "Boris" because it sounded foreign and exotic, and that "Karloff" was a family name (from Karlov—in Cyrillic, Карлов—a name found in several Slavic countries, including Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria).
Boris Karloff | Acting career
In Universal's previous "Mummy" films, the Mummy was called "Kharis", but in this film it is called "Klaris." Stuntman Eddie Parker (billed as "Edwin") played the mummy. He had previously doubled Lon Chaney, Jr. in Universal's earlier "Mummy" films.
Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy | Production
Chaney was then given the title role in "The Wolf Man" (1941) for Universal, a role which, much like Karloff's Frankenstein monster, would largely typecast Chaney as a horror film actor for the rest of his life. Chaney Jr was now an official horror star, and Universal gave him the role of Frankenstein's Monster in "The Ghost of Frankenstein" (1942) when Karloff decided not to play the part again. He was in a crime film, "Eyes of the Underworld" (1942) and the wartime shorts "Keeping Fit" (1942) and "What We Are Fighting For" (1943). Chaney Jr played Kharis the Mummy in "The Mummy's Tomb" (1942), another hit.
Lon Chaney Jr. | Horror Film Star: The Wolf Man, The Mummy, Inner Sanctum
He dies when his plane crashes because of Imhotep's sandstorm—his last words being "Here I come, laddies!"—and is later sucked into quicksand.
List of The Mummy (film series) characters | Winston Havelock
He also starred in a radio adaptation produced by Screen Guild Theatre in 1946.) In 1944, he underwent a spinal operation to relieve a chronic arthritic condition.
Boris Karloff | "Arsenic and Old Lace"
In his original appearance, Imhotep was portrayed by Boris Karloff as a high priest of ancient Egypt who steals the Scroll of Thoth in an attempt to resurrect his dead lover Princess Anck-es-en-Amon. For Imhotep's sacrilege, the princess's father Pharaoh Amenophis the Magnificent orders Imhotep to be tortured, mummified, and buried alive. The scroll is buried with him so that no one would ever again have the chance to use it like he did. Imhotep is accidentally revived as a mummy when an archaeological expedition discovers his mummy and one of the archaeologists unknowingly reads the scroll's ancient life-giving spell.
Imhotep (The Mummy) | "The Mummy" (1932)
The film was a follow-up to "The Raven", meant to reunite Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Boris Karloff. The producers' original intention was for Karloff to play the part of the ceaselessly spry old landlord, Mr. Black, but, by the time production was set to begin, they realized that it would have been difficult (if not impossible) for Karloff to perform the physical requirements of the role, due to persistent back and leg problems which had worsened with age. So, Karloff traded roles with Basil Rathbone, and instead played Amaryllis' elderly father, Mr. Hinchley. Richard Matheson later said he was "proud of that picture and of the fact that I got AIP [American International Pictures] to hire Tourner ["sic"].
The Comedy of Terrors | Production
As receipts for "Frankenstein" and "Scarface" flooded in, Universal gave Karloff third billing in "Night World" (1932), with Lew Ayres, Mae Clarke and George Raft.
Boris Karloff | "Frankenstein"
The story was based on a 1927 novel by J.B. Priestly. In December 1932, the studio released "The Mummy" starring Boris Karloff as the Egyptian monster. The film, based on an original screenplay, is about an ancient Egyptian mummy named Imhotep who is discovered by a team of archaeologists and inadvertently brought back to life through a magic scroll. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 93% score, based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The site's consensus states: "Relying more on mood and atmosphere than the thrills typical of modern horror fare, Universal's The Mummy sets a masterful template for mummy-themed films to follow." The Mummy character was so popular that it spawned sequels and remakes over the next decades.
Horror film | 1932: Edgar Allan Poe Double Feature and The Mummy
Karloff starred in a few acclaimed Val Lewton produced horror films of the 1940s and by the mid-1950s, he was a familiar presence on television hosting his own series including "Thriller" and "The Veil" and guest starring on such variety programs as "The Donald O'Connor Show". He also was Detective Wong in the 1930s. In the 1960s, Karloff was a fixture at Roger Corman's American International Pictures. His final American film was Peter Bogdanovich's "Targets", portraying an aging horror film star.
Boris Karloff filmography | Introduction
"The Mummy's Hand" introduces Kharis in a series of flashbacks that are pulled from the original 1932 film (except for inserts with Tyler replacing Karloff in shots in which Karloff would have been conspicuous). The film "The Mummy", which was released eight years before "The Mummy's Hand", tells the story of the high priest Imhotep, who is punished for attempting to resurrect a dead lover, and thousands of years later returns to the Earth as a living mummy. However, in "The Mummy's Hand" the mummy is a high priest named Kharis and the details of the story are changed to describe a similar but alternate scenario.
Kharis | History
Zita Johann (born Elisabeth Johann; 14 July 1904 – 24 September 1993) was an Austrian-American actress, best known for her performance in Karl Freund's 1932 film, "The Mummy", with Boris Karloff.
Zita Johann | Introduction
This is the filmography of Boris Karloff. Born as William Henry Pratt, he joined a touring company and adopted the stage name Boris Karloff. During these early stages of his career he was mostly left in obscurity. By 1919, Karloff found regular work as an extra at Universal Studios. Karloff's first significant hit film was in Howard Hawks's "The Criminal Code" (1931). While shooting "Graft", director James Whale convinced Karloff to star as a character in one of his most popular roles as Frankenstein's monster in "Frankenstein" which led to him becoming an overnight superstar. After "Frankenstein" and starring in several high-profile films such as "Bride of Frankenstein" and "Scarface", Karloff spent the remainder of the 1930s continuing to work at an incredible pace, but progressively more into less financially successful films.
Boris Karloff filmography | Introduction
Beginning in 1940, Karloff dressed as Father Christmas every Christmas to hand out presents to physically disabled children in a Baltimore hospital. He never legally changed his name to "Boris Karloff." He signed official documents "William H. Pratt, a.k.a. Boris Karloff." He was a charter member of the Screen Actors Guild, and he was especially outspoken due to the long hours he spent in makeup while playing Frankenstein's Monster.
Boris Karloff | Personal life
In 2012, Universal announced a reboot of the film, more in-line with the horror films, from the Universal Monsters film franchise. The reboot was directed by Alex Kurtzman. "The Mummy" was planned as the first film in a series of interconnected monster films, as Universal has planned to build a shared universe film series out of its vault of classic monster movies. On January 21, 2016 it was announced that Tom Cruise would be starring in the film. Sofia Boutella was cast to portray Princess Ahmunet / The Mummy for the film, while Russell Crowe would appear as Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr.
The Mummy (1932 film) | Reboot
Karloff starred in "Targets" (1968), a film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, featuring two separate stories that converge into one. In one, a disturbed young man kills his family, then embarks on a killing spree. In the other, a famous horror-film actor contemplates then confirms his retirement, agreeing to one last appearance at a drive-in cinema. Karloff starred as the retired horror film actor, Byron Orlok, a thinly disguised version of himself; Orlok was facing an end of life crisis, which he resolved through a confrontation with the gunman at the drive-in cinema.
Boris Karloff | "Targets"
In Australia and New Zealand, every scene with a corpse was removed prior to distribution. The film was banned in Denmark due to the scene where corpses play cards.
Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff | Alternate versions
He's also known for portraying villains such in the John Woo film "Hard Target" (1993), starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. He played the title role of the 1999 film "The Mummy" (starring Brendan Fraser), as well as its 2001 sequel, "The Mummy Returns". In both films he played Imhotep, an ancient Egyptian high priest. Vosloo also played François Molay, the main villain's henchman, in the 2003 film "Agent Cody Banks".
Arnold Vosloo | Career
Universal also announced that Boris Karloff and Colin Clive, who had starred together in "Frankenstein" and "Bride of Frankenstein", would appear, and that Cesar Romero would play Dr. Garth. According to "The Hollywood Reporter", Universal had sought Herbert Marshall for the role of Sandor, before casting Pichel. None of them appeared except, after a fashion, Lugosi, in the form of a wax bust molded in his image for use in Dracula's coffin. Some sources report that Lugosi was paid as much as $4,000 for his abortive involvement, but the only confirmed record of any financial arrangement is a letter in which Lugosi consents to the use of his likeness at no cost to create the wax bust.
Dracula's Daughter | Casting
The Mummy's Shroud is a 1967 British DeLuxe colour horror film made by Hammer Film Productions which was directed by John Gilling. It stars André Morell and David Buck as explorers who uncover the tomb of an ancient Egyptian mummy. It also starred John Phillips, Maggie Kimberly, Elizabeth Sellars and Michael Ripper as Longbarrow. Stuntman Eddie Powell (Christopher Lee's regular stunt double) played the Mummy, brought back to life to wreak revenge on his enemies. The uncredited narrator in the prologue, sometimes incorrectly assumed to be Peter Cushing, is British actor Tim Turner. It was the third of Hammer's four Mummy films, a cycle which began with "The Mummy" (1959), continued with "The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb" (1964), and ended with "Blood from the Mummy's Tomb" (1971).
The Mummy's Shroud | Introduction
He produced the last four films in which Boris Karloff appeared: "The Snake People", "The Incredible Invasion", "Fear Chamber", and "House of Evil". Bill Warren, the science-fiction historian, was on the set during the filming; he reported that Vergara forced the director of the American sequences Jack Hill to tie down with a rope “an early portable video camera to the top of the 35mm Mitchell he was using as his principal camera”, a relatively early example of the "video assist" which is now standard practice in commercial film production. Due to his unexpected death, the release of the Karloff films was held up due to ownership rights of inheritance under Mexican law.
Luis Enrique Vergara | Introduction
Karloff's daughter, Sara, publicly denied any knowledge of Slavic forebears, "Karloff" or otherwise. One reason for the name change was to prevent embarrassment to his family. Whether or not his brothers (all dignified members of the British Foreign Service) actually considered young William the "black sheep of the family" for having become an actor, Karloff apparently worried they felt that way. He did not reunite with his family until he returned to Britain to make "The Ghoul" (1933), extremely worried that his siblings would disapprove of his new, macabre claim to world fame. Instead, his brothers jostled for position around him and happily posed for publicity photographs.
Boris Karloff | Acting career
AllMovie's synopsis of the film states, "The filmmakers barely had enough talent to adhere to the simplest of storylines, much less this hodgepodge of cut-rate H. G. Wells posturing and sleazy exploitation." James O'Neil in "Terror on Tape" called "The Incredible Invasion" "one of the four awful low-budget U.S.-Mexican co-productions the great actor [Boris Karloff] filmed a few months prior to his death in 1969." Michael R. Pitts in "Columbia Pictures Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1928–1982" said that "While Karloff is quite good as the scientist and Christa Linder is strikingly beautiful as his niece, the overall production is labored", and that "[w]hile not as bad as "Fear Chamber" or "House of Evil", "The Incredible Invasion" must rank as one of Karloff's worst cinema outings."
The Incredible Invasion | Reception
The film was originally titled "The Brain of Frankenstein", but the title was changed during filming to appear like less of a straight horror film and capitalize on Abbott and Costello's marquee value. Costello hated the script. He said that his five-year-old daughter could have written something better, but he later warmed to the film during production. Despite having previously portrayed vampires and similar caped characters in a variety of other films, this was the only time Béla Lugosi reprised his role from "Dracula" (1931) in a feature film. Boris Karloff declined to appear in the film but agreed to promote it for Universal.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein | Production
They were directed by editor Ronnie Sinclair. Hart worked for two weeks on her own, then for a week with Boris Karloff. Karloff's scenes were all filmed in a one-room mausoleum set on a separate soundstage. For his scenes, Karloff is clearly standing in a bottomless coffin, rather than sitting up in it, a necessity given his chronic back problems and leg brace. Neither Hart or Karloff worked with any members of the original cast; their scenes were edited into the existing footage.
The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini | Addition of Karloff/Hart sequences
Negotiations with the actors were in progress at that time. In February, casting began for the role of Alex O'Connell. Additionally, John Hannah reprised his role as Jonathan. Also in that month, Cohen mentioned that Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh would star in the film although the official confirmation wasn't published until May. In April, Brendan Fraser re-joined the cast for the film. Weisz did not, citing "problems with the script" in addition to having just given birth to her son. The film was shot in Montreal and China. The film was originally reported to be titled "The Mummy 3: Curse of the Dragon".
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor | Casting
The actor Boris Karloff, well known for his association with the horror film genre, was chosen as host for the new series. This was an idea taken from such U.S. anthology series as "The Twilight Zone", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "Thriller" (which Karloff himself had hosted) and was in line with what had been done for "Armchair Mystery Theatre", which was introduced by Donald Pleasence.
Out of This World (British TV series) | Production
The special effects in the movie received an Oscar nomination in the category Best Special Effects. In September, "The Mummy's Hand" was released. Although it is sometimes claimed by fans as a sequel or follow-up to "The Mummy", it does not continue the 1932 film's storyline, or feature any of the same characters. "The Mummy's Hand" was the first of a series of four films all featuring the mummy named Kharis, the sequels being "The Mummy's Tomb" (1942), "The Mummy's Ghost", and "The Mummy's Curse" (both 1944). Tom Tyler played Kharis in this film but Lon Chaney, Jr. took over the role for the following three sequels.
Horror film | Universal Classic Monsters (Numerous Sequels and the debut of The Wolf Man)
Christopher Villers previously appeared in the classic serial "The King's Demons" (1983), and Janet Henfrey previously appeared in "The Curse of Fenric" (1989). Frank Skinner considers himself a die-hard "Who" fan, and previously had appeared in the special "The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot" (2013).
Mummy on the Orient Express | Casting
"Frankenstein" was followed by a string of sequels, beginning with "Bride of Frankenstein" (1935), in which Elsa Lanchester plays the Monster's bride. The next sequel, "Son of Frankenstein" (1939), was made, like all those that followed, without Whale or Clive (the latter of whom had died in 1937). This film featured Karloff's last full film performance as the Monster. "Son of Frankenstein" featured Basil Rathbone as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein, Bela Lugosi as bearded hunchback Ygor, and Lionel Atwill as Inspector Krogh. "The Ghost of Frankenstein" was released in 1942. The movie features Lon Chaney Jr. as the Monster, taking over from Boris Karloff, who played the role in the first three films of the series, and Bela Lugosi in his second appearance as the demented Ygor.
Frankenstein (1931 film) | Sequels
Schnaiderman only later realised what he had seen when he saw the film in the cinema.
Boris Schnaiderman | Introduction
For this reason, the Kharis films are not sequels to the original, as occasionally misperceived. Christopher Lee portrayed Kharis in the 1959 Hammer horror film "The Mummy".
Kharis | History
The Walking Dead is a 1936 American horror film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Boris Karloff, who plays a wrongly executed man who is restored to life by a scientist (Edmund Gwenn). The supporting cast features Ricardo Cortez, Marguerite Churchill and Barton MacLane. The film was distributed by Warner Bros.
The Walking Dead (1936 film) | Introduction
James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff of AIP were not happy with the original cut of the film and subsequently ordered reshoots several weeks after the completion of principal photography, including addition of a new plot involving an old man who has to perform a good deed in order to gain eternal youth, and a sexy ghost in an invisible bikini who helps him. The old man was played by Boris Karloff and the ghost by Nicholson's wife Susan Hart. The movie was retitled "Ghost in the Invisible Bikini." Hart shot her scenes wearing a blonde wig and black velvet bathing suit, shot against a black velvet backdrop.
The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini | Addition of Karloff/Hart sequences
Karloff is a biographical one-man play about the life of film star Boris Karloff, written by Randy Bowser. Using quotes from Boris Karloff, both humorous and serious, on a wide range of topics, the play is a jigsaw puzzle of brief, non-chronologically enacted events in the actor's life. The theme is self-realization. The subject is the art of acting. The story is how William Henry Pratt, whose stage name was Boris Karloff, overcomes physical and cultural handicaps to become an unlikely success in his chosen field of acting by making the most of an equally unlikely opportunity when he's cast in the role of a monster.
Karloff (play) | Introduction
Chamberlain's organs and fluids, leaving behind a dried husk in his clothes. He was the second member of the American expedition to die. He held the canopic jar with the baboon head.
List of The Mummy (film series) characters | Allen Chamberlain
Radio historian John Dunning described "Starring Boris Karloff" as a horror anthology series that adapted well-known short stories by Arch Oboler, Cornell Woolrich and others. Sources for episode information include TV.com, the Internet Movie Database and Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs.
Starring Boris Karloff | Episodes
Boris Karloff...is among the supporting players." Troy Howarth commented on Boris Karloff in the role of Abdul, the Hindu lawyer, who "takes advantage of his naturally dark complexion but... struggles terribly with the thick Indian accent." Leonard Maltin gave the film two stars, calling it a "stagy Ben Hecht melodrama with much hamming, especially by unbilled Karloff".
The Unholy Night | Retrospective
The film is presumed to be lost.
The Mummy (1911 film) | Introduction
The Mummy is a 1999 American action horror film written and directed by Stephen Sommers. It is a remake of the 1932 film of the same title and stars Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, and Kevin J. O'Connor, with Arnold Vosloo in the title role as the reanimated mummy. The film follows adventurer Rick O'Connell as he travels to Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead, with a librarian and her older brother, where they accidentally awaken Imhotep, a cursed high priest from the reign of the Pharaoh Seti I of 1290 B.C. Filming began in Marrakech, Morocco, on May 4, 1998, and lasted seventeen weeks.
The Mummy (1999 film) | Introduction
His character from "Inspector Rex" had his own spin-off series, "Stockinger". He also played the role of Ferdinand aus der Fünten in the 2012 Dutch film "Süskind", and a small role (Wolf) in the acclaimed 2014 comedy "The Grand Budapest Hotel". He also plays a supporting role in the German television series "Babylon Berlin".
Karl Markovics | Biography
Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff is a 1949 horror comedy film directed by Charles Barton and starring Abbott and Costello and Boris Karloff. In 1956, the film was re-released along with "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein".
Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff | Introduction
Sandstorms were daily inconveniences. Snakes, spiders and scorpions were a major problem, with many crew members having to be airlifted out after being bitten. Brendan Fraser nearly died during a scene where his character is hanged. Weisz remembered, "He [Fraser] stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated." The production had the official support of the Royal Moroccan Army, and the cast members had kidnapping insurance taken out on them, a fact Sommers disclosed to the cast only after shooting had finished. Production designer Allan Cameron found a dormant volcano near Erfoud where the entire set for Hamunaptra could be constructed.
The Mummy (1999 film) | Principal photography
It was the last to feature a bandaged mummy - the final film contained no such character.
The Mummy's Shroud | Introduction
"The Invisible Man" was never produced. Principal photography for "The Mummy" began on 23 February 1959 and lasted until 16 April 1959. Once again it starred both Peter Cushing (as John Banning) and Christopher Lee (as the Mummy, Kharis), and was directed by Terence Fisher from a screenplay from Jimmy Sangster. "The Mummy" went into general release on 23 October 1959 and broke the box-office records set by "Dracula" the previous year, both in Britain and the U.S. when it was released there in December.
Hammer Film Productions | "The Mummy"
The jewel cracks open to reveal a scarab beetle that burrows into his shoe and foot and crawls under his skin and up his body as he screams in horror. Hassan tears open his jumper to stop the bug, but he fails and the beetle goes into his brain. Shrieking in agony, he sprints off and runs into a solid rock wall, dying instantly. His death comes shortly after locals on the American expedition are killed by a salt acid booby trap.
List of The Mummy (film series) characters | Gad Hassan
The actor, at 54, is still playing that old Cruise trope, the selfish cocky semi-scoundrel who has to grow up. ... The trouble is that Cruise, at least in a high-powered potboiler like this one, is so devoted to maintaining his image as a clear and wholesome hero that his flirtation with the dark side is almost entirely theoretical." Writing for "Rolling Stone", Peter Travers gave the film one star out of four, saying: "How meh is "The Mummy"? Let me count the ways. For all the huffing and puffing and digital desperation from overworked computers, this reboot lands onscreen with a resounding thud."
The Mummy (2017 film) | Critical response
Before I Hang is a 1940 American horror film released by Columbia Pictures, starring Boris Karloff. The film was directed by Nick Grinde (under the working title The Wizard of Death), and was one of several films Karloff starred in contract with Columbia.
Before I Hang | Introduction
The O'Connells place unyielding trust in Izzy after his homemade hot-air balloon allows them to outrun Imhotep's attempt to eat them as a giant water face monster. Izzy rescues the others at the end of the film in the same hot-air balloon and they sail off into the sunset. He also wears an eyepatch he does not need, claiming "it makes me look rather dashing".
List of The Mummy (film series) characters | Izzy
The role of Mord the Executioner was made for Boris Karloff who had signed on to the studio for two additional features after "Son of Frankenstein". Initially, his character was to have a full black beard but this concept was removed in favour of a nearly hairless look.
Tower of London (1939 film) | Pre-production
The following is a selected list of characters who have appeared throughout "The Mummy" film series and its spin-off series "The Scorpion King". Main and minor characters are included.
List of The Mummy (film series) characters | Introduction
It was filmed from February 10 through March 26, 1949. The original script, titled "Easy Does It", was written with actor-comedian Bob Hope in mind. However, Universal then purchased the rights and reworked it for Abbott and Costello. The role eventually played by Boris Karloff in the film was originally a female character named "Madame Switzer" in the final shooting script which was then titled, "Abbott and Costello Meet the Killers". Five days before shooting, Karloff was hired and the character was changed to a swami.
Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff | Production
"USA Today" gave the film two out of four stars and felt that it was "not free of stereotypes", a sentiment with which the BFI concurred. "If someone complains of a foul odor, you can be sure an Arab stooge is about to enter a scene. Fraser, equally quick with weapon, fist or quip, may save the day, but even he can't save the picture", "USA Today" wrote.
The Mummy (1999 film) | Critical response
Beni (Kevin J. O'Connor) was a Hungarian thief who enlisted in the Foreign Legion and was part of the same unit as Rick O'Connell, which crossed Libya and Egypt to find Hamunaptra. During an overwhelming attack by an army of Tuareg nomads he fled into the City and closed the entrance, making him the only one besides Rick to have survived the attack. Three years later, he leads a group of American grave robbers to Hamunaptra, also encountering Rick again on his own expedition. However, while there he becomes separated from Rick during the panic of the Locust Plague and encounters Imhotep.
List of The Mummy (film series) characters | Beni Gabor
Mudie made his film debut in a Boris Karloff film, "The Mummy" in 1932. He moved to Hollywood in that year, and lived there for the rest of his life. He played a range of screen parts, some substantial, and others short cameos. Among the bigger roles were Dr Pearson in "The Mummy", Porthinos in "Cleopatra" (1934), Maitland in "Mary of Scotland" (1936), and De Bourenne in "Anthony Adverse" (1936). His small roles, according to "The New York Times", were typically "a bewigged, gimlet-eyed British judge". Mudie made the postwar transition into television, and appeared in several episodes of "Adventures of Superman".
Leonard Mudie | Film career
Roles there included Phillip II, Henry VIII, Sparafucile, Boris Godunov and Hunding.
Karl Ridderbusch | Background and early career
The Drums of Jeopardy is a 1931 American Pre-Code horror film directed by George B. Seitz. It is the second film adaptation of Harold McGrath's novel of the same name, and stars Warner Oland as Dr. Boris Karlov. The name of the villain in the novel was originally called Boris Karlov, but when the actor Boris Karloff rose to prominence circa 1923, the character's name was changed to Gregor Karlov in the 1923 silent film adaptation to avoid confusion. It was changed back to Boris again in this 1931 remake of the film.
The Drums of Jeopardy (1931 film) | Introduction
The Mummy's Tomb is a 1942 American horror film produced by Ben Pivar for Universal Pictures Co., directed by Harold Young, and starring Lon Chaney Jr. as Kharis the mummy. It is the first of three sequels to that company's "The Mummy's Hand" of 1940.
The Mummy's Tomb | Introduction
Bohen's character, "Scott," is named "John" in the stage show and Stole's "Wolfie's mother" is named "Mom Talbot." "The Mummy" was rewritten as Elvis Presley, who was still alive when the original show was conceived, and "The Mummy's" factotum, "Dr. Abdul Nasser," became Elvis' manager, here renamed Hathaway instead of Presley's real manager, Colonel Tom Parker (who was still alive at the time of the film). The ever-present dancers in the film are based on Count Dracula's onstage harem of "Draculettes." Dracula's motivations are also slightly different: onstage, he seeks to turn Mary into a Draculette while feasting on her boyfriend, whereas in the film Dracula and his wife decide to share the teenagers from the outset.
Monster Mash (1995 film) | Characters
The central metaphor is The Frankenstein Monster trying to grasp light when he first sees it, representing Boris, and all of God's bumbling creatures, trying to reach and understand more than they are capable of comprehending. The play premiered in Salem, Oregon, November 14, 2014, at Level B Theater Pub. Boris Karloff's only child, Sara Jane Karloff, attended both performances of the show's opening weekend. The play was developed with Stephen Jacobs, author of the biography "Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster"," as the script's dramaturg.
Karloff (play) | Introduction
If they don't seem to worry, why should we? Frightening or funny, take your choice." The "Philadelphia Record" found that the films plot was "sheer nonsense" but that the film "manages to raise a few more goose pimples than other recent horror movies." "Hobe." of "Variety" found the film to be "muddled in the writing and clumb in the production. Direction and photogarphy are bush league. Acting varies from violent mugging to smooth under-playing." Theodore Strauss of "The New York Times" found the film to be "the usual mumbo-jump" and that "once or twice Miss Moran makes a grimace - as if she had caught an unpleasant odor - and screams - Frightening or funny, take your choice." Graeme Clark of "The Spinning Image" comparing the movie with Boris Karloff's and granting 6 out of 10 stars, writes, "This was no eerie love story across the millennia, this was straight fright fare with Universal Studios' least-loved monster, here in the form that viewers would know him best, shambling, strangling, singleminded and mute.
The Mummy's Hand | Critical response
Tom Tyler appears as Kharis in the flashback sequence through the use of footage from "The Mummy's Hand," the second film in the series.
The Mummy's Curse | Cast
In 1948 Egypt, an archeological dig led by Richard Turkel (Christopher Lee) reaches a tomb, identified as belonging to Talos, which is apparently cursed. The hieroglyphics at the entrance warn that all should avoid the place. Despite this, they proceed to open the chamber's door only to be blasted with a cloud of dust, which causes them to crumble apart as though they are made of fragile stone. Richard manages to blow the tomb shut, killing himself in the process. In 1999, Richard's granddaughter Sam Turkel (Louise Lombard) continues where he left off. When they break into the burial chamber, they see Talos's sarcophagus suspended from the ceiling.
Tale of the Mummy | Plot
Chaney's role in "The Haunted Palace" was originally meant to be played by Boris Karloff, but Karloff had contracted an illness while making "Black Sabbath" in Italy.
The Haunted Palace | Production notes