The Wolf Man Double Feature

Laemmle’s Anniversary Classics Presents
THE WOLF MAN Double Feature

Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present the 75th anniversary of THE WOLF MAN (1941) in a Halloween double feature with FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN (1943).

“Even a man who is pure in heart, and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms, and the autumn moon is bright.”

Screenwriter Curt Siodmak penned this short poem in his original screenplay for what would become a worthy addition to the Universal studios horror franchise in Hollywood’s Golden Age. THE WOLF MAN (1941) boasts one of the most stellar casts ever to grace a low budget picture: Lon Chaney, Jr. (in the title role), Claude Rains, Bela Lugosi, Ralph Bellamy, Warren Williams, Evelyn Ankers, Patrick Knowles, and as everyone’s favorite gypsy fortuneteller, Maria Ouspenskaya. The atmospheric black-and-white cinematography by later Oscar winner Joseph Valentine sets the appropriate eerie mood for what critic Leonard Maltin cites as “one of the finest horror films ever made.”

As a bonus feature we also present the film’s sequel, FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN (the fifth film of the Frankenstein series) from 1943, with Chaney reprising his role. Also in the cast are Ilona Massey, Lionel Atwill, Maria Ouspenskaya, Patrick Knowles, and for the only time embodying Frankenstein’s monster, Bela Lugosi, a role he originally turned down before it went to Boris Karloff in 1931. The teaming of the Universal monsters in this film began a “monster rally” that lasted through several movies for the rest of the decade, culminating in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein in 1948.

Both films made significant contributions to werewolf lore. The man-to-wolf transformation cosmetics were the work of makeup genius Jack P. Pierce in the original, and took several hours to apply. The full moon mythology took preeminence in the second film, as the last line of Siodmak’s poem was altered to “and the moon is full and bright.”

THE WOLF MAN double feature plays on Halloween night, October 31, at three locations: Laemmle’s NoHo, Pasadena Playhouse 7, and the Monica Film Center. No need to worry about a full moon this year, but beware of the blooming wolfsbane.