Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Most film historians agree that Universal's "Frankenstein" films ranged in quality from near-masterpiece to tired and predictable - though all of them have their moments of fun! Which of these films was NOT produced by Universal between 1931 and 1948?
2. Seven of the eight films in this series featured the name "Frankenstein" in their title. The one exception, released in 1945, was entitled "House of ____"?
3. As mentioned in the introduction, the character of the Frankenstein monster was first played (in a Universal picture) by Boris Karloff in James Whale's 1931 film "Frankenstein". In how many films of this series would Karloff appear?
4. Coming off his archetypal turn as Dracula in the film of the same name, Bela Lugosi was offered the role of Frankenstein's Monster in the 1931 movie, but declined, according to popular anecdote, because he would not be recognized under the makeup and would have no lines. As time went by, Lugosi would end up playing three roles in the Frankenstein series. Which of these was NOT one of them?
5. Over all eight films in the Universal series, how many actors would be credited with playing Frankenstein's Monster?
6. Though various actors would play Frankenstein's Monster and Dracula in the series, only one would ever play the Wolf Man for Universal (nonwithstanding Henry Hull's turn in the unrelated "Werewolf of London" in 1935). Who was this?
7. After scripting "The Invisible Man Returns", "The Wolf Man", and "The Invisible Agent", a well-respected screenwriter quipped: "I wonder what's next, 'Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man'?" Within weeks, a work order for that very project was on his desk. Who was this veteran scribe?
8. In the early 1970s, Universal horror fan Mel Brooks was planning a loving spoof of the Frankenstein series and wanted to make it look as genuine as possible. To this end, he visited the man who did the special effects for the original Frankenstein laboratory, Kenneth Strickfadden, and asked him if he could refabricate the set for the new project. Smiling, Strickfadden beckoned Brooks to the garage. There, beneath a few canvas tarps, were the instruments used in Universal's Frankenstein series - Strickfadden had saved them for nearly thirty years! Brooks would use the classic props in his new film, a masterpiece in its own right. What was this loving parody?
9. Strickfadden's electrical firestorms were certainly memorable, but perhaps the most indelible memory from the Frankenstein series was the creature's makeup, applied in a painstaking process that took hours every day. Who was the master craftman who created this look - and was also responsible for the gradually applied makeup that made the Wolf Man's transformation equally memorable?
10. Though it was denigrated for years as the bottom of the series' barrel, the final Universal Frankenstein film, "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein", has garnered renewed respect in recent years. Film historians are particularly impressed at how the series' veterans seem not to appreciate that they are in a comedy, playing their roles as straight horror and letting the comic duo get the laughs. What great antihero of the horror film puts in a cameo (of sorts) at the end of this film?
Source: Author
stuthehistoryguy
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
skunkee before going online.
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