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"Lugosi: His
Life in Films, on Stage, and in the Hearts of Horror Lovers" isn't a
biography of the late horror icon. Great biographies on Lugosi have
already been done, most notably by Arthur Lennig in "The Immortal
Count". Rather, author Gary Don Rhodes takes a different tack. While
the book does contain a biography of Lugosi, it only comprises less
than forty of the book's 400 plus pages. Rather, Rhodes has tried,
and very successfully I might add, to provide lists of everything
relating to Lugosi's life and career.
After the bio-section, we get a list of every known Lugosi
residence in the United States, complete with address, telephone
number, and the years...or often times months...that the actor
resided at each spot. One could make quite a trip out of visiting
all of Lugosi's former homes in California. We also get a list of
all of Lugosi's court appearances for divorces, lawsuits, and
bankruptcy petitions. Each goes into incredible detail and allows
the reader a rare glimpse into a celebrity's personal life. There is
a very detailed account of the lawsuit that Lugosi's son, Bela Jr.,
brought against Universal Studios when he discovered his fathers
likeness being used to sell products such as the old Aurora model
kits.
Rhodes next provides a list of every Lugosi film, not only
his movies in the U.S., but also those he made in Germany, and his
native Hungary before coming to America. Each film includes a list
of cast, credits, plot, synopsis, and production notes. While there
is obviously a lot more detail included on the films made here, I
was quite surprised at the amount of information that Rhodes was
able to uncover on Lugosi's foreign credits. It's hard enough
sometimes to find out details about silent films made in this
country, let alone those made in Germany and Hungary.
Next up we have Lugosi's stage, live, vaudeville, radio, and TV
appearances, again with a staggering amount of detail. A selected
list of over 500 articles from magazines over the years follows and
provides even more details about his career. These articles are
culled from magazines like Variety, Famous Monsters of Filmland,
FilmFax, and Midnight Marquee.
Still hungry for more? How about a list of Lugosi's most famous
quotes, books on the star, articles on merchandising and collecting
Lugosi memorabilia, and Lugosi mysteries. Perhaps the most famous
mystery surrounding Lugosi is the test film shot for his audition to
play the monster in "Frankenstein". Rumors persisted for years that
the film existed and it was even advertised for sale but was never
produced. Truly one of the Holy Grails in horror history!
"Lugosi: His Life in Films, on Stage, and in the Hearts of Horror
Lovers" is a fabulous book because it ISN'T what you thought it
would be, i.e. just another biography. Rhodes did a lot of legwork
to come up with a treasure chest full of information about a true
Hollywood legend.
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TIm Janson
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