Amazingly detailed book about Lugosi - it's hard to imagine one that could have been more exhaustively researched. It covers a sort of off period in his career - post Universal horror star and pre-Ed Wood. His career was on the slide the whole time, with the exception of a brief bump with Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, so it's kind of depressing reading in many ways - work becoming scarcer, unable to find decent materia, drug addiction taking hold; his marriage must have also been in decline too, although that is not the focus of the book.
Lugosi did not make many films during this period of his career, but he worked a still of a lot in an astonishingly varied way - lots of theatre (mostly stock versions of Dracula and Arsenic and Old Lace but also some non horror plays), some radio, nightclub appearances, vaudeville turns, albums TV. The poor guy just had to work and work and work. He also had to deal with FBI surveillance (communist links - a fascinating part of the book).
Lugosi remained in high demand but in low rent parts of show biz - even today it's remarkable his name was not exploited better by some canny filmmakers. As a result he had to slug it out in the provinces - and the guy did slog it out, in show after show, gig after gig. He was getting older and more infirm but he travelled the length and breadth of the USA. He had a wonderful adventurous life but the fact is he was disappointed by the decline in his career, so reading this is still sad. Kudos though for the writers for doing it and also to draw much needed attention to the non-film aspects of Lugosi's career.
No comments:
Post a Comment