I watched this 4th installment in the Universal Frankenstein movies, the 1942 “The Ghost of Frankenstein” on Svengoolie. Taking up where the previous movie left off, Frankenstein’s monster (Lon Chaney Jr.) and Ygor (Bela Lugosi) are chased out of town. They seek out the younger son of Dr. Frankenstein, played by Cedric Hardwicke, to continue his dad’s experiments. Ygor wants revenge by having his brain transplanted into the head of the monster.
This was the first in a series of Lon Chaney Jr. portraying the monster. It began production in December 1941 and finished in January 1942. The movie starts with the villagers ascending on Frankenstein’s castle to blow it up. They didn’t realize that the explosions would release the monster from his cement tomb.
The Cast
- Lon Chaney Jr. is the monster – Son of the horror movie star Lon Chaney
- Bela Lugosi is Ygor – Played Count Dracula in the 1931 film (my favorite Dracula)
- Cedric Hardwicke is Victor Frankenstein – Les Misérables, The Ghoul, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Invisible Man Returns, The Picture of Dorian Gray
- Ralph Bellamy is Erik Ernst – Ellery Queen movies, The Wolf Man, TV Westerns, Pretty Woman
- Janet Warren is the goose girl – Moonlight in Hawaii, Hello, Sucker, The Twonky
- Lionel Atwill is Dr. Theodore Bohmer – The Hound of the Baskervilles, Son of Frankenstein, The Gorilla, The Strange Case of Doctor Rx, Man Made Monster, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, Night Monster
- Evelyn Ankers is Elsa Frankenstein – The Wolf Man, Son of Dracula, The Invisible Man’s Revenge, The Frozen Ghost
- Janet Ann Gallow is Cloestine Hussman – She lived in Southern California and enjoyed making appearances at horror movie conventions.
- Barton Yarborough is Dr. Kettering – Kilroy Was Here, The Babe Ruth Story
- Olaf Hytten is Hussman – The Last of the Mohicans, Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde, The Wolf Man, The Return of the Vampire, The Invisible Man’s Revenge, The House of Frankenstein
- Doris Lloyd is Martha – Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, The Great Plane Robbery, The Wolf Man, Night Monster, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, The Invisible Man’s Revenge, Mary Poppins
- Leyland Hodgson is Chief Constable – The Invisible Man Returns, The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man’s Revenge, The Frozen Ghost
- Holmes Herbert is Magistrate – Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Mystery of the Wax Museum, The Invisible Man, Mark of the Vampire, The Ghost of Frankenstein, The Mummy’s Curse
- Lawrence Grant is Mayor – Werewolf of London, Son of Frankenstein
- Otto Hoffman is Villager – He appeared in almost 200 films between 1915 and 1944.
- Dwight Frye is Villager – Dracula, The Maltese Falcon, Frankenstein, The Vampire Bat, The Invisible Man, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
- Harry Cording is Frone – Black Cat, Tower of London, Wolf Man, The Ghost of Frankenstein, The Mummy’s Tomb, Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
- Harry Tenbrook is Villager from hearing – King Kong, Son of Kong, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
The Ghost of Frankenstein was directed by Erle C. Kenton who was best known for Island of Lost Souls starring Charles Laughton. He would direct feature films for Columbia Pictures, Tiffany Pictures, Paramount Pictures, RKO Pictures, Republic Pictures,
and for Universal, he directed House of Frankenstein, House of Dracula, The Cat Creeps, and several films featuring comedians Abbott & Costello. This is a good Frankenstein movie and I’ll give it 3.85 out of 5 stars.
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