Elizabeth, your photo of the lake yesterday was stunning! The dark tones on the water make it look almost like a solid surface, and the sunset is gorgeous. Really a great shot. You're on a roll lately so keep it up. :):) You are inspiring me to get back out there, and I will have a chance beginning on Saturday, when I will be off work for two weeks. They are starting to open things up in Los Angeles. Restaurants and barber shops/hair salons are now allowed to reopen on a controlled basis. I haven't had a hair cut since early February and I'm staring to turn into a Hippie, lol. Of course, right up until my late 30s I had super long hair, and now that it's growing back I'm starting to like it again (oh no!). I'm not sure what I'll do just yet. But I don't think I'll be visiting the hair salon until the pandemic is overwith. Some states, including ours, may be reopening things a bit too soon. Stay safe and well. :):)
In yesterday's blog I promised you "I Was A Teenage Frankenstein". I mean... hang on a second, let me clarify.....I don't mean that I personally was Frankenstein as a Teenager. What I meant was that I promised I would watch the movie with that title. And I did so this evening. Man, was it great!
The title is once again deceiving, because what sounds like a 50s style Youth Movie with horror elements actually turned out to be a serious take on the Frankenstein legend. It's so well done that I'd put it in the top three Frankenstein movies I've ever seen (the other two being the original and "Frankenstein - The True Story" from 1973). Whit Bissell stars as "Professor Frankenstein", and boy does he play him to the hilt. You've heard me say that certain actors have been in a million movies; Bissell truly has. You've seen him a zillion times in TV shows and films, often playing doctors, professors or military officers. He's usually pretty laid back, often holding his customary pipe. He was also in a ton of science fiction movies, but this is the first time I've seen him in a starring role, and man - he plays Professor Frankenstein as a cold, ruthless man, even a little sadistic, who will stop at nothing to get his way.
The movie opens with the Professor giving a lecture to a group of fellow scientists. When it is over, he is roundly denounced for having radical ideas about surgery. He leaves, vowing to show his peers - and the entire world - that his vision for the future of medicine is legitimate. Back at home, he confers with "Dr. Karlton" (Robert Burton), a physicist and long time associate. The Professor wants Karlton to assist him with a secret project - can you guess what it is? - Yes, indeed, you've got it! He's gonna build a human being out of body parts. Unlike his famous ancestor, however, he's only gonna use premium stuff. Every arm, leg, etc., has gotta come from a strong, healthy young person. Especially the brain. Professor Frankenstein believes that a young brain will be easier to teach than an old one, and being the disciplinarian prick that he is, he wants his creation to be obedient. Though he is a brilliant surgeon, the professor knows nothing about electricty. That's where Dr. Karlton comes in. He is an electrical engineer. Frankenstein wants him to build and operate a high voltage generator that will bring the finished body to life. At first, Karlton - an older gent - is skittish at the idea, thinking it's absolutely insane. But then Professor Frankenstein offers him reminder, in the form of blackmail, that they already share another secret involving a past project. "You wouldn't want word of that getting out, would you"?
With that, Karlton reluctantly agrees to help. As they toast their renewed partnership, fate steps in, in the way of a Fortuitous Car Accident. It occurs right in front of the Professor's Hollywood mansion. He and Dr. Karlton run outside to find three cars engulfed in flames. A bystander decries "reckless teenagers, driving way too fast".
"I saw the whole thing"!, says the man. "All of them are dead except maybe one. He got thrown through the windshield and landed over there somewhere, but he's probably done for, too".
The Prof can't believe his good fortune. Here's an entire body, nearly intact. It's young, too. He and Dr. Karlton take it inside, down to his basement laboratory (this time pronounced "as-is" because it's an American film). It turns out that both hands and one leg have been badly damaged and will have to be amputated. This will require a quick trip to the cemetery for replacement parts. Luck is once again on the Professor's side; a plane has crashed killing all aboard, including a high school track team. Perfect for hands and legs! Repairing the face, however, won't be so simple. It was mangled beyond recognition and will require a transplant, including new eyes. Well, it can wait. Frankenstein is most interested in the body and the brain. He wants to teach his Creation, to train him to be a part of society.
One night, the Professor attends a party and runs into his old flame Margaret (Phyllis Coates). She is a nurse who once worked alongside him, before he became a Complete Nutcase. Outwardly, he still projects the same charm and confidence he always has, so after some persuasion she agrees to marry him. It isn't long, though, till she finds out that's he's not the same guy she once knew. He's become extremely paranoid, won't allow anyone in the house except for Dr. Karlton, and he treats Margaret like a secretary rather than a wife. She suspects he's keeping a secret, and has a key made for his laboratory. She sneaks in one day to discover a mini-morgue - and I have to jump in to say it's an Awesome Mad Scientist Lab, industrial strength in every respect! When she opens one of the drawers, who do you think comes sliding out? If you said "The Teenage Frankenstein", you're right again!
Now, wifey knows what the Professor's been hiding all this time. If he keeps treating her like a slave, she might just bring it to his attention. Someone in the audience should warn her, though, that her husband has a "disposal" in the lab that he uses to get rid of body parts. It's rather toothy I must say.
Actually, the Prof has more than just his wife to worry about now, because Ol' Frankie the Teenager is starting to get antsy about having to stay in the basement all the time. After weeks of training, he's able to speak and think for himself. He's pretty articulate, in fact. Bissell loses his temper after The Boy complains once too aften, and tells him the real reason he can't go outside : "Have you seen your face? Here! Take a good look"! He hands him a mirror. The results are Absolutely Gruesome.
Frankie ends up escaping. He has to see for himself if he will be accepted in the real world. Peering in windows, he spies a beautiful woman. She screams, he strangles her. What'd ya expect? That's what Frankenstein does , in every movie he's ever been in, Teenager or not. Now the Professor's got the coppers knocking on his door, asking around about a Psycho on the loose, one with a Monstrous Face. He decides it's time to give Frankie that face transplant he's been promising, so they drive out to Lover's Lane. The Professor lets Frank choose the guy who will provide his new visage. It just so happens to be Gary Conway, who's making out in a car with his girl, and doesn't know what's about to hit him.
This is me again, your reviewer. That's all I'm gonna give you of the plot, but I've gotta add that this is one of the Scariest Looking Frankenstein Monsters you will ever see. Had you seen him as a kid, you would have had The Bejabbers scared out of you, which is comparable to The Bejeezus and maybe worse! I'm telling you, this movie is no joke, it's deadly serious and Whit Bissell is an S.O.B as Professor Frankenstein. Herbert L. Strock (of last night's "How To Make A Monster") once again directed from a "no fat" screenplay, every scene is necessary and fits exactly into the next. Bissell is onscreen for almost the entirety of the film, it's his picture, though the supporting cast is excellent and Gary Conway gives the monster a fair amount of sensitivity and depth. The production values are A-List all the way.........I repeat, it's one of the Best Frankenstein Movies ever! You've gotta see it.
"I Was A Teenage Frankenstein" gets Two Huge Thumbs Up. Boy am I glad I discovered "How To Make A Monster" or I'd have never heard of it. I knew about "I Was A Teenage Werewolf", which was Michael Landon's breakout role, but I always assumed it was a teen comedy because of the title. Now I have to see it, too! Maybe tomorrow night. /////
That's all for the time being. See ya at the Usual Time.
Tons and tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
No comments:
Post a Comment