This blog was begun Wednesday night May 27 and completed the following day :
Tonight's selection was a "movie about making movies", in the tradition of "8 1/2", "Day For Night" and "The Player", except that it was in a subgenre of that category : a "Monster Movie About Making Monster Movies". Ahh, Monsters. Ya gotta love 'em and that's why I chose "How To Make A Monster"(1958) for our screening on this Wednesday night. I'm in "spoof mode" at the moment, or at least I'm accepting spoofs for consideration, having enjoyed "Invasion of the Saucer Men". I must emphasize yet again that this does not apply to all out comedy mash-ups, but if you can tiptoe up to the edge while maintaining a straight face, I'm willing to give you a shot. So it was as I pressed play and the picture rolled into action.
"Pete Dumond" (Robert H. Harris), a legendary Hollywood make-up artist who specialises in monsters, is applying the finishing touches to his latest creation, a Teenage Werewolf (Gary Clarke). The hairy young lupus is set to star in a sequel to his big hit, which will be called "Frankenstein Meets The Werewolf". His makeup is so realistic it even frightens him. Dumond has had a long and storied career, his monsters have earned the studio a lot of money. But now it is being sold, and the new owners want a total overhaul. They believe horror movies are old hat. "Musicals are what people wanna see", they tell Pete on the day they give him his pink slip. "This is the era of rock n' roll. Teenagers are the ones buying tickets these days. They wanna watch their idols onscreen, not some old fashioned monster. Sorry Mr. Dumond, but business is business. Surely you understand".
Dumond nods, giving his assent. "Oh yes, I understand. The wheels of progress must turn, no matter who they run over". You can see the quiet fury in his eyes.
Pete is allowed to finish working on "Teenage Werewolf", after which he must clear out his office and leave the lot. During this time, he stays late every night, concocting a special new makeup base with the help of his loyal assistant Rivero (Paul Brinegar of "Rawhide" fame). He says the new foundation will make his final monsters the most lifelike of them all. Then, the studio is rocked by a murder. One of the new owners is strangled during a screening of dailies for "Frankenstein Meets The Werewolf". We the audience know who did it, but we ain't tellin'. But there is also a security guard who seems to have the info. He visits Pete the next afternoon, dropping hints about blackmail. He turns up dead too, the second murder on the lot in three days. The cops think they have a psycho on their hands, but who could it be?
The killer strikes again the following night. This time, the other new owner is murdered in his home, but the cops catch a break. A witness comes forth, a lady from the neighborhood who was walking home from work. "Oh, it was terrible! A huge man came running at me from the driveway. But his face! One eye was out of it's socket. He looked like a creature from the movies! He knocked me down with a powerful blow and kept running, but I'll never forget that face as long as I live".
Lead Detective Morris Ankrum wants everyone interviewed who was on the lot during the past week. This includes Pete and Rivero. Pete is domineering toward his assistant. "We have to go to the police station. When we get there, keep your mouth shut. I'll do all the talking". In front of the police, he feigns ignorance. "Why Detective, I'm just a make-up man. What would I know about murder? That's your department".
"That's why we asked you to come in. You see, we have three murders. All the victims are from your studio. Now we have a witness who got a good look at the killer, but her description doesn't sound human. Could it be possible that one of your actors got carried away in his role and went over the edge"?
"What.........you mean one of the boys in the movie? Oh, c'mon detective. Those young men are about to take off in this business. Both are going to be big stars. Why would either of them ruin their careers, not to mention their lives, at a time like this"?
"We don't know, that's why we're asking you".
Pete finishes the movie, then clears out his office and goes home after twenty five years making monsters. He asks his two young stars to come by for an impromptu retirement party, which they agree to do, but in truth both feel uneasy about it. "I dunno", says Clarke (The Teenage Werewolf). "Pete's done a lot for me, but I've always gotten a strange feeling around him". His friend The Teenage Frankenstein (Gary Conway) agrees. "Yeah, I hate to admit it, but I've had that feeling too. And you know what's really weird? All during the time we were shooting the movie, I could never remember anything after the day was over. Pete kept telling me the makeup was gonna change me. He had some new, special stuff he used on me. It felt like it was part of my skin".
Both young men go to Pete's retirement party anyway, just to be polite. They intend to have a quick drink and then make an excuse to leave. But it won't be that simple. Pete may be retired from the movie business but he has no intention of quitting the Monster Business. In fact, he wants to move on to making The Real Thing.
In a stroke of cinematic genius, director Herbert L. Strock decided to switch to color for the last ten minutes of the film, which takes place in Pete's "Trophy Room", where he keeps the heads of his most famous monsters mounted on the wall. The young actors are visiting him in this scene, and the vibe in the room gets weirder every minute as Pete withdraws into his demented fantasy world. His secret nature is slowly emerging and it's pretty doggone sinister because Robert Harris plays it to the hilt. You've seen him in a ton of movies, usually as a heavy, but here he's truly creepy, and when the color footage brings his Inner Sanctum to life, it's a horrific sight to behold. The boys were gonna make an excuse to leave, but now it may be too late.
"How To Make A Monster" doesn't have a complex story. It's a pretty simple murder mystery. But what it does have is a ton of "movie making" atmosphere. The main location was ZIV Studios in Hollywood, and Strock shows the way in which a movie lot is an enclosed world, where everyone is like a big family. And when one guy - the make-up man in this case - is kicked out of the family, well....let's just say his feelings are hurt.
I loved "How To Make A Monster", especially Harris' performance as Pete. I give it Two Big Thumbs Up and highly recommend you see it. Now I'm gonna look for "I Was A Teenage Frankenstein", which I didn't even know existed until last night.
See you at the Usual Time.
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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