And….what movie would have merited an Academy Award? He played in romantic horror movies and yeah, he ;played in the lead roles but so did Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr. and Peter Lorre and off the top of my head I do not think they won academy awards either. And, even though I do indeed remember seeing their movies I am not old. Well seasoned with wrinkles and hair that is scarce and gray, yes, but not old.
It is interesting that with the advent of recording, we can all be First-Person familiar with the works of stars who were long gone when we were even born. Much of my favorite big band music was recorded well before I came to be. Glen Miller died in 1944, and not only do we hear his music, we hear him playing it. The same goes for these classic movies. Legosi filmed his early stuff in the early 1930s...yet most of us know these movies quite well.
There’s a few free old horror flicks starring the greats on YouTube but when I researched the movie, Dracula, I found it on Ebay for about 40 beans. The remastered black and white videos are expensive but that isn’t too surprising when one thinks about how much an original 78 or an original vinyl recording of some of the 30’s to 60’s music is now.
It's amazing that any of that celluloid stuff survived well enough to even be breathed on without crumbling, much less played. I've commented before that I like the "corny" acting that was required to convey emotion and horror before special effects came along. I like my talent to be in front of the camera, not in the editing (or programming) room.
Jumping in here with a not-to-serious opinion, I always thought Bela Lugosi's dracula was a tad too glib. The chracter needed more "dread" and "darkness" , perhaps like Boris Karloff brought to Frankenstein. I say that knowing nobody would have ever hired me as a producer or director.
I got sidetracked last night watching This Is Your Life:. Boris Karloff (1957). Lots of smiles. He seemed like a nice man. By all accounts, so was Bela Lugosi.
My favorite Bela Lugosi horror film (as a kid). Voodoo Man (1946) Bela Lugosi, John Carradine, George Zucco "Dr. Richard Marlowe (Bela Lugosi) captures comely young ladies so he can transfer their life essences to his long-dead wife." . The ritual scene: I especially enjoyed the drumming by John Carradine. If you would also like to hear 10 minutes of repeated drumming by Carradine, CLICK HERE