Friday, December 31, 2010

FRANKENSTEIN'S 100TH ANNIVERSARY




















Another film celebrating a milestone this year -- this time a centennial -- was Thomas Edison's production of FRANKENSTEIN (1910). Long thought to be a lost film, the discovery in the Edison Archives of a copy of the March, 1910 advert magazine, THE EDISON KINETOGRAM offered a frightening glimpse of a Frankenstein monster that had since become the stuff of legend. Unknown at that time, the remaining extant print had been jealously guarded by a collector for many years. Short clips, sold for thousands of dollars per foot, were slowly introduced into the market. Finally, the owner was coaxed into a deal and a full print appeared. It is one of the very few success stories of a lost film being found . . . and intact.

Readers of early monster magazines got their first glimpse of the silent actor, Charles Ogle, in full make-up and costume as the monster in both FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND (Issue #23) and CASTLE OF FRANKENTSTEIN (Issue #3 and later reprinted in the 1967 Fearbook).

FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND NO. 23, June 1963




CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN NO. 3, 1963





CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN 1967 FEARBOOK





Now that you've read about it, are you interested in actually viewing the "lost" EDISON FRANKENSTEIN? Look no further than right here at MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD! Just click on the "Watch Monster Movies" tab at the top of the blog and you can watch Charles Ogle as the Frankenstein Monster in all his 1910 glory!

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