WHEN KARLOFF MET LANG

"Karloff could not have exemplified an American gangster better had he been holding a hot dog in his hand."

- Samuel A. Peeples, Screenwriter

It's not often you read about a group of Hollywood sci-fi and horror luminaries that gather for a dinner and chew the fat other than what's on their plate. Scriptwriter Samuel A. Peeples was invited by friend Robert Bloch to his house for a meal with a few other well-known folks. Peeples was no slouch himself; he had written western novels, then turned to writing television scripts for shows like STAR TREK (where he coined the phrase, "Where no man has gone before"), THE GIRL FROM U.N.C.L.E. and THE RIFLEMAN. Besides Bloch and Peeples, Boris Karloff was there, and so was Forrest J Ackerman. Unbeknownst to him, another guest showed up with a director's pedigree that went back to silent films -- Fritz Lang.

After their repast, they sat around chatting. The going got a little tough, however, when Lang began to voice his opinions, mostly directed at American films, which he thought were vastly inferior to British and European films. Karloff jumped into the fray, but FJA was either silent or didn't have anything provocative to say because he's not mentioned in the discussion. In any event, it turned out to be an interesting evening for all.

Peeples humorously wrote about this encounter for FILMS IN REVIEW (August-September, 1968).