BELA LUGOSI'S WHITE ZOMBIE TAILCOAT AND VEST

One of the more memorable villains from early sound horror films was Bela Lugosi's Murder Legendre in WHITE ZOMBIE (1932). The role fit Lugosi perfectly and he made the most of bringing out the mephistopholean wickedness that the character demanded.

His costume was a cross between undertaker and plantation master with his wide-brimmed had and long, dark clothing. Amazingly, years later, two of these pieces were found in a studio vault after 80 years and put up for auction. When the gavel dropped, the ensemble sold for an astonishing $100,000!

NOTE: There is one error in the lot details shown below: Lugosi made Universal's MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE before he was cast in WHITE ZOMBIE.

Lot 0783 Details:

783. Original Bela Lugosi tailcoat and vest from White Zombie.(UA, 1932) Bela Lugosi's followup to 1931's Universal Studio blockbuster, Dracula, was the ultra-low budget White Zombie, produced and directed by the Halperin brothers, setting the stage for a career that frequently bounced back and forth between A studio pictures and B movies. Lugosi played the infamous Murder Legendre, a Haitian plantation owner who turns his former enemies into zombies, whom he employs as slaves in his sugar mill. The 1932 film cemented Lugosi's reputation as a strangely seductive leading man. This iconic costume, consisting of dark blue three-button jacket with tails and five-button vest, each with internal United Costumers, Inc. tags handwritten "Lugosi" and "Bela Lugosi".The jacket was originally shot with a five-button design with the top button nearly reaching the collar. Studio tailors closed the holes (evident upon close examination) and the collar was modified for later use. The costume was worn by Lugosi in a key sequence, and was discovered buried in a studio vault where it had remained for the nearly 80 years since White Zombie finished shooting. Comes with a Warner Bros. certificate of authenticity.

ANOTHER MONSTER MISCELLANY

More combing through my old photo files yielded this next batch of stills and other images. Some I'd consider seldom seen. No watermarks so you can add them to your collection!

Hazel Court and Patricia Laffan in Devil Girl from Mars (1954).

The cast of the Spanish language Dracula.

The monster from Equinox (1970).

Glenn Strange in Master Minds (1949). Makeup by Jack Pierce.

Invaders from Mars (1953).

Jeremy Brett on stage as Dracula.

Bela Lugosi in early talkie The Thirteenth Chair (1929).

Paulette Goddard and Noble Johnson in The Ghost Breakers (1940).

Paul Blaisdell and Marla English in Voodoo Woman (1957).

The Mask (1961).

Philip Coolidge in The Tingler (1959).

Olinka Berova in The Vengeance of She (1968).

Grant Williams and April Kent in The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957).

Werewolves on Wheels (1971).

David Manners and Zita Johann in The Mummy (1932).

The Time Travelers (1976).

The Man From Planet X (1951).

Greta Thyssen in Terror is a Man (1959).

Circus of Horrors (1960).

Randolph Scott and Gail Patrick in Murders in the Zoo (1933).

James Whale at home with his paintings.

John Carradine in House of Dracula (1945).

Lon Chaney, Jr. in Man Made Monster (1941). Makeup by Jack Pierce.

Andrea King in The Beast With Five Fingers (1946).

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).

EXTRA! DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS Pressbook:

MERMAID IN A MEN'S MAG

Normally we see the most beautiful mermaid of Tiburon in a lot less than in these photos. That's okay, though, because it's easier to appreciate her natural beauty without all the "extras". This pictorial feature is from MAN'S ILLUSTRATED (February 1958).

If you're still not convinced, you can see more of Miss Weber HERE.

THE GHOULISH DR. CREAM

Speculation abounds that infamous serial killer Dr. Neill Creame was inspired by reading Robert Louis Stevenson's DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE. His brutal poisoning of "red light" women has also led to the belief that he too a cue from Jack the Ripper, although it is more likely that he had already cultivated the propensity for his murderous deeds in his twisted mind.

Cream was eventually caught, convicted and sent to the gallows. It is said that his last words before the noose snapped his spine were "I'm Jack the --". However, his dying statement wasn't true, and history discounts his claim as he was in prison during the Ripper murders.

This story. "Goulish [sic] Dr. Cream" (spelled correctly on the contents page) from the men's adventure magazine BLUEBOOK (October 1962) recounts his deadly career. At first I thought that the photo of Sheldon Lewis from the silent version of DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE was merely exploitative (as well as the photo from Hammer's HANDS OF THE RIPPER) until I learned of the connections.

An added bonus on one of the pages shown here is a gag panel from the good-girl cartoonist Bill Wenzel.

COMICS FROM OUTER SPACE (PART 6)

We have the so-called "space race" to thank for the hundreds of science-fiction comics that were published in the fifties and into the early sixties. As soon as we learned that man was going to the moon, suddenly our imagination soared into the limitless. Would we ever get there? Would we ever get further? Would we find life in outer space, on other planets? This, the first of the nine-issue run of Dell's SPACE MAN series is written by Ken Fitch and illustrated by Jack Sparling aims to give readers one perspective, but it's a little more unexpected than you might think. Don't forget to check out the cool space-age glossary on the inside front cover!

SPACE MAN

Four Color #1253 (No. 1)

January-March 1962

Editor: D.J. Arneson

Cover: ?

Pages: 36

Cover price: 15 cents