Bela Lugosi saved a considerable amount of memorabilia from his career and even amassed at least three large scrapbooks which sold at auction on August 10, 2013 for $5,000.
The two photographs below were sold separately last week by Heritage Auctions headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The WHITE ZOMBIE photo sold for $275.00 and THE MYSTERIOUS MR. WONG photo sold for $154.00. Lugosi's Mr. Wong (a villain) was a different character than Karloff's Mr. Wong (a detective).
The stamp on the back indicates they were given to Lugosi by the Don Marlowe Agency. Marlowe had the reputation as an unscrupulous and downright flaky talent agent. For example, in September 1970 he placed an ad in CLASSIC FILM COLLECTOR that read:
Bela Lugosi – For Sale: Screen test Bela Lugosi made for the original Frankenstein. 35mm sound, running time 21 minutes; same scene is shown twice with change in lighting, etc. Between scenes camera was left running and Carl Laemmle Junior, James Whale, Colin Clive and Lugosi can be seen and heard discussing test and wardrobe Lugosi was wearing. Film can be examined and screened before purchase is made. Price: $4,000. Don Marlowe. Hollywood, Calif. 90028
What really makes this stand out as specious is that James Whale was out of the picture when this test shot is made under the direction of Robert Florey. One wonders if this was a flim-flam on the part of Marlowe.
Marlowe is nevertheless is credited with reviving Lugosi's career in the late 1940s. Among other jobs, in one roadshow, before a screening of DRACULA, Lugosi would perform a live reading of Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart".
Could Marlowe have confused Florey with Whale?Unlikely, given the former was much rounder of face, but any scam would surely come to light as soon as the footage was run for a prospective buyer.
ReplyDeleteHe certainly could have. The whole thing just sounds like it's got a taint to it, especially since Lugosi had passed. Who knows what he was up to? I wonder where the "mystery reel" ended up, if there really was one.
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