LON CHANEY'S LAST INTERVIEW

"Chaney's pictures are the only ones that don't get the raspberry." - Ex-convict working in Hollywood (1930)

The statement above refers to movies played for entertainment in the various correctional institutions of the day. "[Chaney] knows how a crook thinks, acts and talks," said the ex-con. In an article claiming to be the last interview that Lon Chaney gave before his death in August, 1930, writer J. Eugene Chrisman goes on to say that "Lon Chaney understands the underworld and its people because he has studied crime and criminals. He has studied them so long and so deeply as to be recognized by leading authorities as one of the finest amateur criminologists and penologists in the world."

Chaney was so popular with convicts that he was often asked by them to come and speak on the subject. In this interview, in the October 1930 issue of Motion Picture Classic, Chaney says that, "men on the inside of our jails are no more wholly bad than men on the outside are wholly good, and the line between the two is often faintly drawn."

Monster Magazine World readers may recognize the name J. Eugene Chrisman as the same author who appeared in a string of recent posts about Boris Karloff. Note the credit given to George Hurrell, the well-known Hollywood portrait photographer.

THE PRIVATE LIFE OF BORIS KARLOFF

Accompanied by a photograph by Roman Freulich of Boris Karloff from his latest film, Hollywood magazine writer J. Eugene Chrisman provides readers with an insight into the private life of the horror film actor.

The article entitled, "Please Scare Us, Mr. Karloff!!" appeared in the July 1934 issue, just two months after the release of The Black Cat (7 May) which paired Karloff with Bela Lugosi for the first time at Universal.

Mr. Chrisman explains to fans that Karloff's offscreen persona is very different from the monsters he portrays. For instance, "He refuses to have a fly swatter in the house because he does not believe in taking life, even that of a fly". Chrisman also tells of Karloff's earlier years, as he struggled to make ends meet by "digging ditches, sleeping on park benches, hoisting heavy barrels of nails, and driving a truck". Using the name, Charles Edward Pratt, Chrisman states that the Karloff name comes from "a Russian ancestor somewhere on the feminine side of his family." He goes on to say that Karloff has a "distinctly Mongolian or Tartar complexion which increases his mystery and makes people wonder."

Embellishments aside, Chrisman paints a very respectable picture of Karloff in this early interview of an actor who would later become the venerable icon of classic screen horror.

BORIS KARLOFF REPLIES

"I think perhaps children are my best fans"       -Boris Karloff

Sure enough, Boris Karloff replied to his friend J. Eugene (Gene) Chrisman (they had met on at least one occasion) in the very next issue of Hollywood magazine (February 1935). He mentions his acting inactivity since starring in Universal's The Black Cat and his preparing to once more don the monster's makeup in a "sequel" to Frankenstein, which, as any Monsterologist would know, could only be The Bride of Frankenstein.

Of great interest is his correction of Chrisman's statement of how he met Lon Chaney, Sr., and goes into some detail of their acquaintance. Always the gentleman, Karloff corrects Chrisman in a couple of instances in the kindest of ways. Also of note are his comments about, along with his friends, helping to bring the English games of cricket and Rugby to America.

There is much here in a short span that Karloff reveals about his interests, his acting, and his being content with playing monster roles. In fact, in 1935, Boris Karloff seems quite content with life in general. "A trip to England to refresh memories now and then," he says. "My home, my work, my friends -- What more I ask you, could even a Monster want?"

Look for another vintage Karloff Klipping, J. Eugene Chrisman's "Please Scare Us, Mr. Karloff!" tomorrow, right here at MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD!

AN OPEN LETTER TO BORIS KARLOFF

Eugene Chrisman's column in Fawcett's Hollywood magazine was in a clever "open letter' format, where he would ask a selected actor or actress questions that, should they care to answer, would reveal personal information about themselves. No doubt the letters were a set-up and the chosen individual received the questions in advance. No matter. It was a novel way to allow fans insight into their screen star favorites.

The January 1935 issue of Hollywood included a response to the previous month's questions posed to enormously popular child star, Shirley Temple. But the lead was "An Open Letter to Boris Karloff".

Chrisman lauds the work of Karloff, and in a kindly tongue-in-cheek manner, thanks him for ending his insomnia by giving him nightmares from his role as The Monster in Frankenstein. He goes on to compare his enduring makeups to that of the late Lon Chaney. While we know that Chaney applied his own makeup and Karloff's monstrous visages were the work of Jack Pierce, it does not diminish the fact that some of these makeups were quite uncomfortable and it would not be unreasonable to say that they suffered under them on more than one occasion.

More importantly, however, Chrisman acknowledges Karloff's early career struggles, rising from "the slime of ditches" to earn five dollars day. He astutely adds, "It had been a long, hard road, and now, at last you were there, because of a talent you never suspected, the flare [sic] for horror roles."

Would Karloff reply to Chrisman's request to tell fans more about himself? Find out in tomorrow's post right here at MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD!