WHERE DID THEY SHOOT THAT MONSTER MOVIE?

In the film and TV industries, location shooting is the term used when filming one or more scenes in a natural setting as opposed to that of a soundstage or other studio-controlled environment. Locations may include local and national parks and other natural settings, as well as man-made cities and structures such as office buildings and private homes.

The main advantages of location shooting are its cost-effectiveness and realism. While films of the 1930s and 1940s re-purposed sets from other productions (ex. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA set from Universal's Stage 28 used for several more films and the Inca temple in James Whale's 1940 jungle adventure GREEN HELL, used one year later for an Egyptian temple in THE MUMMY'S HAND), location shooting was employed when a more natural and authentic visual was called for and was generally less expensive than modifying and rebuilding studio sets.

One of the most unique natural landscapes used by Hollywood cinematographers is Vasquez Rocks. Located at 10700 W. Escondido Canyon Rd., Santa Clarita, CA near the city of Agua Dulce, Vasquez Natural Area and Nature Center has been used as a filming location since the 1930s.

Following are three Universal horror pictures that incorporated location shooting as a part of their production.

UPDATE: Note that images 13 and 14 have been added since this story was originally posted.

DRACULA (1931)

The famed cinematographer and director Karl Freund was behind the camera for the Tod Browning-directed DRACULA. In the opening scene, we see the coach wending its way towards a village to drop off its passengers.

The first three images show a combination location and matte shot. The rocks in the foreground are from a spot at Vasquez Rocks. The atmospheric background is a matte painting.

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This shot inside the coach (likely done on a Universal soundstage) shows the passengers inside, including Renfield, played by Dwight Frye. The woman shown second to the right is Carl Laemmle's niece, 21 year old Carla Laemmle, who speaks the first words of dialogue in the film.

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I consider myself very fortunate to have met Miss Laemmle. She was quite frail at the time and would pass away not long afterward on June 12, 2014 in Los Angeles at the age of 104. After my visit, I couldn't believe that I had just talked with the woman who had spoken the first lines in DRACULA!

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Images 6 and 7 are of the coach on its way through Borgo Pass. They are both combination location shots and matte paintings. Image 6 was only seen in the Spanish language version of DRACULA.

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Image 7.

FRANKENSTEIN (1931)

The mountainous and rocky landscape seen during the climax of James Whale's FRANKENSTEIN was built on a massive soundstage in Universal's Stage 12. While the scene was not shot on location, it is reported that the design was influenced by the environs of Vasquez Rocks. One shot in particular has been referred to as being directly inspired by a specific locale (see images 11-12).

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WEREWOLF OF LONDON (1935)

Vasquez Rocks was used extensively in the opening scene of this film for Dr. Glendon's (Henry Hull) Tibetan camp and the lair of the werewolf.

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NOTE: The subject of film locations will continue as an occasional feature on this blog. Several of what I believe to be reputable online and print sources were used to collect information for the details contained here. Since production or promotional stills don't often clearly depict location shots, screen grabs will often be used to better illustrate the topic.

WEREWOLF OF LONDON: WHAT THE CRITICS SAID

Today, WEREWOLF OF LONDON gets a pretty bad rap from horror film historians -- everything from Henry Hull's acting to a plodding pace often get cited.

Admittedly, it's not the best of the bunch from 1935, the pinnacle of 30's horror movies. The cast and crew did their best with the script and Stuart Walker's direction. Karloff, Balderston and Whale and company were all busy with THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN around the same time, and I don't think John Colton was a good choice for what ended up being a chatty screenplay.

Still, I don't feel the same as the critics, and while it appears a little antiquated, WEREWOLF OF LONDON still offers a lot of excellent cinematography, special effects and of course, Jack Pierce's make up innovation of turning a man into a wolf on two legs.

Back when it was originally playing in theaters, reviewers largely favored the first werewolf film. There were two earlier werewolf movies made in Hollywood and Canada, but neither were close to what we know of the werewolf legend today).

Following are a few examples from trade journals and fan magazines:

Film Bulletin.

Motion Picture Daily.

Motion Picture Studio Insider.

Motion Picture Reviews.

The Philadelphia Exhibitor.

Picture Play.

MILD-MANNERED LEADING MAN

Whenever you watch a Universal horror film from the 1930's, alongside the monsters and other character actors, chances are you're likely see another familiar face: David Manners. Manners played the leading man or other supporting roles in scads of  pictures from various studios during this era.

David Manners and Helen Chandler in Dracula (1931).

Soft spoken and spiritually inclined David Joseph Manners was born Rauf de Ryther Duan Acklom in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1900. Interestingly, he is a remote family member of Princess Diana. He benefited from a busy acting career (including DRACULA, THE MUMMY, THE BLACK CAT and a number of other roles) but found he had cultivated a distinct distaste for Hollywood. He eschewed the extravagant and excessive lifestyle and intensely disliked being "set up" by his publicist with dates that were surreptitiously designed for nothing more than photo ops with starlets hanging on the arm of one of Hollywood's most popular leading men. He had a huge fan club membership and at one point, received as much mail as any other celebrity in Hollywood (he received mail about DRACULA up until the end of his life).

Manners built his home on this property with the permission of Dr. Chatherine Boynton,
a spiritual healer from Colorado Springs.

In 1936, he unceremoniously fled the decadence of  Tinsel Town for the California desert, where he settled into the pursuit of spiritual and religious studies, writing and painting at his beloved and secluded Rancho Yucca Loma which he designed and built in 1933. He remained active by acting in numerous stage productions until about 1950. In 1978, Manners became restless and moved back to Los Angeles, where he lived in a home in Pacific Palisades, ironically not far from the sinful siren known as Hollywood. He died at the age of 98 in Santa Barbara, Ventura County.

David Manners and Jaqueline Wells in The Black Cat (1934).

UPDATE: The statement below, which was included in an earlier version of this post is incorrect. According to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, there never was a star in David Manners' name.

"Manners was among the first actors to receive a star on the "Walk of Fame", but after he left Hollywood, the star was mysteriously removed with no reason given. In any event, the truth remains a mystery to this day."

The New Movie Magazine (November 1931).

Picture Play (January 1933).

David Manners signed portrait.

Modern Screen (February 1931).

Motion Picture (February 1933).

Movie Classic (October 1932).

New Movie Magazine (August 1932).

New Movie Magazine (January 1931).

Silver Screen (December 1931).

Silver Screen (November 1931).

New Movie Magazine (June 1933).

Screenland (January 1932).

Screenland (October 1931).

Silver Screen (March 1932).

Antonia Carlotta' vlog on David Manners:

SPOTLIGHT ON ANTONIA CARLOTTA

Today I'm promoting Antonia Carlotta's YouTube channel, UNIVERSALLY ME. Miss Carlotta is the niece of Universal Pictures founder Carl Laemmle and her aim is "to bring the forgotten stories of Universal's Golden Age back to life". This is a good thing since it doesn't appear there is anyone else in the Laemmle family who gives a hoot about the Universal monsters or Old Hollywood.

Antonia has scads of short videos about the stories behind the scenes of the Universal horror pictures, as well as all the actors and actresses who played in these legendary films.

Please support her channel by visiting HERE and consider joining her Patreon membership.

Here are a few sample episodes to get you started:

Would Lon Chaney Have Made a Better Dracula?

Karloff and Lugosi's Cat Contest at Universal

Frankenstein's Real Tragedy: Colin Clive

WEREWOLF OF LONDON FILMBOOK

Continuing our celebration of the 90th anniversary of Universal's WEREWOLF OF LONDON, shown here today is the filmbook for the movie from FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND #41 (November 1966).