Werewolves of Landon

I remember this show.  Michael Landon played the youngest of three brothers.  His mom had died a long time ago, but his "Paw" was still kicking.  In fact, his paw was a very rich cattleman who owned a ranch called The Ponderosa.  They would be considered greedy one per-centers by today's standards, but it was admirable to have wealth in those days. 

Anyway, there would be nights were they would all turn into werewolves and go devour cattle.  The next day they would wake up to discover that some of their cattle had been killed by wolves.  They'd all ride out looking for the animal that did this to their livestock but could never find and kill it.

Every show was basically the same.  There would be romantic interests along the way, but somehow their girlfriends would mysteriously get killed by that rascally wild wolf that they never could seem to find. Little Joe would often ride into town and hook up with his teen friends and sing-sing-SING!

Peter Lorre

Peter Lorre is a long time favorite of mine.  Who doesn't like him?  I can't name all the movies in which I've thoroughly enjoyed seeing him.  At the top of the list is 'Maltese Falcon' and 'Casablanca' along with Humphrey Bogart and Sydney Greenstreet.  Peter also played in the classic Frank Capra comedy 'Arsenic and Old Lace' with Cary Grant.  These are movies that all should see.  Here's an interesting bit, It was Peter Lorre who convinced his friend Bogart to go ahead and marry Lauran Bacall in spite of the age difference by saying, "Five good years are better than none." 

Who can forget him in Disney's '20,000 Leagues Under The Sea' with Kirk Douglas.  It was the first science-fiction film produced by Walt Disney productions as well as the only science-fiction film produced by Walt Disney himself.  20,000 Leagues casts Lorre against his bad guy type, making him a good guy, giving him a chance to interject some humor into the adventure.  Good stuff!
 
Peter Lorre was a fellow that kept his presence out there even when film opportunities diminished. His distinct and sinister voice continued on in radio.  He later took to television then returned to principle film rolls in returned in a string of horror movies produced by Roger Corman.  Peter Lorre played many a creepy character, but he was loved by all.

"All that anyone needs to imitate me is two soft-boiled eggs and a bedroom voice."
-Peter Lorre

hair of the dog that bit him

Resting during a break with his dog during the shooting of The Wolfman.

Lon Chaney, Jr followed in the roll of his father.  He put on the make-up of undesirable, horrendous monsters. He tried to portray creatures who tried to cling to their humanity in spite of their curse.  During his acting career he portrayed all of the popular creatures of his day: Werewolf (there wolf), Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and The Mummy.  Later in his career he played mute characters due to his battle with throat cancer.  Lon Chaney, Jr worked until he physically could no longer work due to alcoholism and a heart condition. 

Chaney enjoyed the horror genre, but disappointed with where it was heading.  He didn't like the new monsters that came along, the movies that showed blood for blood's sake.  He thought that horror should be more than gore.  Maybe that's why I don't really care for 'slasher' films of the last twenty-five years.  I like my spooky movies old school.

Karloff

No Halloween could be complete without seeing this guy's face on the screen.  I don't care for 'slasher' horror movies.  Freddy and Jason can take the backseat to this guy.  Bela Lugosi turned down the roll of  the 'Monster' in 1931's 'Frankenstein' that launched the career of Boris Karloff.  From that day on, Boris became a household name, he could do scary.  Karloff had appeared in eighty films before he became famous playing Frankenstein's monster.

Karloff had injured his back during the making of Frankenstein and eventually had do perform most of his latter rolls in a chair/wheelchair due to it being so uncomfortable for him to remain on his feet for extended periods of time.  Some directors accommodated him by adapting the scripts to have Karloff's character seated.

In real life, Karloff was far from the sinister characters he portrayed on film.  He adored children.  He was known within the film industry for his kind and gentle manner.  Karloff gave generously, especially to children`s charities. Beginning in 1940, Karloff dressed up as Santa Claus every Christmas to hand out presents to physically disabled children in a Baltimore hospital.

I love those old Karloff movies.  Boris was in John Ford's WWI movie 'The Lost Patrol' (1934).  Baby-boomers will most definitely remember him as the narrator of 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas'.  A few nights ago Turner Classic Movies aired 'The Raven' (1963), produced by Roger Corman starring Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Jack Nicholson.

hill house

"No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream.  Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.”
-Shirley Jackson
The Haunting of Hill House