The Wolf Man (1941)

Director:

George Waggner

Writer:

Curt Siodmak (writer)

Release Date:

12 December 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

"His hideous howl a dirge of death!"

Plot:

A practical man returns to his homeland, is attacked by a creature of folklore, and infected with a horrific disease his disciplined mind tells him can not possibly exist.

Plot Keywords:

Werewolf | Wolf | Full Moon | Gypsy | Wolf Man

Cast

Lon Chaney Jr.	...	The Wolf Man / Larry Talbot (as Lon Chaney)
Claude Rains	...	Sir John Talbot
Warren William	...	Dr. Lloyd
Ralph Bellamy	...	Col. Montford
Patric Knowles	...	Frank Andrews
Bela Lugosi	...	Bela
Maria Ouspenskaya	...	Maleva
Evelyn Ankers	...	Gwen Conliffe
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Charles Conliffe
Fay Helm	...	Jenny Williams
Forrester Harvey	...	Twiddle

Also Known As:

Destiny (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-15 (2004) | Spain:13 | Australia:PG | Germany:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #7874) | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The first transformation takes place with Talbot in an undershirt (although he is fully dressed in a dark shirt once on the prowl). Only the feet transform on screen in six lapse dissolves. In the second transformation there are eleven shots - again of feet only. The third transformation features 17 face shots in a continuous dissolve.

Goofs:

Continuity: The position of Doctor Lloyd on the couch while Larry is asking if he believes in werewolves changes.

Quotes:

Sir John Talbot: All astronomers are amateurs. When it comes to the heavens, there's only one professional.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Eyes of the Werewolf (1999) (V)

My favorite Universal Monster Movie

I can't tell you how many times I have seen it but it has to be over 40. Lon Chaney Jr. gives his best performance (he even acknowledged that in an magazine interview once) and is sensational. Not only can he act but he can act with a vengeance. Claude Rains is his loving and sympathetic yet as he puts it himself a stiff necked and demonstrative father who wants to protect his son from well, himself. Evelyn Ankers is outrageously beautiful and captivating. Chaney and her bond like crazy glue to your finger. And the funny thing is they despised each other in real life just like Errol Flynn and Olivia DeHavilland did off the set of Robin Hood. It shows you that in those days actors and actresses really had to ACT. Chaney convinces you he loves this woman but cannot bear the unbearable burden of being cursed and damned to eternal life. Only 90 minutes long but there is enough there to thrill you and it was one of Hollywood's best horror films many consider it to be the best classic horror film ever made. I would say I would have to agree with them.