Here there be monsters!

Well as I'm sure you've no doubt noticed, I've changed my blog around quite a bit lately.

I was trying to find a look that suits me and the blog, and until now was unable to do so. I got tired of searching for something so I finally just pulled up photoshop and created a background that suited me much better - kinda makes a monster-kid like me feel right at home, and I hope it does you, too.


Thought I'd share a couple more of my old monster cartoons with you today. I ran across the originals while going through a box o' stuff recently, so I slapped em' on the scanner today to toss up here. The originals didn't have the Monster Mash border around them like the others, but they were bigger and scanned nicely...

questions about The Wolfman...

In the poll I posted here I asked "What is your favorite Classic Universal Monster?" Among the readers who voted, The Wolf Man came out the winner, slightly ahead of Frankenstein. I thought this was interesting, as I’ve always been more of a Frankenstein guy myself. But I DO love the Wolf Man, and that original 41 film is one of my favorite Universal movies. I don’t know if maybe folks had Wolfie on the mind when they voted, with the new movie in theaters and all, but regardless the furball came out on top!

Speaking of which, I was discussing the Wolfman movie with a coworker back and forth through email last week, and she asked me a couple of questions regarding the new film. There are going to be some spoilers here in the next bit, so if you don’t want to see them you might skip the rest of this post.

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Spoiler Alert

Both questions were regarding Anthony Hopkins character, Sir John Talbot. I told her I would sort of pass them along here and see what you guys thought.

First, she asked:  Do you think the father killed his eldest son to get Lawrence Talbot to come back home so he could pass on the “curse” to him and they could rule the countryside together?

Her second question was: Did he kill the eldest son because he was told his father was a werewolf by the gypsies?

Both are interesting theories. I hadn’t really considered either – if we take Sir John Talbot strictly by what he says, then he simply slipped out one night and accidently killed his son. But perhaps there was more to it. John knew of his affliction and had his manservant lock him up in the room on evenings of the full moon. Perhaps he escaped his bonds that night on purpose, knowing his son would be out and about. He was pretty much obviously in the throes of madness. Perhaps the shame of murdering his wife caused him to snap, and he intended to snuff the Talbot line completely.

All interesting theories – so what do you ghouls think? Anything more to it or was it simply as Sir John said, an accident?

A Werewolf’s Best Friend is His Dog

 Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)

There is just something about Lon Chaney Jr. that, despite his drinking and personal problems, makes him a lovable guy. And these pictures demonstrate that beautifully.

  Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)

I just don’t trust folks who don’t like dogs.  Dogs are honest and loyal, and always happy to see you. With a dog there's no pretensions - what you see is what you get. They are sweet, lovable, and kind companions, and honestly, I like them better than most people. And I think Lon Chaney Jr. probably felt the same way.

 Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)

That’s Moose the dog in these pictures with Lon, taken on the set at various films. What a job, where you can take your dog to work with you! Moose was Lon’s faithful companion for a number of years, and reportedly even made screen appearances in at least two Universal horror films, The Wolf Man and Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. In The Wolf Man he played the wolf that bit Larry Talbot and gave him the terrible curse of Lyncanthropy.

 The Mummy'sTomb (1942)

It is obvious from looking at these stills that Lon felt a lot of love for Moose and they shared a deep connection. During the filming of The Cobra Woman in 1944 Moose was hit by a truck at the studio and killed. Not sure what age Moose was at this time,  but it was surely a sad day for Lon and quite a blow.

Below is a shot of me with two of my furry buddies, Kirby (named for comic book artist Jack Kirby) and Kelly. I unfortunately lost both of these dogs over the past year, but they, like Moose, lived happy lives. Here’s to Moose, the Shepherd, and Kelly and Kirby the Dalmatians. I miss you guys.