The Immortal Count: The Life and Films of Bela Lugosi (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Bay'-la Luh'-goush-schee! (It rhymes with "You-go-see.")..." (more)
Key Phrases: devil bat, sulfur pit, horror star, New York, Bela Lugosi, Van Helsing (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lennig's lifelong worship of his subject adds an intensely personal flavor to this biography of the complex horror king, which shines in its ability to respect Lugosi's talent, regardless of personality flaws. A ladies' man and opportunist, Lugosi married his first wife for money, later rewriting her as a great love. After triumphing in Broadway's Dracula, Lugosi (1882-1956) solidified his image with the 1931 film version: as he told the New York Times, "every producer in Hollywood had definitely set me down as a `type.'... I was both amused and bitterly disappointed." Lennig details the key creative tragedy of Lugosi's life: turning down the part of Frankenstein, which enabled Boris Karloff to win it. Lugosi sank permanently to second position in the horror hall of fame. Lennig knowledgeably analyzes every important Lugosi film, and those who don't adore the genre may skim some of the voluminous commentary. But the character details are always engrossing, and Lugosi's declaration that "[e]very actor is somewhat mad, or else he'd be a plumber or a bookkeeper or a salesman" is in keeping with his tormented psyche. Lennig describes the star's last years without maudlin excess, as Lugosi struggles with unemployment, financial problems, depression, drinking and drugs. Like many underappreciated geniuses, Lugosi had to cope with vitriolic reviews; it's heartening that he surmounted them and attained classic status after death. Lennig lucidly illustrates through Lugosi's words why his reputation has continued to grow: "You can't make people believe in you if you play a horror part with your tongue in your cheek... you must believe in it while you are playing it." 75 b&w photos.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A comprehensive and richly detailed study of Bela Lugosi's complex personality and often underrated career." -- Paul M. Jensen, author of THE MEN WHO MADE MONSTERS

"A moving, lively, witty, sad book that revives once more the long dead Count Dracula." -- Kirkus

"An example for future writers of show business biographies." -- Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 560 pages
• Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky (June 27, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813122732
• ISBN-13: 978-0813122731
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #884,231 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitive, November 29, 2005

By	Bill Fleck (Wurtsboro, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

By now, everyone knows that Arthur Lennig has reworked his 1974 mini-cult classic THE COUNT. What I didn't know was the extent to which he did.

THE COUNT was tough to come by when I was a kid trying to read about Lugosi, Karloff, and Chaney Jr. My public library had it, and my brother and I would check it out on alternative weeks to keep it in our possession (seemingly, no one else was clamoring for it). When Lennig released the rewrite, I kept waiting for the price to fall (it never really did), so a year later, I caved in and bought it.

I'm glad I did. Lennig has expanded the book beautifully, utilizing the latest scholarship and revising entire chunks. He's also re-evaluated the credibility of some of his sources (Caroll Borland among them), and integrated some of the opinions of Gregory William Mank. The new book also softens some of the pot-shots he took at Karloff in 1974, and casts Chaney Jr. in a far less unfavorable light. The Epilogue is really interesting and up to date. In fact, the one fault is that Lennig may still have too much affection for Lugosi to be truly objective--but that's a "fault" easily excused if you have the same "fault" yourself!

In all, THE IMMORTAL COUNT is a terrific read, nicely updated, and a great addition to your library.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent biography, January 24, 2004

By	Alan Beggerow (Rock Falls, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a total rewrite of the author's first edition of 1974. It tells a fascinating story about a man and his talents and his demons. A man that made some very bad career choices because of his cavalier attitude about money. It tells the whole tale, warts and all, and gives a very lucid picture of an intelligent, talented actor that was ever the dedicated craftsman, no matter how bad the picture was that he was in.

The book especially casts some light on Bela Lugosi Jr. and his lawsuits dealing with his father's image. The light it casts does not portray Junior in a pretty picture.

The only negative criticism I have is the author's penchant for going into multi-page synopses of Lugosi's pictures interwoven with the text. I found this to interrupt the flow of the book, but that is my personal opinion. Perhaps for others, the synopses would be more than welcome.

But that minor personal criticism does not deter me from giving the book 5 stars. Well-researched, well written, a must for any Lugosiphile!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Immortal Admiration...But Fair., November 20, 2005

By	CoffinRust - See all my reviews

I was a little apprehensive when I first started considering reading this book. I'd gathered the impressed that the author, Arthur Lennig, was a close friend of Bela Lugosi's, and that this book was very partial in Lugosi's favor and that it might shy away from any of Lugosi's faults.

Fortunately that was not entirely the case. The author only met Lugosi a handful of times in his adolescence, although he does seem to practically worship Lugosi. The author did point out many of Lugosi's faults, mistakes and bad judgments but usually followed them immediately with some sort of excuse. But, at least, the faults were indeed provided.

I have not read any other biographies on Bela Lugosi (nor have I read anything else by Lennig), so I can't compare The Immortal Count to others, but this one definitely seems to cover Lugosi's entire life - at times even on a day-by-day basis. The research certainly appears to have been exhausting, as in providing movie budget costs and salaries paid down to the penny (which, actually, seemed a little unnecessary) and precise dates of even minor events.

The author also provides details of many of Lugosi's films - sometimes scene-by-scene. What I enjoyed about this part was the pointing out of various tidbits about the films, like scenes being re-arranged or cut out for censors (which were extremely harsh), and events behind the scenes. I did, however, find myself wanting to get through a lot of these parts rather hurriedly because, let's face it, not all of the films Lugosi was in are classics and some of these story descriptions were, I found, a little dull and longer than necessary.

What I found most interesting was reading about Lugosi once he'd become a "has-been." Even in his 70s, and with the only acting offerings coming from Ed Wood, he was still driven to somehow revive his career up until the day he died. A sad end to a life filled with unfortunate circumstances (both by his own fault and outside irritations). He did, at least, truly shine in a handful of his cinematic gems. There wasn't, isn't and will never be anyone who performs like Lugosi.

I also found the information concerning Lugosi's son and his last wife quite interesting. The reason for this is because several months ago I watched the Dracula Legacy Collection DVD, in which his son is interviewed. The fact that Universal would interview his son at all, in and of itself, is intriguing considering, according to this book, all of the legal battles that his son started with Universal over the use of his father's likeness as Dracula.

Also, something I remember the son saying in this interview is that he and his mother (Lugosi's second-to-last wife) made the decision to bury Lugosi in one of his Dracula capes - and he specifically stated that it was not his father's idea. However, in the book, his last wife, Hope Lugosi, told the mortician that it was Lugosi's wish to be laid out in the cape.

And I laughed aloud when the author talked about how Gene Simmons, from KISS, was going to portray Lugosi in a film adaptation of Lugosi's life. Fortunately, that never happened.

An excellent read for anyone interested in the subject. I do recommend it, just keep in mind that many facts are there even if they're a little shrouded by the author's admiration for Lugosi.