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Lugosi: His Life in Films, on Stage, and in the Hearts of Horror Lovers

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Reference books generally have a reputation of being full of facts, yet dry in prose. While a bio-bibliography may not be traditionally called "entertainment," this ambitious effort successfully breaches the limitations of such reference books. It is a thought-provoking history of the great Béla Lugosi (1882 - 1956). His career was as varied and tragic, both publicly and privately, as John Barrymore's. His legend remains secure, thanks to "Dracula" (Universal, 1931). The life surrounding the legend has been colorfully illuminated thanks to Gary Don Rhodes. His phenomenal research charts Lugosi's long voyage of fame and infamy, revealing details never before printed. His documentation is truly an achievement and a labor of blood, sweat and love.

Lugosi was a lover of style, sports, good living and women. Rhodes provides exhaustive examples of his exploits, both publicized and private. The wealth of photos alone display Lugosi out of his cape as a sociable creature, playful, enthusiastic, an avid reader and a cigar aficionado. A ladies' man, he was married five times. All five marriages are covered in detail - after all, there is curiosity about the love life of a vampire! There is documentation of his stage, screen and even court appearances; critical analysis of his career; and quotes and articles about or by Lugosi. The light side and the dark side are equally exposed. He was a man of strengths and weaknesses - perhaps the most notable and depressing of the latter was his long-term drug addiction. All of these elements are integrated to present a fascinating portrait of a complex artist. Those who are obsessed by the great Hungarian actor will find a sumptuous feast to satisfy their hunger. Even the mildly intrigued will be drawn into this unique individual's world. Lugosi never lost his dignity nor his offbeat sense of humor. His proud Magyar heart kept his spirit intact despite efforts to break it. Rhodes' book unflinchingly sees all and tells all - with intelligence, compassion and devotion.
- Copyright, 1997, Diane MacIntyre, "The Silents Majority" (http://www.mdle.com/ClassicFilms/)

In August, 1956, faded horror film star Bela Lugosi died forgotten and penniless in Los Angeles. Five marriages, two bankruptcies, and a slow descent into chemical abuse and career collapse had taken their toll. Considered the ultimate "Dracula" star and actor today, Lugosi had watched his film success peak in the early 1930's. Boris Karloff quickly passed him by as the new King of Hollywood Horror. And poor Bela never recovered from the loss of prestige. Settling for a paltry $3500. to star in "Dracula" for Universal in 1931, Lugosi fumbled through a long line of poor business managers and faulty screen appearances right up until his untimely death. Just one year after his demise, Universal Studios re-packaged their old classic 1930's horror flicks for TV as "Shock Theater". Instantly, teens around the world reveled in the calculated mannerisms of the Hungarian Count. A big new star was born...just after his final curtain. "Lugosi: His Life in Films" reveals every detail. Published in 1996, you won't find this excellent compendium in any store. But you can order it through Amazon. Lovingly written by cinephile Gary Don Rhodes, the book lists every film, event, and appearance of the cinema icon. Bela Lugosi was scheduled to play Dracula in 1944's "House of Frankenstein". He never did. A marvelous photo of him as Jesus Christ(one of many great pics) reveals his true versatility. These rare pictures and historical investigations are all here for the true Lugosi fan. It's astounding that such a comprehensive work is available. Should we be surprised? Maybe not. After all..."There are many things under the sun..."

"Lugosi: His Life in Films, on Stage, and in the Hearts of Horror Lovers" isn't a biography of the late horror icon. Great biographies on Lugosi have already been done, most notably by Arthur Lennig in "The Immortal Count". Rather, author Gary Don Rhodes takes a different tack. While the book does contain a biography of Lugosi, it only comprises less than forty of the book's 400 plus pages. Rather, Rhodes has tried, and very successfully I might add, to provide lists of everything relating to Lugosi's life and career.

After the bio-section, we get a list of every known Lugosi residence in the United States, complete with address, telephone number, and the years...or often times months...that the actor resided at each spot. One could make quite a trip out of visiting all of Lugosi's former homes in California. We also get a list of all of Lugosi's court appearances for divorces, lawsuits, and bankruptcy petitions. Each goes into incredible detail and allows the reader a rare glimpse into a celebrity's personal life. There is a very detailed account of the lawsuit that Lugosi's son, Bela Jr., brought against Universal Studios when he discovered his fathers likeness being used to sell products such as the old Aurora model kits.

Rhodes next provides a list of every Lugosi film, not only his movies in the U.S., but also those he made in Germany, and his native Hungary before coming to America. Each film includes a list of cast, credits, plot, synopsis, and production notes. While there is obviously a lot more detail included on the films made here, I was quite surprised at the amount of information that Rhodes was able to uncover on Lugosi's foreign credits. It's hard enough sometimes to find out details about silent films made in this country, let alone those made in Germany and Hungary.

Next up we have Lugosi's stage, live, vaudeville, radio, and TV appearances, again with a staggering amount of detail. A selected list of over 500 articles from magazines over the years follows and provides even more details about his career. These articles are culled from magazines like Variety, Famous Monsters of Filmland, FilmFax, and Midnight Marquee.

Still hungry for more? How about a list of Lugosi's most famous quotes, books on the star, articles on merchandising and collecting Lugosi memorabilia, and Lugosi mysteries. Perhaps the most famous mystery surrounding Lugosi is the test film shot for his audition to play the monster in "Frankenstein". Rumors persisted for years that the film existed and it was even advertised for sale but was never produced. Truly one of the Holy Grails in horror history!

"Lugosi: His Life in Films, on Stage, and in the Hearts of Horror Lovers" is a fabulous book because it ISN'T what you thought it would be, i.e. just another biography. Rhodes did a lot of legwork to come up with a treasure chest full of information about a true Hollywood legend.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

The `Preface' says the purpose of this volume is to catalog as much information on Lugosi's career and life as feasible. The chapters are arranged by subject in chronological order (p.xxi). This is more of a reference book than a biography. Part I tells about the life of Béla Blaskó, born in 1882 Lugos. His father was a baker who became a banker. Bela was an unruly boy (p.3). He worked as a laborer but was attracted to the stage. He joined the army in 1914 and was discharged in 1916. In 1918 he helped organize the National Trade Union of Actors, the first film actor's union. The successful counter-revolution put his name (and others p.7) on the death list. They fled the country, and Lugosi worked on a cargo ship to come to America. During this decade he divorced and remarried three times. His appearance in the stage play `Dracula' made his success (p.13) in the movies.

The British ban on horror films meant Hollywood stopped making them (p.21). Lugosi was jobless until a re-release in 1938 made him famous doing live performances (p.22). Was he typecast? Not in `Ninotchka' (p.24). Horror films were popular during WW II (p.30). Afterwards Bela had financial difficulties (p.33). He became an alcoholic and drug dependent (p.35), but was cured. Bela died in August 1956. He was buried wearing the cape from `Dracula' at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City California. There are chapters on Personal Data, Court cases (Lugosi's name was in the public domain p.56), and Politics (an "extremely liberal democrat", p.57). Chapter 4 asks if Bela was blacklisted in his last years (p.64). "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein" in 1948 was his last hit film.

Part II catalogs the feature-length films, serials, stage appearances, radio and television, and other filmed appearances in 160 pages. Chapter 13 lists Bela's cancelled roles and projects. Bela was in 15 American and 21 European films before `Dracula'. The author lists all 95 films with cast, credits, plot summary, and production notes. [New Hope PA had a "Street Fair" (pp.193, 195).] Part III contains "Works By or About Lugosi": Reviews, Articles, and Pamphlets; Books; Quotations from Lugosi, about Lugosi, and about Lugosi and Karloff. Chapter 15 lists five biographies and 35 books that refer to Lugosi (pp.278-284). Chapter 19 has "Sources and References". Most people saw Lugosi films on television (p.336) when many old films were sold to fill time on TV.

Part IV lists critiques and appreciations. Chapter 20 considers why professional actor Lugosi became typecast as Dracula. The character of Dracula was Lugosi's own (p.345). His accent limited his career. Chapter 21 has the opinions of experts (p.356). After death Lugosi's image was ruled to be in the public domain (p.368). Fan clubs existed after his death (p.369). The book ends with questions about Lugosi's past (Chapter 24). Earlier horror movies used a disfigured person as the villain, Lugosi made the villain look like a wealthy aristocrat.

Excellent book. Bela Lugosi is one of my favourite horror artists. He has made many films and thanks to this biography we can understand Mr. Lugosi as well as an artist and human being.The pictures are so good.

Can we imagine Bela Lugosi as Jesuschrist and Dracula at the same time ???