Revisiting Universal's '35 Werewolf of London
This was Universal's first entry into the realm of lycanthropy....and is often overlooked due to the huge success of their '41 The Wolf Man, starring Lon Chaney.
Dr. Wilfred Glendon, when under the influence of the curse, is much like a Jekyll/Hyde type. He's capable of donning a cap and scarf before going out to seek his victims.
The story is that Jack Pierce had a more elaborate make-up in mind for Henry Hull, one that fully disguised who he was. Hull disagreed with this concept, noting that in the film Paul Ames (Lester Mathews), after an encounter with the creature, tells the police that he looked like Wilfred Glendon. Because of that, Hull felt the application needed to be toned down, to support that those familiar with Glendon, would be able to recognize him. We can see by the final product who got their way.
Pierce was able to get his way in creating the makeup for Lon Chaney in '41.
I really like this movie ....and I truly love The Wolf Man. They're different takes on "werewolfery."
I've always thought that there was "trouble in London city" to paraphrase a line from a song in The Music Man. There's an obvious age gap between Wilfred and Lisa, plus he's so consumed by his work, that he ignores his lovely wife. Talk about a recipe for maritial disaster. It's really no shock that she would become friendly with an old childhood flame in Paul Ames. (Truth be told Mathews was 35, Hull was 45, while Valorie Hobson was 17/18 at the time...so what's ten years among old friends?)
Swedish born Warner Oland is in fine form as Dr. Yogami, he also afflicted with lycanthropy and passes the curse to Glendon via a nice bite to his arm "that night....in Tibet.". Oland has some choice lines of dialog too. "Remember this Dr. Glendon, the werewolf instinctively seeks to kill the thing it loves best" is only one example.
Like so many of the Universal monsters, Wilfred Glendon is a sympathetic character. He truly loves Lisa, but gets caught up in his desire to go off to Tibet, seeking the phosphorescent moon flower, with resulting terrible consequences.
His farewell is touching and sad. "Thanks for the bullet. It was the only way. In a few moments now, I shall know why all this had to be. Lisa.....goodbye Lisa. I'm sorry I couldn't have made you happier."
Do we have a police cover up? After Glendon expires, Colonel Sir Thomas Forsythe, the chief of Scotland Yard states: "In my report I shall say that I shot him by accident while he was protecting his wife." I suppose for the citizens it's better that they believe that.....Lisa, Paul, and Ettie know the truth and that's all that matters. The two victims of lycanthropy are both dead, and London can rest easy now knowing that the gruesome murders have ended.
Some fun facts:
Valorie Hobson was also working in Bride of Frankenstein at the same time as Werewolf of London. Kudos to the young lady for her ability to dash from one set to the other, and maintain her dialogue for two different characters! Bravo!
Spring Byington as Miss Ettie Coombes, Lisa's aunt is best known for her 50s tv show December Bride.
Egon Brecher is The Priest Wilfred and Hugh meet in Tibet. (He was Boris Karloff's majordomo in '34 The Black Cat.)His warning to Glendon & Hugh is one of my all time favorites: "You are foolish, but without fools, there would be no wisdom." That line has aged well IMO, and can be spoken today without hesitation.
Although the time period in which the film is set is not explicitly specified, Dr. Glendon drives a 1933 Alvis Speed 20 .
The werewolf's howl for the film is a blend of Hull's voice and a recording of an actual timber wolf , an approach that has not been used in any subsequent werewolf film.
When Glendon is conversing with the Tibetan " coolies " in the beginning of the film, the actors playing the Tibetans are speaking Cantonese , rather than Lhasa Tibetan , while Hull is just muttering gibberish.
The special effect where Glendon slowly transforms into a werewolf as he walks past several columns, is one that would be repeated years later in the Twilight Zone episode The Howling Man, as we see the transformation of a man into Satan.
Source: Wikipedia, along with my own thoughts and opinions.
Dr. Wilfred Glendon, when under the influence of the curse, is much like a Jekyll/Hyde type. He's capable of donning a cap and scarf before going out to seek his victims.
The story is that Jack Pierce had a more elaborate make-up in mind for Henry Hull, one that fully disguised who he was. Hull disagreed with this concept, noting that in the film Paul Ames (Lester Mathews), after an encounter with the creature, tells the police that he looked like Wilfred Glendon. Because of that, Hull felt the application needed to be toned down, to support that those familiar with Glendon, would be able to recognize him. We can see by the final product who got their way.
Pierce was able to get his way in creating the makeup for Lon Chaney in '41.
I really like this movie ....and I truly love The Wolf Man. They're different takes on "werewolfery."
I've always thought that there was "trouble in London city" to paraphrase a line from a song in The Music Man. There's an obvious age gap between Wilfred and Lisa, plus he's so consumed by his work, that he ignores his lovely wife. Talk about a recipe for maritial disaster. It's really no shock that she would become friendly with an old childhood flame in Paul Ames. (Truth be told Mathews was 35, Hull was 45, while Valorie Hobson was 17/18 at the time...so what's ten years among old friends?)
Swedish born Warner Oland is in fine form as Dr. Yogami, he also afflicted with lycanthropy and passes the curse to Glendon via a nice bite to his arm "that night....in Tibet.". Oland has some choice lines of dialog too. "Remember this Dr. Glendon, the werewolf instinctively seeks to kill the thing it loves best" is only one example.
Like so many of the Universal monsters, Wilfred Glendon is a sympathetic character. He truly loves Lisa, but gets caught up in his desire to go off to Tibet, seeking the phosphorescent moon flower, with resulting terrible consequences.
His farewell is touching and sad. "Thanks for the bullet. It was the only way. In a few moments now, I shall know why all this had to be. Lisa.....goodbye Lisa. I'm sorry I couldn't have made you happier."
Do we have a police cover up? After Glendon expires, Colonel Sir Thomas Forsythe, the chief of Scotland Yard states: "In my report I shall say that I shot him by accident while he was protecting his wife." I suppose for the citizens it's better that they believe that.....Lisa, Paul, and Ettie know the truth and that's all that matters. The two victims of lycanthropy are both dead, and London can rest easy now knowing that the gruesome murders have ended.
Some fun facts:
Valorie Hobson was also working in Bride of Frankenstein at the same time as Werewolf of London. Kudos to the young lady for her ability to dash from one set to the other, and maintain her dialogue for two different characters! Bravo!
Spring Byington as Miss Ettie Coombes, Lisa's aunt is best known for her 50s tv show December Bride.
Egon Brecher is The Priest Wilfred and Hugh meet in Tibet. (He was Boris Karloff's majordomo in '34 The Black Cat.)His warning to Glendon & Hugh is one of my all time favorites: "You are foolish, but without fools, there would be no wisdom." That line has aged well IMO, and can be spoken today without hesitation.
Although the time period in which the film is set is not explicitly specified, Dr. Glendon drives a 1933 Alvis Speed 20 .
The werewolf's howl for the film is a blend of Hull's voice and a recording of an actual timber wolf , an approach that has not been used in any subsequent werewolf film.
When Glendon is conversing with the Tibetan " coolies " in the beginning of the film, the actors playing the Tibetans are speaking Cantonese , rather than Lhasa Tibetan , while Hull is just muttering gibberish.
The special effect where Glendon slowly transforms into a werewolf as he walks past several columns, is one that would be repeated years later in the Twilight Zone episode The Howling Man, as we see the transformation of a man into Satan.
Source: Wikipedia, along with my own thoughts and opinions.
