"Poor Bela"

[Danny]

After watching the DVD "Lugosi Hollywood's Dracula" I came away with mixed feelings. Sure, there's a lot of material there, even some tantalizing clips from his Hungarian silent films, but it promised more than it delivered. Oddly missing was any kind of endorsement from Bela Jr. As I recall, there was only one brief clip of the "son of Dracula". Which only brings me to the conclusion that he did not approve of this documentary. He is a lawyer who fights cases of image copyright infringement and all the legal implications that entails. (I even think is in united with Sarah Karloff and Ron Chaney, in their fight to protect their family's heritage.) The only Lugosi "family member" who is given a chance to ramble on is Lugosi's last wife, Hope, who gives one of the most convoluted interviews I've ever seen.

But getting back to "Poor Bela", as Boris Karloff often described him, I'd like to hear what other Lugosi fans thought of this two-disc set by Gary D. Rhodes. And does anyone know of Bela Jr.'s family life? I can find no recent, personal information about him. Does he have any children? Is there a "Grandson of Dracula"???

Danny

[bobfells]

Danny,

I recently watched that Lugosi DVD and that it was pretty good. I agree that it seems Bela Jr. had no involvement but it might have been due to a lack of compensation. Back in the 70s and 80s he had a long drawn out litigation with Universal over the use of his father's image w/o licensing. Jr. won in the lower courts but lost on appeal. As I recall, Universal showed that its contracts with Lugosi including using his likeness generally. Poor Bela indeed!

My reaction to the documentary is that it glossed over any examination of why Bela was not firmly under contract to the major studios but quickly began making films for the poverty row outfits. No doubt the producers wanted to keep things positive but I have heard that in his prime, i.e., the 1930s, Bela was said to be pompous and more than a little condescending. David Manners is quoted as calling him "a pain in the ass." If true, then Bela may have alienated the very people he needed to befriend and this would have cost him dearly. It was said that Bela drew no distinction between working for a major studio or a poverty row studio and this had to hurt the value of his name. Karloff on the other hand was careful to work for the majors as much as possible. He also sought to appear in non-horror films that help him diversify. Bottom line: Bela seem to have mismanaged his film career from the start, perhaps thinking that as long as he was working it didn't matter where he was working or what he was doing.

[entredeuxguerres]

How's this for diversification: Bela playing a "South American" in Joe E. Brown's Broadminded, one of a batch of Joe E.s I've just been watching; I like them ALL, but this one maybe the best. (Due less to Bela, I must say, than to the superabundance of feminine wiseacres in the cast.) I suspect Bela got away with very little high-hatting on Joe E.'s set.

[bobfells]

How's this for diversification: Bela playing a "South American" in Joe E. Brown's Broadminded, one of a batch of Joe E.s I've just been watching; I like them ALL, but this one maybe the best. (Due less to Bela, I must say, than to the superabundance of feminine wiseacres in the cast.) I suspect Bela got away with very little high-hatting on Joe E.'s set.

There's INTERNATIONAL HOUSE, and VIENNESSE NIGHTS where Bela's in Technicolor. But Karloff was diversifying in films like THE HOUSE OF ROTHSCHILD and John Ford's THE LOST PATROL. Somehow Bela's change of pace roles didn't seem that important, at least when compared to Karloff's.

[FrankFay]

He was never really fluent in English, that must have limited his ability to be cast in a role that required a lot of dialogue.

From what I've read he wouldn't wait for the right parts but would take what ever was offered, and this got worse over time.

[Battra92]

Bela Lugosi is a sad story of drug abuse (medicinal not recreational) and was typecast and known to work cheap. He at least died clean and, based on reports, happy and excited to be starting new projects with Ed Wood. Sadly he was also in financial ruin.

He made a lot of stinkers and sometimes he would look bored while making films and yet, somehow with the most ridiculous speech could show his absolute brilliance as an actor of the highest degree:

[Jack Theakston]

But getting back to "Poor Bela", as Boris Karloff often described him, I'd like to hear what other Lugosi fans thought of this two-disc set by Gary D. Rhodes. And does anyone know of Bela Jr.'s family life? I can find no recent, personal information about him. Does he have any children? Is there a "Grandson of Dracula"???

His personal life aside, the "poor Bela" thing is pretty overstated. His films after the '30s may have been poverty row schlock, but if you factor in the amount of radio, live appearances, television and stage work until his poor health (and drug abuse) kicked in, the pitiful side of the story seems a little lightweight.