Tonight on MeTV- since it is “back to school” time, we decided it is also “back to Drac” time as well! We are happy to again present one of the cornerstones of Universal horror-the movie that placed Bela Lugosi into most people’s minds as the embodiment of Bram Stoker’s vampire count! It’s one of the most atmospheric and captivating legends of all time- as Lugosi leaves his Transylvanian home to bring terror to London in 1931’s original version of "Dracula”!
It starts out almost whimsically, with real estate solicitor Renfield in a crowded carriage on a bumpy journey to Transylvania ( one of his travelling companions is , in actuality, Carla Laemmle, daughter of Carl Laemmle, founder and head of Universal studios). Renfield is all business- he is on his way to the castle of a certain Count Dracula to get him to sign the lease for Carfax Abbey in London. When the carriage stops at an inn, and Renfield insists he must continue to Castle Dracula, locals get nervous just hearing where he is headed, and try to talk him out of it. Ignoring their warnings, he continues on to meet with the Count- totally unaware of what the future holds!
Renfield meets Dracula, and his overnight stay in the castle results in him falling under the spell of the Count. Completely under his control, driven out of his mind, and living only to do his bidding, he helps his master make his way to London- only to end up in Dr. Seward's sanitarium, while Dracula takes up residence in the nearby abbey. The count soon walks among the city’s people, from whom he claims some prey. The Count meets Dr Seward, on a night out on the town, along with his daughter Mina and her friend Lucy- both of whom are fascinated by the mysterious gentleman.
Meanwhile, Renfield's strange behavior prompts the sanitarium staff to call in Professor Van Helsing to consult on his case- a shrewd and learned man who realizes that it is a vampire that plays a part in the proceedings. He soon discovers just who that vampire is, and just who is endangered by his presence! Fearing that Mina is next in line, he enlists her fiancé, Jonathan Harker, in the battle to defeat this undead menace!
Bela Lugosi shows such amazing presence in this movie, followed closely by Dwight Frye’s incredible performance as the deranged Renfield. Also in the cast- David Manners, Helen Chandler- and a man who appears in several of Universal’s original core of horror films- Edward Van Sloan. We'll talk about the cast and the production, and, of course, provide Sven shtick- and, once again this time, since we have gotten a great reaction to it, we will be showing the version of the film featuring the musical soundtrack that first accompanied the film on its French dvd version. The score, composed with stock library music, offsets some of the usual “film hiss” on the original movie soundtrack, which often seems amplified by the original’s lack of background music. Honestly, at times, some added sound effects seem a bit overbearing, but overall,we think this version provides an interesting viewing experience- especially for those of us who have seen the film in its original state so many times.
A side note- our good friend David Dastmalchian, who played Polka Dot Man in the “Suicide Squad” movie, and will also be in the upcoming version of “Dune”, is actually in Europe working on a film about the treacherous ship journey that brought Dracula to London!
The classic "Dracula" rises from his coffin tonight on MeTV-8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central, and, if you’re unsure about channel and time in your area, check your local listings or at www.metv.com . Don’t forget that many fans are live-Tweeting during the show on Twitter, using the hashtag #svengoolie – and again, thanks for putting us among the top ten trending topics during last week’s show! Meanwhile, in Chicago, viewers get one more look at “Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”- featuring Boris Karloff- ( whom you will be seeing more of next month- hint-hint!) at 11 am on our main local station, CW26.
It appears that the Sven zip-up hoodie is a huge hit- so much so, that all but the smallest sizes have sold out! Our store is in the process of restocking- please be patient, and keep an eye out here and in the store ( yes, I have a store!) – we will let you know when they are available again!
Please join us tonight on MeTV for“Dracula”- with special musical accompaniment! Those children of the night- they actually DO make some real music in this version!
3634 Comments
The movie seems to have been set in the current period that is, the 1920s or early 1930s.
So how did Dracula and Renfield get to Vesta? Not exactly a calm, peaceful period in eastern European history...
And why a 3 masted schooner? What port did she sail from? Whitby is i the north of England, so did they make their way overland to, say, Gdansk and thence to Blighty? Upstream along the Danube to Germany and then overland to...? Down the Danube to the Black Sea, and through the Med?
Love the fangs and the fishnets !
^_*
William Shatner to go to space in Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket ship
https://nypost.com/2021/09/24/william-shatner-to-go-to-space-in-jeff-bezos-rocket-ship/
This mysteriously showed up in my mail the other day. I pray it's not a ME TV promo telling me that The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T is coming up soon.
teehee
I’m not sure about cha-chas and polkas—I’d expect csárdáses and slow horăs, but I’ll defer to PatS.
https://youtu.be/XQIrhqSuNFc
https://youtu.be/dvoQyHP8zC8
There is little question the man himself was an iron handed ruler, with understandable cause. He experienced torture and imprisonment as a young man, and did witness the murder of his father and two brothers. He lived in Wallachia, a part of Romania that literally faced hostile military threats on all of its borders. He dealt with competing rulers who were also known for their violence and cruelty. All of this during the Middle Ages, a time when military conquest and its violent fallout were the means to the end of political gains.
Vlad was also smart, handsome and clearly charismatic. He was well educated and could read and write, which were incredibly rare skills among his own people. He married twice, (legend has it he had his first wife murdered) and had 3 sons. His military victories are still cited as the works of a brilliant battle field tactician. By the end of his time, he was regarded as both a hero and the “Dread Impaler.”
Whether he actually had the over the top penchant for cruelty that the stories tell will be debated ad infinitum. His legend certainly benefited from technology: Shortly after his death came the invention of the movable type printing press. The result was that Vlad becomes the first mass media subject of what were essentially “penny dreadfulls” of their time. So the legend becomes bigger than the person it was based on.
All the elements of Stoker’s character are here: An educated, charismatic nobleman who has a dark side. A VERY dark side…Given a few centuries of myth and story retelling; goodness, who knows what might come of it?
A year or so after we were married, Debbie and I moved out of high-rise married student housing into an older apartment building on Oak Street in Evanston, IL. The building had just be divested by Northwestern—unbeknownst to the residents—and a live-in super moved in across the hall from us with his wife and inlaws. They were originally from Romania. As they were moving in, some of their furniture was waiting in an alcove to the hallway, chairs and tables stacked upside down on other chairs and tables, so that you could see their unfinished undersides. On many of them was a pyrographic stamp proclaiming “Made in Romania.” In the center of the stamp was a portrait of Vlad Ţepeş.
The whole idea of the ruler being a badass was not uncommon in the Middle ages. The ruler could not show any sign of weakness or he would be a target for somebody who wanted his place. Sort of like Mafia Dons who had stories of doing outrageous violence to their enemies, beating someone to death with a frozen fish or other such things .It gave them power and fear to anyone who would try to unseat them. The same with Vlad.
On my day off.
And I can't even blame it one a cat this time.
Management material!
Have a Great Day & Take Care!!
^?^
