Writer Steve Vertlieb takes a look at a true icon of the cinema- and discovers there was far more than met the eye.
KARLOFF...the very name strikes terror into the hearts of
most screen audiences, as did the persona of his most famous
theatrical creation, Frankenstein's "Monster." Yet this
gifted, versatile actor was a kind, intelligent, charitable performer respected by
his colleagues, and adored by millions of children around the world. Whether the
gentle giant of Universal's early Frankenstein films, the villainous Captain
Hook of Broadway's "Peter Pan," the distinguished host of NBC's acclaimed
"Thriller" television series,or the renowned motion picture and stage actor who,
through countless remarkable performances, brought dignity and compassion to
the uniquely maligned genre of so-called "Horror Films," Boris
Karloff was an intelligent, sensitive actor who captured the hearts and imaginations of
generations of screen, theatrical, television, and radio audiences.
My chronicle of the life of this legendary artist is now available at The Thunder
Child science fiction/Fantasyweb magazine, and can be accessed to clicking onto
the celluloid link below.
http://thethunderchild.com/Movies/VertliebViews/BorisKarloff.html