Monster Mash-Up by Dave Goode

Back in the 1940s Universal tried to wring the last drop of blood from their famous monsters franchise by teaming their 3 biggest horror heroes Dracula,the Wolf Man and the Frankenstein monster in a series of movies beginning in 1943 with FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN. This was a direct sequel to THE WOLF MAN (1941). It was followed by HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944),

HOUSE OF DRACULA (1945) and finally ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948). I've come to refer to this series of movies as the "Larry Talbot saga". Combined they told the tragic tale of Larry Talbot the Wolf Man.*

There was even a 6th installment to the Larry Talbot saga in the form of a novel. THE RETURN OF THE WOLF MAN written by Jeff Rovin begins where ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN ends. It's a must read for anyone who grew up on Chiller Theater and Creature Features.

Years later the producers of Mexico's masked wrestler movies would use the same formula and team up their Mexiluchahero stars in the same way Universal teamed up their monster movie stars. Strangely enough they had their wrestling super-heroes facing off against knock-offs of the Universal monsters in flicks like SANTO AND BLUE DEMON VS. DRACULA AND THE WOLF MAN and SANTO AND BLUE DEMON VS. THE MONSTERS.

Below,right out of the Atom Age of Comics, is the cover for Dr.Judo No.13 drawn by my amigo Vance Capley. It features three of Universal's classic monsters. But substituting the Mummy for the Frankenstein monster.I always thought the Mummy should have been featured in ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN. If only as one of the exhibits in McDougal's House of Horrors.

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*editor note "some count LA CASA DEL TERROR (1960) (this footage, along with footage from LA MOMIA AZTECTA (1957), was used in Jerry Warren's "masterpiece" FACE OF THE SCREAMING WEREWOLF (1964)) as part of the Larry Talbot story just because Chaney, Jr. plays the werewolf...we leave that one up to you..."

The World's Most Famous Movie Monster? by Dave Goode

 

My introduction to the classic Universal monsters (Dracula,
Frankenstein's monster and the Wolf Man)was in Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein at a Halloween party when I was about five or six.It's one of my favorite all-time movies.It's both funny and terrifying.In some places it's both at the same time.Just check out the scene in the sub-basement in the "house of Dracula".Or the film's exciting climax.

 

 

 My first Frankenstein movie was I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN ( a follow-up to I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF). This variation of the familiar story has a descendant of the original Dr.Frankenstein, portrayed by the great Whit Bissell, following in his ancestor's footsteps. The twist has him assembling a creature from recently deceased high school athletes.

 The creature is portrayed by Gary Conway, an actor who began his career as a model in "physique magazines". I thought that this version of the monster with a fullback's legs and wrestler's upper body would have made a great adversary for a comic book hero without super-powers or for a Mexiluchahero.

 The theme was touched on in several masked wrestler movies with the heroes squaring off against variations of the Frankenstein monster. In some cases, the Frankenstein's monster itself as in Santo & Blue Demon vs. The Monsters. It's sort of like Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein without the laughs. It does have laughs....but they're mostly unintentional.