"Even a man who is pure in heart
And says his prayers by night
May become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms...
And the Autumn Moon is bright!"

      Everyone who has watched the 1941 Universal Pictures motion picture "THE WOLF MAN" remembers this poem. But surprisingly, scriptwriter Curt Siodmak created this poem and the plot of "THE WOLF MAN" was taken more from greek tragedies than from actual werewolf lore. And while the full moon is mentioned in some werewolf mythology, silver bullets or silver objects are not, another Siodmak fabrication.
      In the original script for "THE WOLF MAN" the main character was named Larry Gill, a mechanic from America who comes to a scottish castle to fix a telescope lens. Also, the wolf man was not supposed to be shown except in mirrors or reflections in water because the audience was not supposed to know whether Gill was really changing into a wolf or was it all in his mind. But director George Waggner changed that. Gill became Lawrence Talbot, the son of Sir John Talbot, who had lived in exile in America for accidentally killing his older brother. As the movie begins, Talbot is returning to the castle 18 years later. Waggner also made sure the Wolf Man was seen several times throughout the film.
      Another famous quote from "The Wolf Man" is the gypsy woman Maleva saying over the tomb of her dead son:

"The way you walked was thorny
-through no fault of your own.
But as the rain enters the soil,
The river enters the sea -
So tears run to a predestined end.
Your suffering is over, Bela, my son -
Now you will find peace."

      "THE WOLF MAN" proved very popular with audiences and four sequels were made: "FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN", "HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN", "HOUSE OF DRACULA" (where Talbot is actually cured) and finally "ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN", a comedy and not really part of the series.

      Jack P. Pierce created the WOLF MAN makeup for Lon Chaney Jr. It took up to six hours to apply; longer for the transformation scene. Pierce actually created it for Henry Hull for the 1935 film "WEREWOLF OF LONDON" but Hull refused to wear the full makeup so a more simplistic Mr. Hyde-type makeup was used on Hull as Dr. Glendon. Lon Chaney made the role of Larry Talbot, the "WOLF MAN", his own. Various actors had portrayed Dracula, the Mummy and the Frankenstein Monster but Chaney Jr. was the only actor to portray all four. Not until Spanish star Paul Naschy portrayed Waldimar Daninsky in a series of werewolf films did anyone play a werewolf character as often as Chaney.
     

Let's return now to Universal's THE WOLF MAN MOVIES!"

Disclaimer: all materials (photos, text, etc.) were copyright 1941 by Universal Pictures; All rights reserved. No rights given or implied. Do not use without permission. This is an unofficial website.

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