The Cast:
Whit Bissell, Phyllis Coates, Robert Burton, Gary Conway, George Lynn, John Cliff and Angela Blake.
Produced by Herman Cohen and Directed by Herbert L. Strock. Screenplay by
Kenneth Langtry (Aben Kandel). Make-up by Philip Scheer. Production began:
October 3, 1957 at ZIV Studios; Release date: November 28, 1957 on a
double bill with BLOOD OF DRACULA; Running time 74 minutes. Kind of talky but fun. Color ending.
(RCA/Columbia video is
British version, Teenage Frankenstein, which had a few scenes edited out
in the UK); Belgian poster titles: DES FILLES POUR FRANKENSTEIN and
MEISJES VOOR FRANKENSTEIN (SOME GIRLS FOR FRANKENSTEIN); in Mexico it is
called EL HIJO DE FRANKENSTEIN (FRANKENSTEIN'S SON). An Italian re-release was titled LA STRAGE DI FRANKENSTEIN (THE MASSACRE OF FRANKENSTEIN).
The Plot: Professor Frankenstein (Whit Bissell), a guest lecturer from England, talks Dr. Karlton (Robert Burton), into becoming am unwilling accomplice in his secret plan to actually assemble a human being from the parts of different cadavers. After the recovery of a body from a dreadful automobile wreck, Professor Frankenstein takes the body to his laboratory-morgue, where in various drawers he keeps spare parts of human beings. The Professor also enlists the aid of Margaret (Phyllis Coates), as his secretary to keep
all callers away from the laboratory. Margaret, becoming suspicious of what is going on decides to investigate and goes down to the morgue. She is panic-stricken by this horrible monster who has been activated by electricity following the grafting of a new leg and arm. She dares not tell the Professor about her feelings, and keeps silent for
the present.
Professor Frankenstein teaches the Monster (Gary
Conway) to talk,and one night the Monster steals out of the laboratory and goes on a rampage when frightened by the sounds of street noises. He breaks into a girl's room, the girl becomes hysterical and starts screaming, and in his attempt to silence her, he kills her in panic and flees. The next morning the hunt for the murderer is on. Margaret, angry at the Professor, tells him that she knows about the Monster that did the murder. The Professor, taking no
chances, has the Monster kill her and feeds her remains to a crocodile. Dr. Karlton, sent out of town, knows none of this. The Professor sends the Monster to a Lover's Lane, where he kills a teenager. The face of the teenager is successfully transferred to the Monster. Professor Frankenstein tells Dr. Karlton of his plans to dismember his creation and ship him in various boxes to England -- there to put him together again. When they strap the Monster down again, he becmes suspicious and tears loose to throw Dr. Frankenstein into the crocodile pit, while Dr.
Karlton runs for help. When Dr. Karlton arrives with the police, the Monster who is maddened with fright, backs into the electrical dial board. Contact with the iron wrist bands electrocutes him and his handsome face disappears and the bruised gruesome original head appears.
British title card for TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN
In a newspaper in Rhode Island, movie critic
Ted Holmberg had this to say about I WAS A TEENAGE
FRANKENSTEIN: "I Was A Teenage Frankenstein is about a boy monster. Blood
Of Dracula is about a girl monster. Because of celluloid limitations,
they do not meet or mate or multiply ...fortunately." (I don't think he liked either movie!)
I came across this review of I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN on the internet:
Click here for a review by Mike Marano for MMI
And here is Forrest J. Ackerman's
review from Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine #12
In England the title was shortened to Teenage Frankenstein;
the teenage monster
was featured on the cover of Horror Monsters magazine.
Disclaimer and copyright notice: I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN was
copyright 1957 by Santa Rosa Productions; released by
American International Pictures and renewed in 1985 by Selma
Enterprises. Current copyright owner is Susan Nicholson-Hofheinz and
Academy Pictures Corporation. All rights reserved. No rights given or
implied. Used here for historical, educational and nostalgic purposes
with reviews, comments, cast and credits.