Books by Philip J Riley

A complete history of the 1945 horror film, with forward by producer Paul Malvern and introduction by film star John Carradine. It contains complete original shooting script, details of the making, rare photographs, complete pressbook, and interview with film star Jane Adams.

This is the hardback version. In 1934, Universal Pictures released The Black Cat - the first teaming of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, and the darkest, most sinister horror classic in the studio's legendary canon. MagicImage Filmbooks takes you on a time travel trip back into the shadowy soundstage of this macabre milestone - the facts, the figures, the studio politics, the sinister inspirations, the demonic virtuosity of director Edgar G. Ulmer, the censorship troubles, the personal memories of the leading ladies, a sexual harassment saga almost as perverse as the film itself... and the complex, moving, ultimately tragic relationship of the film's two horror superstars. Included are the pressbook, and many rare and striking photos. Plus: "The BLACK CAT: Universal's Symphony of Horrors, The Film's Music" by Randall D. Larson

In 1934, Universal Pictures released The Black Cat - the first teaming of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, and the darkest, most sinister horror classic in the studio's legendary canon. MagicImage Filmbooks takes you on a time travel trip back into the shadowy soundstage of this macabre milestone - the facts, the figures, the studio politics, the sinister inspirations, the demonic virtuosity of director Edgar G. Ulmer, the censorship troubles, the personal memories of the leading ladies, a sexual harassment saga almost as perverse as the film itself... and the complex, moving, ultimately tragic relationship of the film's two horror superstars. Included are the pressbook, and many rare and striking photos. Plus: "The BLACK CAT: Universal's Symphony of Horrors, The Film's Music" by Randall D. Larson

When "Dracula" and "Frankenstein" became box office hits for Universal, Carl Laemmle Junior immediately ordered that sequels be written for both films. Scripts were prepared but Junior's choice of director - James Whale - had had enough of monster films and was doing everything he could to avoid them. Finally in 1935, after getting out of shooting "Dracula's Daughter" Whale agreed to direct "The Return of Frankenstein".In this volume is the final shooting script by John L. Balderston. Balderston added more scenes from the novel, such as the monster hiding in a peasant's hut and learning to read and speak. But Whale thought his version of the Monster's personality too brutish and evil. He wrote a new script with screenwriter William Hurlbut, added new characters such as Mini and Dr. Pretorius, keeping Balderston's script as just an outline. Most historians and fans feel that when Return of Frankenstein was renamed "Bride of Frankenstein" it became the most beloved film in Universal's Classic Monster films.

Late 1929. The Stock market crash. At MGM Studios Irving Thalberg was involved in a power struggle. Lon Chaney's contract was coming up for renewal. Tod Browning, MGM's famed director of the macbre genre for the studio, had left and signed a contract back at his home studio, Universal. Carl Laemmle Jr was made production head of Universal for his father and he wanted to do a film version of Dracula. Carl Sr. agreed, as long as they had Lon Chaney as the star. Early in August of 1930, Carl Junior, still attempting to sign Chaney for the role, ordered a treatment to be authored by Louis Bromfield. By Mid August he was teamed with screenwriter Dudley Murphy and they began work on the script. Then in the middle of the negotiations, Lon Chaney unexpected by everyone in the film industry, died on August 26th. This volume of the Atlernate History of Classic Monster Films we present the full first Bromfield treatment, the incomplete first draft screenplay by Bromfield and Murphy. In addition, when Dracula was finally produced, more in the fashion of the popular 1927 play than the Bram Stoker novel, as was intended by Laemmle for Chaney - A silent version of the Lugosi Dracula was prepared for theaters who had not yet converted to sound. We have also included a complete Title list from this version. Also included in this volume is a translated version of F.W. Murnau's shooting script for the first screen version of Dracula - filmed in Germany in 1922 and called NOSFERATU, a symphony of horror. Murnau's hand annotations are included in bold print throughout the script.

Following Phantom of the Opera (1943), in the middle of the Silver age of Universal Studio's monster movies, a new sequel to Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman was considered for a Technicolor production: Wolfman vs Dracula! Lon Chaney Jr., who was the only actor to portray Universal's four classic monster roles; Dracula, frankenstein's monster, the mummy and the wolfman. At first Chaney was to play both roles, as his father Lon Chaney Sr. had done in several of his famous silent films. But Larry Talbot in his human phase would look exactly like Count Dracula so the role of Dracula was given to it's originator Bela Lugosi. A script was prepared by Bernard Shubert, who had written the screenplay for Tod Browning's London After Midnight(MGM 1927) remake Mark of the Vampire (MGM 1935). Shubert kept the settings very tight in its scenes, to keep the cost down to balance out for the extra expense of technicolor. But by 1944 Bela Lugosi was in his 60s and would have had to play part of his role as a giant bat much like in the Copolla Bram Stoker's Dracula in the 90s - and that would have been too much for him. And they couldn't have the Wolfman fighting an animated bat much like John Carradine's depiction of the Count or even Lugosi's portrayal in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. So they decided to make one of their Arabian Nights film on the Technicolor contract and all that remained of Wolfman vs Dracula are some color 8x10s of Chaney in both parts. This volume has a short biography of screenwriter/TV producer Bernard Shubert and comments from Shubert and special effects cinematographer David Stanley Horsley.

This volume is more of a portfolio in the development of Universal's The Invisible Man. It is different from the other volumes in the series in that, after attempts by many writers, Carl Laemmle Jr. was not satisfied with any of the treatments until James Whale got R.C. Sheriff to write the final shooting script. As you will see even Whale himself wrote a treatment.Many projects were announced for Boris Karloff, now Universal's top monster film star; they ranged from the supernatural Cagliostro, the classic monster film The Wolf Man to the science fiction projects A Trip to Mars and The Invisible Man.This volume is more of a portfolio in the development of Universal's The Invisible Man. It is different from the other volumes in the series in that, after attempts by many writers, Carl Laemmle Jr. was not satisfied with any of the treatments until James Whale got R.C. Sheriff to write the final shooting script. As you will see even Whale himself wrote a treatment.In 1932 many projects were announced for Boris Karloff, now Universal's top monster film star; they ranged from the supernatural Cagliostro, the classic monster film The Wolf Man to the science fiction projects A Trip to Mars and The Invisible Man.Cagliostro was transformed into The Mummy, The Wolf Man put on the shelf for 9 years Director James Whale was stalling because Universal wanted him to make a sequel to Frankenstein - but after countless rewrites by Preston Sturges, Gouveneur Morris, John Huston and a dozen other writers, R.C. Sherriff managed to capture H.G. Wells' original concept and The Invisible Man was put into production, however without Karloff who turned down the part in a salary dispute with Carl Laemmle Junior. With Claude Rains in the starring role (even though he does not appear on screen except for a few minutes at the end of the film, The Invisible Man became a huge success and one that most historians and fans think is Whale's best picture, after The Bride of Frankenstein, made two years later.

With the success of Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi, Universal Pictures was quick to capitalize on creating a new Lon Chaney in Bela Lugosi. Chaney had been the original choice to portray a duel role as both Dracula and Professor van Helsing, Dracula's adversary. Before production could begin Chaney died suddenly leaving Carl Laemmle Jr. without a star.Laemmle Jr. had seen Dracula on the stage in New York City, although he could not recall if he had seen Lugosi or Raymond Huntley in the role of Count Dracula. However Lugosi was performing in the touring company which happened to be in Los Angeles at that time. Was he the new Lon Chaney?Lugosi was not Carl Jr's first choice for the role. However he eventually won the part and now they needed more ideas for him. "Murders in the Rue Morgue", "Cagliostro", "The Invisible Man" and "Frankenstein" were top on the list.One day in March 1931 Robert Florey, recently returned to Hollywood from Europe, was having lunch at the Musso and Frank Restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard. He was approached by an old acquaintance, Richard Schayer, head of Universal's story department. Schayer told him that his studio was looking for ideas for a new horror film to star Bela Lugosi and he knew Florey was involved with The Théâtre du Grand-Guignol de Paris, (a small theater, in an obscure alley in Paris which specialized in sadistic, shocking, explicit, violent melodramas and became known as the "Theater of Horrors". It opened in 1897 and closed in 1962.)They both agreed on "Frankenstein" being the best choice. Schayer suggested that Florey would stand a better chance at being asigned writer and director if he were to present the idea to Carl Laemmle Jr.We present now the script for"Frankenstein" as it would have been had Bela Lugosi starred; and Rober Florey directed.