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Son of Frankenstein
From the vaults of the Ackerman archives, this volume contains the production background, press book, biography notes on the cast and crew, complete shooting script, rare photographs, and behind-the-scenes photos from the classic film of the same name.
196 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1989
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April 11, 2025
When I was very young, my Dad used to sit outside with me in the early evening and tell me stories about his life as a boy. One of the stories that always caught my attention was about seeing the Frankenstein movies in the theater. My imagination absolutely soared, but seeing them on commercial television was a rarity ... except for occasional showings on "Double Chiller Theatre" late Friday night. Try as I might, I kept falling asleep shortly after the show's Intro. After all, it was WAY PAST my bedtime!
Finally, the journal of preference for a growing Monster Kid, "TV Guide," announced that "Son of Frankenstein" would be aired next Friday night. I was so excited that I didn't fall asleep. Thus, I began my Frankenstein journey with the third film in the series, and it has always had a special place in my heart because of that.
The SON OF FRANKENSTEIN entry in the Original Shooting Scripts series begins with a wonderful overview of the production background by Gregory William Mank. I knew all of the information it contained, having already read other books by Mank. Still, it was a lot of fun for me, and it was packed with photographs (some of which I hadn't seen before).
The centerpiece, of course, is the screenplay. However, this was not the finished screenplay of the final film. The "bonus" is that this was the first attempt at "bringing back the Monster" half a decade after "The Bride of Frankenstein." Universal, under a new regime, had ceased making their classic horror movies. But, an enterprising theater-owner booked a triple-bill of "Dracula," "Frankenstein" and "Son of Kong" ... and ticket-buyers stretched around the block. It was time for Universal to get back into the classic horror film business.
I say that it was the "first attempt" because the screenplay is a very unwieldy thing. Indeed, it most resembles a stage play whose scenes are literally shot for a movie. There are long stretches of dialogue that is not needed (such as breakfast table discussions), and one interminable scene when the audience was supposed to watch all of the necessary chemicals used for an experiment being mixed together ... each new one being added after the previous one sufficiently bubbled or smoked!
While there was a shortened revision, "Son of Frankenstein" is amazing because the director, Rowland V. Lee, used the screenplay he was given as a foundation for rewriting it on the set! Such actions would usually spell disaster, but they helped the show immensely. It also gave Bela Lugosi his second most famous role after Count Dracula, that of Ygor the broken-necked blacksmith with revenge in his wicked heart.
I very much enjoyed reading SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, and marveling at all of the "what might have been" moments (most of which were better excised). This is essential reading for every Monster Kid who grew up loving the movie.
Finally, the journal of preference for a growing Monster Kid, "TV Guide," announced that "Son of Frankenstein" would be aired next Friday night. I was so excited that I didn't fall asleep. Thus, I began my Frankenstein journey with the third film in the series, and it has always had a special place in my heart because of that.
The SON OF FRANKENSTEIN entry in the Original Shooting Scripts series begins with a wonderful overview of the production background by Gregory William Mank. I knew all of the information it contained, having already read other books by Mank. Still, it was a lot of fun for me, and it was packed with photographs (some of which I hadn't seen before).
The centerpiece, of course, is the screenplay. However, this was not the finished screenplay of the final film. The "bonus" is that this was the first attempt at "bringing back the Monster" half a decade after "The Bride of Frankenstein." Universal, under a new regime, had ceased making their classic horror movies. But, an enterprising theater-owner booked a triple-bill of "Dracula," "Frankenstein" and "Son of Kong" ... and ticket-buyers stretched around the block. It was time for Universal to get back into the classic horror film business.
I say that it was the "first attempt" because the screenplay is a very unwieldy thing. Indeed, it most resembles a stage play whose scenes are literally shot for a movie. There are long stretches of dialogue that is not needed (such as breakfast table discussions), and one interminable scene when the audience was supposed to watch all of the necessary chemicals used for an experiment being mixed together ... each new one being added after the previous one sufficiently bubbled or smoked!
While there was a shortened revision, "Son of Frankenstein" is amazing because the director, Rowland V. Lee, used the screenplay he was given as a foundation for rewriting it on the set! Such actions would usually spell disaster, but they helped the show immensely. It also gave Bela Lugosi his second most famous role after Count Dracula, that of Ygor the broken-necked blacksmith with revenge in his wicked heart.
I very much enjoyed reading SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, and marveling at all of the "what might have been" moments (most of which were better excised). This is essential reading for every Monster Kid who grew up loving the movie.
Displaying 1 of 1 review