Author Topic: Karloff in Color  (Read 3734 times)

Offline erik1925

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Karloff in Color
« on: August 03, 2018, 09:29:49 PM »
Color (NOT colorized) home movies of Karloff as the Monster from 1939's SON OF FRANK, on the set and goofing with makeup master, Jack Pierce.

Karloff almost had the green skin tint of a Martian.  ;D

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/uQMOoq2ux-I" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/uQMOoq2ux-I</a>


-Jeff

Offline okiehawker

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Re: Karloff in Color
« Reply #1 on: August 03, 2018, 10:41:38 PM »
Color (NOT colorized) home movies of Karloff as the Monster from 1939's SON OF FRANK, on the set and goofing with makeup master, Jack Pierce.

Karloff almost had the green skin tint of a Martian.  ;D

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/uQMOoq2ux-I" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/uQMOoq2ux-I</a>

Fun to see, Jeff.  Karloff was built up so much for thickness in the chest, too.  Okie

Offline cabmangray

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Re: Karloff in Color
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2018, 03:48:03 PM »
This is probably a well known factoid but SON OF FRANKENSTEIN was supposed to be filmed in Technicolor but that idea was scrapped so the film was shot in black and white. I think that's why the Monster is wearing a brown woolen vest; to give him a bit more color rather than just the standard black pants, shirt and jacket. Karloff hated the vest to the point when a large cake was brought in to celebrate his birthday, he made sure to smear a good amount of the cake's icing on the vest, insuring he wouldn't have to wear it the rest of the day.

The color footage raises a question; Jack Pierce said the Monster's original coloring was blue/green to simulate dead skin. So why is Boris colored solid green here?

Offline erik1925

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Re: Karloff in Color
« Reply #3 on: August 08, 2018, 03:58:32 PM »
This is probably a well known factoid but SON OF FRANKENSTEIN was supposed to be filmed in Technicolor but that idea was scrapped so the film was shot in black and white. I think that's why the Monster is wearing a brown woolen vest; to give him a bit more color rather than just the standard black pants, shirt and jacket. Karloff hated the vest to the point when a large cake was brought in to celebrate his birthday, he made sure to smear a good amount of the cake's icing on the vest, insuring he wouldn't have to wear it the rest of the day.

The color footage raises a question; Jack Pierce said the Monster's original coloring was blue/green to simulate dead skin. So why is Boris colored solid green here?

Perhaps the original Monster makeup was a more blue-green. By the time SON OF FRANK was to be produced, Pierce had changed and altered the foundation makeup mix, creating this more pale, green shade. And perhaps the director preferred the way it photographed too, after makeup tests were shot.


-Jeff