The Monster crashes the annual May dance sponsored by the
Fire Department, one of several “personal appearances” promoting BRIDE OF
FRANKENSTEIN, coming to the Astor Theatre in Reading, Pennsylvania.
According to the Motion Picture Herald of June 29, 1935, the “makeup stunt” was cooked up by house manager Dwight Van Meter
using the Astor’s doorman as stand-in for The Monster. The transformation —
said to have cost all of $2.15 — proved popular. High school seniors arranged a
mock wedding — The Monster Demands a Mate! — and the very odd couple was seen driving around town in a bannered
car and popping up at local nightclubs. One stop was at the swanky Riverside
Club on Friday, May 17, same day the film opened.
The Monster gag had kicked off a week earlier when the Astor
ran the film’s trailer. The live Monster appeared in a green spotlight, chained
to a large chair — as Karloff was in the film’s dungeon scene — rising out of
the stage floor on the organ’s elevator loft, to weird sound effects. As the
trailer played out, the snarling Monster broke his chains and escaped into the
wings.
Dubbed “
unique bally”,
The Monster’s manifestations in and around Reading helped drum up some
excellent business at the Astor. By Sunday, the theatre was boasting 18,904 in
attendance over two days and the film would be held over for a second week.
Sources: Motion Picture Herald via the Media History Digital Library, and The Reading Eagle.
1 comment:
He looks great for a local job!
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