Vintage 8x10 in. US single-weight glossy restrike photograph (not a vintage original photo printed at the time it was taken but one that was printed from the original negative at a later time) from the classic 1940's Universal horror film, FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN, released in 1943 by Universal Pictures and directed by Roy William Neill. In this sequel to The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), after being awakened, Larry Talbot chips Frankenstein's
Monster out of a block of ice. When Talbot later changes to the Wolf Man, the two
creatures battle each other.
The image features a great shot of all of the main characters including Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.), Maleva, the gypsy woman (Maria Ouspensakaya), Baroness Elsa Frankenstein (Ilona Massey), and Dr. Frank Mannering (Patric Knowles), stand cautiously outside an entrance to the Frankenstein family castle as the Monster (Bela Lugosi) hides in the background holding a large club in his hand. Printed on single-weight stock with a glossy finish, this vintage original photograph was printed from the original negative, most likely in the 1950's or possibly earlier, so the image quality is razor-sharp with very fine detail and great contrast that enhances this image. It is in fine- condition with random horizontal creases in the top border; a 2 in. diagonal crease on the bottom left corner that just barely touches the background area; and signs of wear on the corners.
Originally, Lon Chaney Jr. was to play both the
Wolf Man and the Frankenstein Monster, but the producers decided the make-up
demands and schedule wouldn't permit this. Late in life Chaney stated in an
interview that he did, however, play both monsters in the film. He may well
have been referring, correctly, to Abbott
and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), where he briefly doubled Glenn
Strange after Strange broke an ankle throwing a woman through the
laboratory skylight near the end of the film. You can actually see Strange
stumble but keep upright after the throw. With Bela
Lugosi's dialogue scenes cut, he's only on screen for five minutes and 6
seconds, with stunt men and doubles appearing in almost two additional minutes.