John T. Ryan WILLIAM HENRY PRATT had a long and highly prolific career in both the Legitimate Theatre, as well as in Film. His was an immense talent, which was somewhat under-appreciated for his successes in the Horror Film Genre. This is quite unfair, as his on-screen and on-stage characterizations embraced just about every type.IT IS OF course no secret that the English born thespian changed his professional name while touring Canada in theatrical companies. The chosen moniker was (Drum Roll!!) Boris Karloff. This then was a name that would become synonymous with the fright film and even up to this day, some 75 years after its original release, is so closely identified with the Monster in FRANKENSTEIN & sequels.UPON COMPLETION AND release of FRANKENSTEIN 1970 in 1958*, it was the veteran actor himself who commented that we have forgotten how to make Horror Movies. Having witnessed an early showing of the movie on WNBQ TV, Channel 5 in Chicago. It was this NBC wholly owned subsidiary and local outlet that screened the picture circa 1962, being a scant 4 years or so after its release. (This is perhaps a testimonial to the level of the movie's content) IN MUCH THE same manner as the productions of the British company, Hammer Films, the danger and horror of the Monster is given a secondary role to that of a truly evil, very mad scientist. In this case, it's one Victor Frankenstein XXVII, last of the von Frankenstein descendants.THE MOVIE TRULY misses those excellent pseudo-scientific electrical instruments of Kenneth Strickfadden, which added so much to the original Universal FRANKENSTEIN pictures. The were reprised in Mel Brooks' YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974).AS TO THE supporting cast, we have Don "Red" Barry, Jana Lund, Charlotte Austin, Rudolph Anders and Tom Duggan.** Pro Wrestler, Mike Lane, is seen in a dual-role as both servant/victim Hans Himmler and as the Monster, not that one could tell; as he wore some super-gauze wrap mummy type costume that looks much like a huge tampon.*** THE OVERALL LOOK of the production is that of a 1930's "B" Picture; for which it was perfectly situated. It was an Allied Artists Productoion, which had formerly been poverty row studio, Monogram. Its main tenet about the Dr. Frankenstein wanting to continue his family's image is an element that would be at home in an old, 1930's detective story or an "Old Dark House" type of potboiler.SHOT IN A SORT of retro-futuristic motif, the story is and was disappointing to us, even as kids in the early 1960's. But it did have its moments of even a flirtation with being worthwhile.AT LEAST OUR buddy Schultz and myself saw it that way. "Was you there, Charlie?" NOTE * This makes it one of those movies & TV series where the seemingly long in the future date looses its appeal with the passing of time. Consider if you will: ROLLERBALL, 2001: A SPACE ODYSEY, 1984, SPACE 1999, etc. (No Schultz, not THE JETSONS!)NOTE ** Tom Duggan had been a crusading newsman in Chicago, who had built up a great following in that City (including our Dad, Clem Ryan, 1914-74). He had relocated to the West Coast and took jobs like this as a means of earning extra $$$$.NOTE *** Big Mike Lane, ex Footballer & Pro Grappler was fresh from his great role as Boxer Toro Moreno in THE HARDER THEY FALL (Columbia, 1956); which was Bogart's last picture.

AaronCapenBanner Boris Karloff(at the low-point of his brilliant career) plays Victor Von Frankenstein, last-surviving descendant of the original Baron Frankenstein(though NOT connected to the Universal Studios series Karloff had starred in!) who, because of financial necessity, allows a film crew to make a movie of his ancestors in his castle; the money he receives he plans to use to create a new monster, this time by using atomic energy generated by his own reactor. The actors from the film will make very convenient parts to compose the new monster, much to their surprise and horror... Pathetic attempt at a "futuristic" Frankenstein film is an abject failure, both poorly made and written, with Karloff looking embarrassed about the whole thing; thankfully, his career would pick up soon when he was chosen to host "Thriller"...

mark.waltz all except for the monster who has none, yet somehow manages to find its victim even though Dr. Frankenstein (Boris Karloff) dropped the jar of the eyes from his previous victim, which he kept in his refrigerator, right next to the pickles. Indeed, it looks like he has a treasure trove of foreign beers in that refrigerator for celebrating once his experiment is complete.Almost 20 years since he played this Dr. Frankenstein's ancestor's monster, Karloff now gets to collect the body parts for this pathetic creature which has laid in slumber in the family crypt for over a hundred years. Now some Hollywood film crew is on the estate and Karloff, desperate for money, gets the itch of his ancestors when he suddenly begins playing the organ in a terrifying manor. Karloff manages to hypnotize his family retainer into becoming the first victim to provide the monster with necessary body parts (which they must have run out of at the local Piggly Wiggly) by simply waving his scalpel at the dumbbell.You will hoot, you will howl at the idiotic dialog, not only of Karloff who explains everything he is doing into a reel-to-reel tape-recorder (remember those?) so the audience doesn't have to suspend its belief as to what he is doing. And with times having changed since the days of the original Frankenstein (minus Frau Brucher---she comes later), the doctor has the advantage of some modern appliances to help him with his nefarious experiments. Add on some stupid Hollywood types to provide the drive-in audiences with moments of time to do things other than watch the movie. This is the type of film that screams for Elvira or the two robots from Mystery Science Theater.

bkoganbing The last association that Boris Karloff had with the Frankenstein character came in this low budget Allied Artists film that I remember seeing in the theater in 1958. It was not the best of endings.This time Boris Karloff is playing the last descendant of the Frankenstein clan who's an old man and who in his youth was tortured by the Nazis in an effort to divulge Frankenstein family secrets. It left him quite understandably twisted.Karloff is putting up with a movie company who is shooting on his castle grounds, no doubt shooting a film like Frankenstein 1970, a low budget thriller. The money they're paying him however is paying for an atomic reactor, something his ancestor didn't have, maybe that's the missing ingredient.Of course the bodies start falling, four of them to be precise as Karloff searches for what he needs to revive the Frankenstein monster which he has found and preserved.Boris Karloff and his contemporary Bela Lugosi did both great horror films and a lot of junk. Frankenstein 1970 sad to say falls in the latter category.