Boris Karloff
The Frankenstein Monster

Boris Karloff
1887 - 1969

Boris Karloff was born William Henry Pratt in 1887. He was a noted actor even before he played The Frankenstein Monster. For many years he worked on the stage trying to make ends meet.

In 1931 James Whale directed Karloff in Frankenstein which truly made him 
a star. To play The Frankenstein Monster, Karloff had to endure hours of 
sitting in a chair having his makeup applied. Unlike many actors, he did 
not mind having his career linked to The Monster. He said, "The Monster 
was the best friend I could ever have."

Karloff thought Whales was a great director but, he did not entirely agree 
with all of Whales direction. In the scene where The Monster and the 
little girl were putting flowers in the water, Karloff thought that The 
Monster should pick up the little girl and gently place her in the water 
as he had done with the flowers. Then the girl would simply sink. To him, 
this would not have been a deliberate act of violence. Whale on the other 
hand made him pick up the girl over his head and toss her in the water, 
which Karloff insisted be removed from the movie.

After Frankenstein, Karloff played The Monster a total of three times. 
These include: Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Son of 
Frankenstein (1939). Karloff played many characters over the years, even 
The Mummy but, he will always be best remembered as The Frankenstein 
Monster.

Growing up, I never missed, "How The Grinch Stole Christmas," which was narrated by Karloff. The very first time I saw it, I was eight years old.  I have to admit that loving horror movies is what first drew me into 
watching it. There is no way they could have ever found a better person to 
voice The Grinch.  I still enjoy watching it each year at Christmas time 
with my kids.

The Opening Sequence....

In the opening sequence of the movie,  Edward Van Sloan (Dr Waldman) gave the following speech to warn the audience of how shocking and scary the movie was..

"We are about to unfold the story of Frankenstein, a man of science who sought to create a man after his own image without reckoning upon God. It is one of 
the strangest tales ever told. It deals with the two great mysteries of creation: Life and death. I think it will thrill you. It may shock you. It might even 
horrify you. So, if any of you feel that you do not care to subject your nerves to such a strain, now's your chance to... Uh, well... We warned you."