Tales of Frankenstein (TV pilot/trailers set)
Picture: C
Sound: C Extras: B Pilot show: C
Frankenstein as a film topic had its first two peaks at
two studios, Universal Pictures, then Hammer Studios. Many other Frankenstein films had been made
during that period and continue to surface, but the Tales of Frankenstein DVD
collection is most interested in those eras.
The title refers to an awkward, failed pilot for a TV series that never
took off. Screen Gems Television, ever a
subdivision of Columbia Pictures and now the name of a theatrical releasing
division of the company, sought Hammer to do the series with them. Like Universal in the 1950s and 1960s,
Columbia found themselves starting as a “little sister” studio in the 1930s,
only to rise as a major with the advent of TV.
The program is not all that good and they can be glad they came up with
better shows later.
That leaves a fine set of trailers, interviews, and extras
covering what are still the franchise peaks of Mary Shelley’s infamous monster
and the scientist who built him. Those
main goodies are as follows:
Frankenstein (1931)
Bride of Frankenstein
Son of Frankenstein
Color
Boris Karloff interview excerpt just over 3 minutes
Ghost of Frankenstein
Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man
House of Frankenstein
House of Dracula
Abbott and Costello Meet
Frankenstein
Brief
color Peter Cushing interview excerpt around 2 minutes long
Curse of Frankenstein (Hammer)
How To Make a Monster
I Was a Teenage Frankenstein
Frankenstein’s Daughter
Frankenstein Conquers The World
Frankenstein Meets The Space
Monster
Munster Go Home
Frankenstein 1970
Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s
Daughter
Lady Frankenstein
Dracula vs. Frankenstein
Frankenstein Created Woman
Brief
interview clip with Hammer’s Michael Carreras
Tales of Frankenstein pilot
Excerpt
from Tales of Tomorrow series with
Lon Chaney as Frankenstein
and Mel
Brooks’ trailer for Young Frankenstein,
which has become a musical since this DVD was issued.
Notoriously missing was the trailer for the 3-D, scope,
X-Rated Flesh for Frankenstein, which came out the same year as the Mel
Brooks film and was a hit that commented on the Hammer films among other
things. Directed by Paul Morrissey, it
was also released as Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein, but the trailer is not
even on the Criterion Collection DVD.
Image Entertainment reissued the film on DVD later. Too bad more Hammer Frankenstein trailers are
not here.
Either way, the extras include a reissue trailer for the
1931 Frankenstein, some bloopers from the Abbott & Costello film, a
double feature trailer for How to Make a Monster/Teenage Caveman, a
DVD-ROM section with Shelley’s book, a 38 minutes long Karloff radio interview
that is very good, a 62 minutes long interview with Glenn Strange, and then
there is an audio commentary that runs through the main contents listed above.
As they did on All Day’s DVD of The Horror of Hammer,
Ted Newsom, Gary H. Smith and Stuart Galbraith IV deliver excellent commentary
all about the history of Frankenstein and the film & TV productions. Even if you do not like Frankenstein, their
information alone makes it worth buying this DVD outright. For the rest of us, this is a remarkable
package that offers tons of information and entertainment.
- Nicholas Sheffo
