The Universal Horrors - Part 3

The Secret History Of Hollywood

Adam Roche

Tv & Film, Film History

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 3 October 2023

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Universal Horror series is one of the most beloved movie franchises of all time, having laid the foundations for horror cinema as we know it. During the build-up to Halloween 2023, join me as we revisit seminal Secret History Of Hollywood series, A Universe Of Horrors, as well as several more small forays into the dark shadows of the silver screen that have haunted our dreams for so long... In this third part, hear the story of James Whale, the visionary creator who would steer the Universal Horrors through their most influential era, and the meteoric rise of Boris Karloff, including his early hits, and a fateful visit to his homeland... For complete access to the entire A Universe Of Horrors series, as well as hundreds more hours of drama, history and storytelling, sign up at Patreon.com/attaboysecret now Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to an AirWave Media Podcast.
0:30.8	This newly mastered version of a universe of horrors is one of twelve series of the secret
0:36.7	history of Hollywood. New episodes are being written and created all the time.
0:41.6	If you'd like full access to every drama, every thrill, every story, then sign up now at patreon.com
0:49.3	slash atterboysecret or follow the link in the show notes of this episode. And thank you.
0:56.8	MGM jumped on the horror bandwagon with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,
1:02.4	a prestigious adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic that netted its star,
1:06.9	Frederick March, the Oscar for Best Actor the following year.
1:11.5	Warner Bros. threw its hat into the ring with Dr. X, a grizzly tale starring Lionel Atwill
1:17.6	that included murder, rape, cannibalism and prostitution.
1:22.0	Todd Browning returned to MGM and hoping to emulate the financial success of Dracula,
1:27.6	the studio gave him card Blanche to create his choice of shocker.
1:31.9	The project he developed was entitled Freaks, the grim tale of a traveling circus,
1:37.6	and the side-show characters that exact a sickening revenge when one of their numbers is almost murdered
1:43.2	by a fortune-seeking villainous acrobat named Cleopatra.
1:52.4	The film took the bold step of casting real-life cannibal side-show performers with real deformities.
2:05.6	While Browning insisted that his movie was informative and not exploitative,
2:10.2	MGM producers were not convinced and refused to allow him the use of murder,
2:15.2	and Jean Harlow in pivotal roles.
2:19.1	The result didn't just shock audiences, it appalled them.
2:25.2	The film was a catastrophic failure and was quickly pulled from cinemas after angry complaints
2:30.5	from patrons who felt that MGM had gone too far, especially after its hideous finale.
	...

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