Term Paper on "Boris Karloff Career"

Term Paper 5 pages (1785 words) Sources: 1

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Career of Boris Karloff - Monster's Best Friend

"the monster was the best friend I ever had."

Boris Karloff

Boris Karloff is best known for bringing Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein" monster to life in the 1931 black and white horror film by Universal Studios. However, there is a far more to this talented actor's life and works than one low-budget cult classic movie. From quiet beginnings to the life of the "Master of Horror," Karloff is one of the most notable names in twentieth century cinematic horror. With foreign ancestry, Karloff claimed to be Russian (but was in fact Indian), and this exotic addition to his talent created an impact on audiences worldwide that would remember his films into the next millennium. His famous portrayal of Frankenstein's Monster would be many times imitated but never equaled, and Boris Karloff was destined to be one of the most revered monsters to come out of Hollywood.

Boris Karloff was not the given name of the famous actor. Born in London, England, his given name was actually far more British than stage-friendly; William Henry Pratt was born on November 23, 1887. He was the youngest of eight children, and it was actually his older brothers that would raise him. His father actually died when he was a young infant. Karloff's father had been a public official in India, and the family expected that the child would follow a similar path and take the place of the father in the family. One of his older brothers, the longest surviving Sir John Pratt, was himself a diplomat. For his early school days, he attended Merchant Taylor's School at Uppingham, a prestigious institution. For higher education, he would attend London University, where he specialized in Chinese customs in the Consular Service program. By the early 1900's, Karloff had realized that the life of a diplomat was not his cup of tea despite his family's expectations and education. The confining clothes and heavy traveling were perhaps a bit much to swallow. In order to find for himself more enjoyable career opportunities than he felt were available to him in England, he immigrated to Canada in 1908 to start a new life. A change in career was not Karloff's only plan in leaving the country; at the age of twenty-one, Karloff eloped with Olive Wilton, who was to be the first of his five wives

Karloff first attempted to become a farmer in Canada, but wound up working as a truck driver, and tried his hand in many forms of labor. It was not until 1910 that he actually fell into an acting job by doing just that -- acting. Playing the part of an experienced actor, Karloff spun tales about his successful acting career back in the old country. Impressed with his fabricated track record, a traveling theater group hired him to play the part of a Banker in a play called "The Devil."

He remained with traveling companies for a while, living the tough life of an actor on the road in North America, playing many different parts and passing through cities. Ironically, the traveling and restrictive clothing that turned him off of the consular path were a necessity in the traveling theater groups, though artistic freedom is, of course, priceless. These days of intense training gave him the skills he would require to become the acting legend of moving pictures. Donning heavy makeup and intense costumes, Karloff often portrayed character that were far older than he was, and did it convincingly. He became an experienced and talented character actor, learning how to effectively convey emotion and drama even through many layers of stage makeup. It was also during his years as a traveling actor that he changed his name from Pratt to the famous stage name Boris Karloff. According to karloff, "I didn't think Pratt a terribly good stage name, so I changed it to Karloff. it's a remote family name on my mother's side. it's been a very fortunate name for me. A lucky name." (Karloff in Jones) Boris Karloff sounded much better on the billboards.

When the first World War began, Karloff attempted to enlist in the British army, but he was rejected due to a heart murmur. Unable to fight, he continued acting, and it was fate that dropped him in Los Angeles. His acting company broke apart after entering the city, and for a while at least Karloff would again drive trucks. As a truck driver, Karloff would meet Lon Chaney, who was the king of the silent era of horror films. This friend would introduce him to movies (which were then silent), though they were never destined to be in a film together. In 1919 Karloff appeared as an extra in the movie "His Majesty, the American," released by United Artists. His screen time was under two minutes, and he would have a series of similar extra roles in films, then finally had a featured role in "The Deadlier Sex" as a Canadian villain, in 1920.

In the coming years, Karloff would land a number of not-quite-starring roles as villains like bandits, crooks, and pirates. His one non-villanous character was in "Omar the Tentmaker" in 1922, but he would again play the bad guy in "Dyna Mite Dan," "Parisian Nights," "Prairie Life," "Montenlead and Mesmerism," and "Forbidden Cargo."

Karloff enjoyed playing this sort of role. "When I first started acting on the stage, I liked 'heavy' roles, and later in pictures I always sought them." (Karloff in Jones) Karloff did not consider "type casting" to be the curse that many career actors do, and thought himself fortunate that audiences and studios alike had recognized and appreciated his talent for certain parts. He was particularly grateful that audiences demanded seeing more of him in those villainous parts. Films of special note from the years following "Frankenstein" include "The Bells" in 1926, and his part in "Tarzan and the Golden Lion" in 1927, in which he continued his villainous work.

With the coming of Talkies, Karloff's career suffered a setback, and it would not be until "Unholy Night" in 1929 that he would have a speaking role on screen as a Hindu servant, though this appearance went largely unnoticed. Between 1930 and 1931, he would have more obscure roles in "The Sea Bat," "Craft," and even a comedy called "Cracked Nuts." However, success would change completely in 1931 when Universal Pictures decided to adapt the Mary Shelly novel "Frankenstein" to the big screen. Bela Lugosi (of "Dracula" fame) refused the role of Frankenstein's monster when approached by Universal Studios, according to some sources because it had no dialogue. Some accounts say that Lugosi introduced Karloff for the role, others that a studio executive remembered Karloff's previous work as a convict on screen, but either way the part of the Monster was his. The head of Universal studios, Carl Laemmle, said that it was Karloff's eyes that landed him the role. "They mirrored the sufferings of the poor dumb creature, in contrast to his frighffulappearance and hideous strength." (Laemmle in Jones) Karloff did not need dialogue to bring this character to life, "a fascinating job he had no speech and hardly any intelligence, yet you had to convey a tragic part....All my letters from young people invariably expressed great compassion for the monster I played. I played it as a poor, helpless, inarticulate thing which wasa victim of circumstances. They understood that, somehow." (Karloff in Jones) This film is the landmark where most people consider Karloff's career to have truly begun, and it remains the role for which he is best known. Even later films, like "The Mummy" which experienced great box office success and cultural acclaim, were tagged as starring Boris Karloff of "Frankenstein" fame. Karloff was so connected with this character that, after filming, he held onto the prosthetic pieces that gave the Monster his signature look, and he referred to this character as being his best friend throughout his career.

Karloff would play a mobster in "Scarface," and return to England after 20 long years to star in "The Ghoul." His next role would again propel him into the horror spotlight. "The Mummy" featured Karloff as the evil Im-Ho-Tep that not only had lots of dialogue but spent most of the film on-screen. Several crime films followed, including the noteworthy "The Mask of Fu Manchu" which required extensive make-up and heavy dialogue. In 1935, Karloff would co-star in "The Raven" with Bela Lugosi, playing another villain with serious deformities, followed by the long-awaited "The Bride of Frankenstein." This sequel is considered by many film critics to be the best of the Frankenstein series. In the 1936 "The Invisible Ray," Karloff would be a radioactive killer, and he would play mad scientists in "Juggernaut" and "The Man Who Lived Again," both filmed in England. "The Invisible Menace," "The Black Room," and "Charlie Chan at the Opera" followed, and "Tower of London" featured a striking bald killer Karloff. "Son of Frankenstein" would be… READ MORE

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