By Steve Vertlieb: Boris Karloff remains the definition and symbol of cinema’s classic age of “Horror.”
He was a gentle giant who charmed children of all ages, while thrilling their parents in beloved tales of classic terror. The wonderful Boris Karloff was born on November 23rd, 1887, and is the subject of a new, full length, screen documentary, written and produced by Ronald Maccloskey, entitled Boris Karloff: The Man Behind The “Monster”.
“Karloff, The Uncanny” became Frankenstein’s “Monster” to generations of adoring movie goers but, at his core, was a cultured gentleman, loving father, and hard working performer who co-created the legendary Screen Actor’s Guild in his quest for equal rights for actors all over the world.
His cinematic legacy is incalculable. William Henry Pratt was a cultured, lovely soul whose presence enriched the timeless fabric of motion pictures, television, radio, and the Broadway stage, and became the most enduringly beloved actor in the checkered history of classic “Horror Films.” Read my affectionate remembrance of this gentle giant … the undisputed “King of Horror” …the one and only Boris Karloff at The Thunder Child: “Vertlieb’s Views: The Life of Boris Karloff”.
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When my father was in the Marines during WW2, he was fortunate enough to see Mr. Karloff perform the role he created on Broadway, brother Jonathan in “Arsenic and Old Lace,” during a live USO show. My father saw a lot of Broadway shows during his working days in NYC, but that open-air show in Hawaii was one of his favorites and he always had a fond spot for Karloff because of it.
I don’t usually watch a movie, just because of one star. But for Mr. Karloff I would. To the best of my knowledge, I’ve seen everything he was ever in. I even have a DVD collection, (scratchy and grey because they were all copied first on Beta tapes, and had to be copied from those, first to VHS, and then to DVD) of the complete run of Thriller. But I would have to say my very favorite was The Mummy, which I absolutely must watch every October. Thank you, Steve, for bringing a big smile to my face.