FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAY

The classic horror flick "Frankenstein," starring Boris Karloff as the monster, is celebrating its 85th anniversary this November. It came out in 1931. Here's some trivia about the movie from the Internet Movie Database:

• Not long before filming began, Colin Clive (Dr. Frankenstein) broke a leg in a horse riding accident. Consequently, most of Dr. Frankenstein's scenes were shot with him sitting.
• When filming the scene where the monster emerges from the burnt windmill, Karloff, Boris slipped and fell into the water-filled well. Upon being helped out, he realized he had broken a leg in the fall. The metal struts used to stiffen his legs (for the famous "monster lurch") helped keep the bones in place until they could be properly set.
• The musical soundtrack for this film proved so popular, it was used again in the "Flash Gordon" serials starring Crabbe, Buster.
• When Frankenstein's castle is self-destructing, the Doctor can be seen against the far wall. Yet he is next seen outside in the arms of his beloved, watching the explosions.
• There were two endings originally: the first had Doctor Frankenstein dying within the castle and this was filmed. But the producers judged this a bit harsh and wanted a happy ending, so they shot the extra footage (too expensive to re-film the explosions).
• The movie was shot in 46 days at a cost of approximately $400,000. Boris Karloff sweated off 20 pounds laboring in the hot costume and makeup.
• The "body count" in the original cut was 21. This was trimmed to 10 after pressure from the censors.
• Director Whale, James originally did not want to do a sequel to "Frankenstein."
• Bela Lugosi (known for his Dracula roles) was offered the role of the Monster but refused on the grounds that his character would not speak (though he eventually played the role in "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" (1943)). Lugosi also insisted on creating his own makeup for the Monster, but his design was rejected.
• John Carradine turned down the part of the Monster because he considered himself too highly trained to be reduced to playing monsters.