The Wolf Man (1941)

Director:

George Waggner

Writer:

Curt Siodmak (original screenplay)

Release Date:

12 December 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Tagline:

"His hideous howl a dirge of death!"

Plot:

A practical man returns to his homeland, is attacked by a creature of folklore, and infected with a horrific disease his disciplined mind tells him can not possibly exist.

Plot Keywords:

Werewolf | Wolf | Full Moon | Gypsy | Wolf Man

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Lon Chaney Jr.	...	The Wolf Man (as Lon Chaney)
Claude Rains	...	Sir John Talbot
Ralph Bellamy	...	Col. Montford
Warren William	...	Dr. Lloyd
Patric Knowles	...	Frank Andrews
Bela Lugosi	...	Bela
Maria Ouspenskaya	...	Maleva
Evelyn Ankers	...	Gwen Conliffe
Fay Helm	...	Jenny Williams
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Charles Conliffe
Forrester Harvey	...	Twiddle
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jessie Arnold	...	Gypsy Woman (uncredited)
Caroline Cooke	...	Woman (uncredited)
Harry Cording	...	Wykes (uncredited)
Margaret Fealy	...	Woman (uncredited)
Gibson Gowland	...	Villager (uncredited)
Leyland Hodgson	...	Kendall - Butler (uncredited)
Olaf Hytten	...	Villager (uncredited)
La Riana	...	Gypsy Dancer (uncredited)
Connie Leon	...	Mrs. Wykes (uncredited)
Doris Lloyd	...	Mrs. Williams (uncredited)
Ottola Nesmith	...	Mrs. Bally (uncredited)
Eddie Polo	...	Churchgoer (uncredited)
Ernie Stanton	...	Phillips - Search Party Member (uncredited)
Tom Stevenson	...	Richardson - Gravedigger (uncredited)
Harry Stubbs	...	Rev. Norman (uncredited)
Eric Wilton	...	Chauffeur (uncredited)

Directed by
George Waggner

Writing credits
Curt Siodmak		(original screenplay)

Produced by
George Waggner	....	producer
Jack J. Gross	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Charles Previn		(uncredited)
Hans J. Salter		(uncredited)
Frank Skinner		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Joseph A. Valentine		(director of photography) (as Joseph Valentine)

Film Editing by
Ted J. Kent		(as Ted Kent)

Art Direction by
Jack Otterson

Set Decoration by
Russell A. Gausman		(as R.A. Gausman)

Costume Design by
Vera West		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Jack P. Pierce	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Vernon Keays	....	assistant director

Art Department
Robert F. Boyle	....	associate art director (as Robert Boyle)

Sound Department
Bernard B. Brown	....	sound director
Joe Lapis	....	technician

Special Effects by
Ellis Burman	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
John P. Fulton	....	special effects (uncredited)

Music Department
Charles Previn	....	musical director

Other crew
Ellis Burman	....	property maker: Larry's Silver Wolf Head Cane (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures (presents) (as Universal Pictures Company, Inc.)

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1941) (USA) (theatrical)
• Film Classics (1948) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Screen Gems (1957) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Video (2002) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2010) (Netherlands) (DVD) (2-disc special edition)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD) (2-disc special edition)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1987) (Finland) (TV)
• Universal Pictures Finland (2002) (2009) (Finland) (DVD) (1-disc editions)
• Universal Pictures Finland (2002) (Finland) (DVD) (8-disc Classic Monsters Collection)
• Universal Pictures Finland (2004) (Finland) (DVD) (14-disc Monster Legacy Collection)
• Universal Pictures Finland (2004) (Finland) (DVD) (3-disc The Wolf Man the Legacy Collection)
• Universal Pictures Finland (2004) (Finland) (DVD) (9-disc Original Monsters Collection)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Germany:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #7973) | Canada:PG | Finland:K-11 (2004) | Spain:13 | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Brazil:12

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Despite Universal's apprehensions over the public's appetite for horror movies following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the film became one of the studio's top grossers in 1942.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the climactic scenes in the forest, the same log (resembling an open alligator's mouth) can be seen in different sections of the forest at the same time.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Chauffeur:Talbot Castle, Mr. Larry.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Cinemassacre's Monster Madness: Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (#5.5)" (2011)

Insert Clever Werewolf Joke Here

It wasn't the first werewolf movie (that honor goes to `Werewolf of London'), but it was `The Wolf Man' that gives us most of the werewolf mythology we still cling to today.

As with most classics, `The Wolf Man' draws its power from a combination of elements. First, there's Curt Siodmak's plausible and intelligent script. Siodmak said he was given a title, a star and a start date, and from there he consolidated and invented the werewolf myth into a cohesive, logical format.

Then there's the actors, a veritable who's who of 1930s-40s Universal horror. Lon Chaney joins the pantheon on great horror actors on this one, playing the tormented Larry Talbot. He manages to give Larry a tragic quality, a man trapped by a curse he doesn't understand or deserve. Chaney also generates considerable chemistry with the luminous Evelyn Ankers, which is surprising considering the rumors that the two practically hated each other. And then there's the always-excellent Claude Rains, who doesn't look very much like Lon Chaney's father, but still exudes quiet authority and authenticity.

Topping off the whole package is a healthy dollop of atmosphere: foggy forests, Gothic mansions and crypts, colorful Gypsy encampments. Each bit of design enhances the sense of mystery and dread that surround Larry Talbot, and burns `The Wolf Man' into your memory.

I'll never walk a foggy forest at night again!