Soulful Facts About Eddie and the CruisersOn October 2. In his heyday, Bela Lugosi was hailed as the undisputed king of horror. Eighty five years after he first donned a vampires cape, Lugosis take on Count Dracula is still widely hailed as the definitive portrayal of the legendary fiend. But who was the man behind the monster HE WORKED WITH THE NATIONAL THEATER OF HUNGARY. To the chagrin of his biographers, the details concerning Bela Lugosis youth have been clouded in mystery. In a 1. 92. 9 interview, he straight up admitted for purposes of simplification, I have always thought it better to tell lies about the early years of my life. That said, we do know that he was born as Bla Ferenc Dezs Blask on October 2. Lugoj, Hungary now part of Romania. We also know that his professional stage debut came at some point in either 1. By 1. 90. 3, Lugosi had begun to find steady work with traveling theater companies, through which he took part in operas, operettas, and stage plays. In 1. 91. 3, Lugosi caught a major break when the most prestigious performing arts venue in his native countrythe Budapest based National Theater of Hungarycast him in no less than 3. Most of the characters that he played there were small Shakespearean roles such as Rosencrantz in Hamlet and Sir Walter Herbert in Richard III. The latest news and headlines from Yahoo News. Get breaking news stories and indepth coverage with videos and photos. AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Terms of Use Preferences Contact Us. The following is an alphabetical list of the minor characters in the various versions of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. HE FOUGHT IN WORLD WAR I. The so called war to end all wars put Lugosis dramatic aspirations on hold. Although being a member of the National Theater exempted him from military service, he voluntarily enlisted in the Austro Hungarian Army in 1. Over the next year and a half, he fought against Russian forces as a lieutenant with the 4. Watch Eddie And The Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! Online' title='Watch Eddie And The Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! Online' />Royal Hungarian Infantry. While serving in the Carpathian mountains, Lugosi was wounded on three separate occasions. Upon healing from his injuries, he left the armed forces in 1. National Theater. WHEN HE MADE HIS BROADWAY DEBUT, LUGOSI BARELY KNEW ANY ENGLISH. In December 1. 92. Lugosi boarded a cargo boat and emigrated to the United States. Two years later, audiences on the Great White Way got their first look at this charismatic stage veteran. Lugosi was cast as Fernandoa suave, Latin loverin the 1. Broadway stage play The Red Poppy. At the time, his grasp of the English language was practically nonexistent. Undaunted, Lugosi went over all of his lines with a tutor. Although he couldnt comprehend their meaning, the actor managed to memorize and phonetically reproduce every single syllable that he was supposed to deliver on stage. UNIVERSAL DIDNT WANT TO CAST HIM AS COUNT DRACULA. The year 1. 92. 7 saw Bela Lugosi sink his teeth into the role of a lifetime. A play based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker had opened in London in 1. Sensing its potential, Horace Liveright, an American producer, decided to create an U. S. version of the show. Over the summer of 1. Lugosi was cast as the blood sucking Count Dracula. For him, the part represented a real challenge. In Lugosis own words, It was a complete change from the usual romantic characters I was playing, but it was a success. It certainly was. Enhanced by his presence, the American Dracula remained on Broadway for a full year, then spent two years touring the country. Impressed by its box office prowess, Universal decided to adapt the show into a major motion picture in 1. Horror fans might be surprised to learn that when the studio began the process of casting this movies vampiric villain, Lugosi was not their first choice. At the time, Lugosi was still a relative unknown, which made director Tod Browning more than a little hesitant to offer him the job. A number of established actors were all considered before the man whod played Dracula on Broadway was tapped to immortalize his biting performance on film. MOST OF HIS DRACULA RELATED FAN MAIL CAME FROM WOMEN. The recent Twilight phenomenon is not without historical precedent. Lugosi estimated that, while he was playing the Count on Broadway, more than 9. A 1. 93. 2 Universal press book quotes him as saying, When I was on the stage in Dracula, my audiences were composed mostly of women. Moreover, Lugosi contended that most of the men whod attended his show had merely been dragged there by female companions. HE TURNED DOWN THE ROLE OF FRANKENSTEINS MONSTER. Released in 1. 93. Dracula quickly became one of the years biggest hits for Universal some film historians even argue that the movie single handedly rescued the ailing studio from bankruptcy. Furthermore, its astronomical success transformed Lugosi into a household name for the first time in his career. Regrettably for him, though, hed soon miss the chance to star in another smash. Pleased by Draculas box office showing, Universal green lit a new cinematic adaptation of Mary Shelleys Frankenstein. Lugosi seemed like the natural choice to play the monster, but because the poor brute had few lines and would be caked in layers of thick makeup, the actor rejected the job offer. Watch The Young Messiah Online (2017) here. As far as Lugosi was concerned, the character was better suited for some half wit extra than a serious actor. Once the superstar tossed Frankenstein aside, the part was given to a little known actor named Boris Karloff. Moviegoers eventually did get to see Lugosi play the bolt necked corpse in the 1. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. According to some sources, he strongly detested the guttural scream that the script forced him to emit at regular intervals. That yell is the worst thing about the part. You feel like a big jerk every time you do it Lugosi allegedly complained. LUGOSIS RELATIONSHIP WITH BORIS KARLOFF WAS MORE CORDIAL THAN ITS USUALLY MADE OUT TO BE. Its often reported that the two horror icons were embittered rivals. In reality, however, Karloff and Lugosi seemed to have harbored some mutual respectand perhaps even affection for one another. The dynamic duo co starred in five films together, the first of which was 1. The Black Cat Karloff claimed that, on set, Lugosi was Suspicious of tricks, fearful of what he regarded as scene stealing. Later on, when he realized I didnt go in for such nonsense, we became friends. During one of their later collaborations, Lugosi told the press we laughed over my sad mistake and his good fortune as Frankenstein is concerned. That being said, Lugosi probably didnt appreciate the fact that in every single film which featured both actors, Karloff got top billing. Also, he once privately remarked, If it hadnt been for Boris Karloff, I could have had a corner on the horror market. Paranormal Activity 3 Online Putlocker on this page. HE LOVED SOCCER. In 1. Lugosi was named Honorary President of the Los Angeles Soccer League. An avid fan, he was regularly seen at Loyola Stadium, where hed occasionally kick off the first ball during games held there. Also, on top of donating funds to certain Hungarian teams, Lugosi helped finance the Los Angeles Magyar soccer club. When the team won a state championship in 1. Draculas castle with the state cup. Watch The Cry Of The Owl Online Hitfix. PDF9. HE WAS A HARDCORE STAMP COLLECTOR. Lugosis fourth wife, Lillian Arch, claimed that Lugosi maintained a collection of more than 1. Once, on a 1. 94. Boston, he told the press that he intended to visit all 1. Stamp collecting, Lugosi declared, is a hobby which may cost you as much as 1. You can always sell your stamps with not more than a 1. Sometimes, you can even make money. Fittingly enough, the image of Lugosis iconic Dracula appeared on a commemorative stamp issued by the post office in 1. LUGOSI ALMOST DIDNT APPEAR IN ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEINBECAUSE THE STUDIO THOUGHT HE WAS DEAD. The role of Count Dracula in this 1. Ian Keithwho was considered for the same role in the 1. Dracula movie. Being a good sport, Lugosi helped promote the horror comedy by making a special guest appearance on The Abbott and Costello Show. While playing himself in one memorable sketch, the famed actor claimed to eat rattlesnake burgers for dinner and shrouded wheat for breakfast. A CHIROPRACTOR FILLED IN FOR HIM IN PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. Autos Yahoo News Latest News Headlines. Aki Sugawara. Affordability or luxurytraditionally you could choose only one when it came to electric cars. On the low end you had the spartan, 2. Smart For. Two Electric Drive, and on the other end theres the Tesla Model S, the commuter chariot for the one percent, with little in between. Tesla has promised the seemingly impossible with the Model 3, an attainable premium electric car that wont have you fretting about range, and the momentous response and long queues to reserve one echoes that of a new i.