The Happy Couple
Follow up to 1931’s “Frankenstein” starring Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester and Colin Clive. Boris is terrific in this one. Valerie Hobson plays Frankenstein’s bride Elizabeth. A lot of the music track was used in the Flash Gordon serials.
Mary Shelly (Elsa Lanchester), her husband and Lord Byron are together on a dark and stormy night. She tells them the rest of the Frankenstein story.
The villagers are happy they’ve destroyed The Monster (Boris Karloff). Hans, whose little daughter was killed by The Monster wants to make sure it’s dead. He falls into the water. Coming to join him is…The Monster. Hans drowns…with some help.
Next to fall in is his wife (Mary Gordon). While The Monster heads for the woods Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) is carried back to the castle to his fiancee Elizabeth (Valerie Hobson). Dropping by for a visit is his former teacher Dr.Pretorius. He wants them to join forces.
In a comedy sequence he shows Henry his collection of little people he keeps in jars. Henry says he wants nothing to do with the experiments.
In the woods The Monster comes across a girl with her sheep. He tries to be friendly. She screams and runs off. He’s spotted by a couple villagers who tear into town and get help. The Monster is captured and taken to a cellar and attached to the wall. That doesn’t last long.
He escapes and it leads to the classic sequence with a blind man. Look fast and you’ll spot John Carradine as a hunter. The Monster escapes and ends up with Pretorius. He can speak several words, loves to drink wine and thinks having a woman made for him is a great idea.
Not to be missed is the lab sequence when the bride (Elsa Lanchester) is brought to life.
This is a classic horror film. Una O’Connor is annoying as Millie but that’s what the part calls for.
Mary Gordon played Mrs. Hudson, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson’s landlady in the Basil Rathbone-Nigel Bruce series.
Look real fast and you’ll spot Walter Brennan in a bit part as a neighbor. In a quick bit as Pretorius’ lab assistant Karl is Dwight Frye, Renfield from 1931’s “Dracula.”
The next in the series is “Son Of Frankenstein” (1939) with Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Lionel Atwill.
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