About this item
Highlights
- He was born Bela Ferenc Dezso Blasko on October 20, 1882, in Hungary.
- About the Author: Gary Don Rhodes, a documentary filmmaker, is a professor at the Queen's University, Belfast.
- 430 Pages
- Biography + Autobiography, Entertainment & Performing Arts
Description
About the Book
He was born Bila Ferenc Dezso Blasko on October 20, 1882, in Hungary. He joined Budapest's National Theater in 1913 and later appeared in several Hungarian films under the pseudonym Arisztid Olt. After World War I, he helped the Communist regime nationalize Hungary's film industry, but barely escaped arrest when the government was deposed, fleeing to the United States in 1920.Book Synopsis
He was born Bela Ferenc Dezso Blasko on October 20, 1882, in Hungary. He joined Budapest's National Theater in 1913 and later appeared in several Hungarian films under the pseudonym Arisztid Olt. After World War I, he helped the Communist regime nationalize Hungary's film industry, but barely escaped arrest when the government was deposed, fleeing to the United States in 1920.
As he became a star in American horror films in the 1930s and 1940s, publicists and fan magazines crafted outlandish stories to create a new history for Lugosi. The cinema's Dracula was transformed into one of Hollywood's most mysterious actors. This exhaustive account of Lugosi's work in film, radio, theater, vaudeville and television provides an extensive biographical look at the actor. The enormous merchandising industry built around him is also examined.
Review Quotes
"everything Lugosi ever said or did"-Library Journal; "highly engaging...exhaustive...a magnificent collation of facts and figures"-Film Review; "for serious students of Lugosi, this is the place to start"-Movie Collector's World; "belongs in any film lover's library"-Filmfax; "I have this book and I treasure it...grand"-Scarlet Street; "nothing short of amazing"-Cult Movies; "highly recommended!"-Midnight Marquee; "it can easily lay claim to being the best book ever written about Bela Lugosi"-Little Shoppe of Horrors; "illustrated throughout with rare stills, candid publicity shots and trade posters...this is an essential purchase"-Crimson; "probably won't be topped"-Fangoria; "I really can't praise this book highly enough"-Samhain; "truly an achievement"-The Silents Majority On-Line Journal; "excellent...definitive and comprehensive chronology of Lugosi's career"-Monsters from the Vault; "first class"-The Other Side of Show Business; "the most revealing biography of all"-www.maremagnum.com; "a book that should answer every question a Lugosi fan might have"-Big Reel.
About the Author
Gary Don Rhodes, a documentary filmmaker, is a professor at the Queen's University, Belfast.