Minor characters in Universal Monsters
Encyclopedia
This article is about minor characters
in the fiction
al Universal Monsters
universe
.
. He is a Gypsy fortune teller who is played by Bela Lugosi
, and is the son of the Gypsy crone
Maleva
. Unknown to anyone but his mother however is the fact that Bela is a werewolf
, doomed to transform into a wolf during the full moon and kill those who bear the mark of the pentagram
somewhere on their person. After seeing the pentagram on Jenny Williams
while reading her palms, Bela turned into a wolf and killed her. He himself was then killed by Larry Talbot
by being hit repeatedly by a silver
-handled cane, but not before biting Larry and passing the curse of lycanthropy
on to him.
in Son of Frankenstein
. He was played by Edgar Norton. In addition to being Wolf's butler, Benson sometimes served as his lab assistant. When Wolf agreed to help Ygor revive the Frankenstein Monster, he let Benson in on their little secret so that he could assist him (despite the objections of Ygor, who wanted no one but himself to know that the Monster was still around). Benson told Wolf that they should inform Inspector Krogh of the Monster, unaware that Ygor was listening. The Monster killed Benson on Ygor's order, and his body was later discovered by Krogh stashed in a secret passage
that led from the Frankenstein estate to Wolf's laboratory.
. He is played by Edward Brophy
. He assisted Foghorn and Hammerhead in their attempts to steal Professor Gibbs' invisibility
machine. After a failed attempt to turn Foghorn invisible with the machine, Bill became the de-facto leader of Blackie's henchmen and he and Hammerhead kidnapped Gibbs and Kitty Carroll from Richard Russell
's mansion. When Kitty turned herself invisible, she hit Bill over the head with a rifle
with enough force to bend the barrel
and knocked him unconscious
.
. A jolly roentgenologist played by Maurice Manson
who was a mutual colleague of Dr. William Barton and Dr. Tom Morgan, Dr. Borg was part of their expedition to search for the Gill Man in the Florida Everglades. Borg proved invaluable to the team, as it was his idea to use an advanced sonar
array to locate the creature. Along with Dr. Johnson, he later assisted Barton and Morgan in their surgical transformation of the Gill Man from an aquatic creature
into a land one.
. He was Zee's brother, and dies early in the movie
when the Gill Man attacked him on the deck of the Rita and pulled him down into the water to his death. He was played by Henry A. Escalante.
in The Invisible Woman
. He was a very large man who earned his nickname
thanks his deep bass voice. Along with Bill and Hammerhead, Foghorn was sent to America by Blackie to learn the secret of Professor Gibbs' invisibility
machine. Foghorn attempted to gain entry to Gibbs' house by posing as a fellow scientist, but Kitty Carroll had overheard him talking to Bill and Hammerhead, and identified him as an imposter.
Later, while Kitty and the Professor were away visiting Richard Russell
, Foghorn and his companions broke into Gibbs' laboratory
and dismantled the invisibility machine, returning with it to Blackie's hideout in Mexico. After Hernandez reassembled the machine Blackie opted to test it out on Foghorn, but because it was missing a key component the test failed, and Foghorn lost his deep voice.
, wherein he is played by Lawrence Grant
. He is a former army
colonel
and a prominent Scotland Yard
official, as well as the son of the wealthy Lady Alice Forsythe and the uncle of Captain Paul Ames
. He was baffled by a series of brutal killings which plagued London. Initially he chose not to believe his nephew's theory that the murders were the work of a werewolf
, certain the killings were being done by a normal wolf that had escaped the zoo
.
The mysterious Dr. Yogami came to Colonel Forsythe's office, telling him and Captain Ames of the mariphasa plant in the possession of Dr. Wilfred Glendon and its usefulness as an antidote for lycanthropy
, but Forsythe shrugged him off. It wasn't until he and his men found withered mariphasa blossums in Yogami's apartment, the site of a third murder, that the Colonel finally put two and two together. Forsythe and his men drove to Glendon Manor, arriving in time to shoot the lycanthropic Glendon before he could kill his own wife, Lisa.
. He is played by Shemp Howard. He was one of the ones sent to steal Professor Gibbs' invisibility
machine. It is unclear why he was nicknamed Hammerhead (although possibly it was because he was incredibly brash and headstrong).
assistant who appears in Werewolf of London
. He is played by J.M. Kerrigan. He helped Glendon in his at-home laboratory
and tended to the numerous plants that the botanist kept in his collection. Hawkins was extremely loyal to his boss, so loyal in fact that he did not ask questions whenever Glendon began acting strangely. Although Hawkins did not know for certain it was because Glendon was a werewolf
, he suspected it, especially after seeing Glendon's hand grow fur under the rays of the moon lamp.
who appears in The Creature Walks Among Us
. He is played by James Rawley. A mutual colleague of Dr. William Barton and Dr. Tom Morgan along with Dr. Borg, he accompanied them on their expedition to find the Gill Man in the Florida Everglades and assisted them in their surgical transformation of the creature.
. He is played by Dwight Frye
. He and Ludwig assisted Pretorius in robbing graves
to get the parts needed to create the Bride of Frankenstein. When a fresh heart
was needed for the Bride, Pretorius had Karl go out and murder a young woman and take her heart. When the Bride was being brought to life, the thunderstorm
agitated the Frankenstein Monster, and Karl tried to cow the creature with a lit torch
. This had the opposite effect, as the Monster threw Karl from the laboratory
roof and killed him.
There was an abandoned subplot
in Bride of Frankenstein that fleshed out Karl's character
a bit more, in which he murdered his aunt and uncle, the Glutzes, and blamed their deaths on the Monster. This would've given the Monster a more sufficient reason for tossing Karl off the roof, but ultimately it was cut for time.
huckster
played by George Zucco
who appears in House of Frankenstein
. He was the owner of the travelling show known as Professor Lampini's Chamber of Horrors. Lampini had in his possession the actual skeleton
of Dracula
, which he took from the vampire
's castle
in Carpathia
though this would seem impossible within the Universal series' continuity, as Dracula's skeleton would be resting in the swamps of the American South at the end of Son of Dracula, the previous Dracula installment. While travelling in a rainstorm, Lampini's wagon
became stuck in the mud, and he and his assistant Sherman were unable to move it. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Dr. Gustav Niemann, freshly escaped from prison
, arrived.
Niemann and his assistant Daniel helped Lampini and Sherman free the wagon from the mud, and in return a grateful Lampini allowed the two men hitch a ride with him to the next town. This proved to be a fatal mistake on Lampini's part, for when he refused to take Niemann to Reigelberg, the mad scientist
ordered Daniel to kill him. Daniel did so by breaking Lampini's neck, a rather unflattering end for the man who did indeed possess Dracula's skeleton.
Niemann later impersonated Lampini and brought Dracula back to life by removing the stake from his heart.
detective
who appears in She-Wolf of London
. He is played by Lloyd Corrigan
. He served under Inspector Pierce. When a number of vicious attacks and murders began occurring in a London park
, Latham caused Pierce much grief with his off-the-wall theories that it was the work of a werewolf
. While assisting constables in the nighttime hunt for the killer, Latham fell victim to the She-Wolf herself, Martha Winthrop. Martha cut Latham's throat
, and he died before he could be taken to a hospital.
to the Talbots in Llanwelly, who appears in The Wolf Man. He is played by Warren William
. He looked after Larry Talbot
following his scrape with a werewolf
, and did his best to convince Larry that his nightly transformations were all in his mind, as Lloyd did not believe in werewolves. Lloyd later joined Captain Paul Montford
and Frank Andrews on the hunt for what they all thought was an ordinary wolf, but was in fact the Wolf Man.
, where he is played by Michael Mark, and its sequel
, Bride of Frankenstein
, where he is played by Reginald Barlow
. In the latter film he is strangely referred to as Hans. Presumably this was to avoid confusion with another character
named Ludwig (see below), who assisted Dr. Pretorius.
In Frankenstein, after finding his daughter Maria drowned, Ludwig blamed the Frankenstein Monster and, along with Henry Frankenstein and Burgomaster Vogel, led the angry mob that trapped the Monster in an old windmill
.
Even though the mob burned the windmill down, Ludwig refused to rest until he saw the Monster's dead body. He ended up falling down into the flooded basement
of the mill, where he encountered the still-living Monster. The Monster then killed Ludwig by drowning him.
' two assistants who appear in Bride of Frankenstein. He is played by Ted Billings. He and Karl helped Pretorius rob graves
for the parts needed to create the Bride of Frankenstein, and then assisted Pretorius and Henry Frankenstein in the actual creation of the Bride.
Ludwig completely disappears from Bride of Frankenstein towards the end of the film. The last time he's seen is when he watches the Frankenstein Monster kill Karl, and it is unknown if he was killed too.
, played by Sydney Mason. He worked at the Instituto de Biologia Maritma, and offered his expertise to colleagues Dr. David Reed and Dr. Mark Williams, regarding Dr. Carl Maia's fantastic find of a fossilized Gill Man hand.
. He is played by Dennis Hoey. A Scotland Yard
detective
, Owen was looking into the claims of a seemingly deranged
man that he was not only Larry Talbot
, thought dead for four years, but also a murderous werewolf
. Owen accompanied Dr. Frank Mannering to Llanwelly, where the two discovered that someone had broken into the Talbot family crypt
and that the body of Larry Talbot was missing.
in the movie She-Wolf of London
. The chief of Scotland Yard, Pierce was baffled by a number of brutal attacks occurring in one of London's public parks each full moon. Those who survived claimed it was a "wolf woman", and Pierce's assistant, Latham, was convinced it was a werewolf
. Pierce did not believe so, at least not until Latham was killed and, with his dying breath, said he'd been attacked by a wolf woman. Of course, even then it turned out that the killer was not supernatural
at all, but merely Phyllis Allenby's aunt, Martha Winthrop.
of the research
vessel
Vagabondia III, who appears in The Creature Walks Among Us. He is played by David McMahon
. Stanley took Dr. William Barton and his expedition into the Florida Everglades to hunt for the Gill Man.
's assistant who appears in The Wolf Man. He is played by Forrester Harvey
. Twiddle's job seemed to consist entirely of jotting down whatever clues and information Paul found at a crime scene
on his notepad. An extremely squeamish and cowardly man, Twiddle was visibly distressed and unnerved by the rash of murders committed by the Wolf Man.
, played by Fay Helm. She was a close friend of Gwen Conliffe. Jenny accompanied Gwen and Larry Talbot to see Bela, the Gypsy fortune teller. While having her fortune told, Bela, who was a werewolf
, saw the mark of the pentagram
on Jenny's hand. Realizing she was to be his next victim, he tried to save her life by sending her away, but turned into a wolf under the light of the full moon, then chased her down and killed her before meeting his own demise.
and is played by Doris Lloyd
. She blamed Gwen Conliffe for her daughter's death.
trying to protect Kay Lawrence and it strangled him to death.
In the original screenplay
for Creature From the Black Lagoon, the Gill Man kills Zee not by strangling him, but by picking him up and throwing him. The manner of his death was changed after the wire
s used to lift Bernie Gozier up kept breaking.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al Universal Monsters
Universal Monsters
Universal Monsters or Universal Horror is the name given to a series of distinctive horror, suspense and science fiction films made by Universal Studios from 1923 to 1960...
universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
.
Bela
Bela appears in The Wolf ManThe Wolf Man
The Wolf Man is a 1941 American Werewolf Horror film written by Curt Siodmak and produced and directed by George Waggner. The film stars Lon Chaney, Jr. as The Wolf Man, featuring Claude Rains, Evelyn Ankers, Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles, Béla Lugosi, and Maria Ouspenskaya...
. He is a Gypsy fortune teller who is played by Bela Lugosi
Béla Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...
, and is the son of the Gypsy crone
Crone
The crone is a stock character in folklore and fairy tale, an old woman who is usually disagreeable, malicious, or sinister in manner, often with magical or supernatural associations that can make her either helpful or obstructing. She is marginalized by her exclusion from the reproductive cycle,...
Maleva
Maleva
Maleva is a village in Kaarma Parish, Saare County in western Estonia....
. Unknown to anyone but his mother however is the fact that Bela is a werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
, doomed to transform into a wolf during the full moon and kill those who bear the mark of the pentagram
Pentagram
A pentagram is the shape of a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes...
somewhere on their person. After seeing the pentagram on Jenny Williams
Jenny Williams
Professor Jenny Williams is an author and academic at Dublin City University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in German from Queen's University Belfast in 1974 and a PhD in Medieval Historiography and Heroic Literature in 1979...
while reading her palms, Bela turned into a wolf and killed her. He himself was then killed by Larry Talbot
Larry Talbot
Lawrence Stuart "Larry" Talbot is a fictional character and antihero who appears as the protagonist of the 1941 Universal film The Wolf Man, where he was portrayed by Lon Chaney, Jr...
by being hit repeatedly by a silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
-handled cane, but not before biting Larry and passing the curse of lycanthropy
Lycanthropy
Lycanthropy is the professed ability or power of a human being to undergo transformation into a werewolf, or to gain wolf-like characteristics. The term comes from Greek Lykànthropos : λύκος, lykos + άνθρωπος, ànthrōpos...
on to him.
Thomas Benson
Thomas Benson is Wolf Frankenstein's butlerButler
A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...
in Son of Frankenstein
Son of Frankenstein
Son of Frankenstein is the third film in Universal Studios' Frankenstein series and the last to feature Boris Karloff as the Monster as well as the first to feature Béla Lugosi as Ygor. It is a sequel to Bride of Frankenstein....
. He was played by Edgar Norton. In addition to being Wolf's butler, Benson sometimes served as his lab assistant. When Wolf agreed to help Ygor revive the Frankenstein Monster, he let Benson in on their little secret so that he could assist him (despite the objections of Ygor, who wanted no one but himself to know that the Monster was still around). Benson told Wolf that they should inform Inspector Krogh of the Monster, unaware that Ygor was listening. The Monster killed Benson on Ygor's order, and his body was later discovered by Krogh stashed in a secret passage
Secret passage
Secret passages, also commonly referred to as hidden passages or secret tunnels, are hidden routes used for stealthy travel. Such passageways are sometimes inside buildings leading to secret rooms. Others allow occupants to enter or exit buildings without being seen...
that led from the Frankenstein estate to Wolf's laboratory.
Bill
Bill is one of Blackie Cole's henchmen in The Invisible WomanThe Invisible Woman
The Invisible Woman is a science fiction, comedy film that was released near the end of 1940 by Universal. It is the third film follow Invisible Man and The Invisible Man Returns which had been released earlier in the year. The comedic writers Robert Lees and Fred Rinaldo wrote the screenplay in...
. He is played by Edward Brophy
Edward Brophy
Edward S. Brophy was an American character actor, voice artist, and comedian. Small of build, balding, and raucous-voiced, he was known for portraying gangsters, both serious and comic.-Career:...
. He assisted Foghorn and Hammerhead in their attempts to steal Professor Gibbs' invisibility
Invisibility
Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be invisible . The term is usually used as a fantasy/science fiction term, where objects are literally made unseeable by magical or technological means; however, its effects can also be seen in the real...
machine. After a failed attempt to turn Foghorn invisible with the machine, Bill became the de-facto leader of Blackie's henchmen and he and Hammerhead kidnapped Gibbs and Kitty Carroll from Richard Russell
Richard Russell
-People:*Richard Russell, Sr. , United States judge and chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court*Richard Russell, Jr. , his son, governor and U.S. Senator from Georgia...
's mansion. When Kitty turned herself invisible, she hit Bill over the head with a rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
with enough force to bend the barrel
Gun barrel
A gun barrel is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion or rapid expansion of gases are released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at a high velocity....
and knocked him unconscious
Unconsciousness
Unconsciousness is the condition of being not conscious—in a mental state that involves complete or near-complete lack of responsiveness to people and other environmental stimuli. Being in a comatose state or coma is a type of unconsciousness. Fainting due to a drop in blood pressure and a...
.
Dr. Borg
Dr. Borg is a scientist who appears in The Creature Walks Among UsThe Creature Walks Among Us
The Creature Walks Among Us is the third and final installment of the Creature from the Black Lagoon horror film series from Universal Pictures, following 1955's Revenge of the Creature. The film was released April 26, 1956, in the United States....
. A jolly roentgenologist played by Maurice Manson
Maurice Manson
Maurice Manson was a character actor who appeared in several film and Broadway productions.-Biography:...
who was a mutual colleague of Dr. William Barton and Dr. Tom Morgan, Dr. Borg was part of their expedition to search for the Gill Man in the Florida Everglades. Borg proved invaluable to the team, as it was his idea to use an advanced sonar
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
array to locate the creature. Along with Dr. Johnson, he later assisted Barton and Morgan in their surgical transformation of the Gill Man from an aquatic creature
Aquatic animal
An aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract its oxygen from that dissolved in water through specialised organs called gills, or directly through its skin. Natural environments and the animals that...
into a land one.
Chico
Chico is one of the South American crewmen aboard the Rita in Creature from the Black LagoonCreature from the Black Lagoon
Creature from the Black Lagoon is a 1954 monster horror film directed by Jack Arnold, and starring Richard Carlson, Julia Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, and Whit Bissell. The eponymous creature was played by Ben Chapman on land and Ricou Browning in underwater scenes...
. He was Zee's brother, and dies early in the movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
when the Gill Man attacked him on the deck of the Rita and pulled him down into the water to his death. He was played by Henry A. Escalante.
Foghorn
Foghorn is the leader of Blackie Cole's henchmen, played by Donald MacBrideDonald MacBride
Donald MacBride was an American character actor on stage, in films and on TV who launched his career as a teenage singer in vaudeville and went on to be an actor on Broadway. He appeared in nearly 140 films between 1914 and 1955...
in The Invisible Woman
The Invisible Woman
The Invisible Woman is a science fiction, comedy film that was released near the end of 1940 by Universal. It is the third film follow Invisible Man and The Invisible Man Returns which had been released earlier in the year. The comedic writers Robert Lees and Fred Rinaldo wrote the screenplay in...
. He was a very large man who earned his nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
thanks his deep bass voice. Along with Bill and Hammerhead, Foghorn was sent to America by Blackie to learn the secret of Professor Gibbs' invisibility
Invisibility
Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be invisible . The term is usually used as a fantasy/science fiction term, where objects are literally made unseeable by magical or technological means; however, its effects can also be seen in the real...
machine. Foghorn attempted to gain entry to Gibbs' house by posing as a fellow scientist, but Kitty Carroll had overheard him talking to Bill and Hammerhead, and identified him as an imposter.
Later, while Kitty and the Professor were away visiting Richard Russell
Richard Russell
-People:*Richard Russell, Sr. , United States judge and chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court*Richard Russell, Jr. , his son, governor and U.S. Senator from Georgia...
, Foghorn and his companions broke into Gibbs' laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
and dismantled the invisibility machine, returning with it to Blackie's hideout in Mexico. After Hernandez reassembled the machine Blackie opted to test it out on Foghorn, but because it was missing a key component the test failed, and Foghorn lost his deep voice.
Sir Thomas Forsythe
Colonel Forsythe appears in Werewolf of LondonWerewolf of London
Werewolf of London is a 1935 Horror/werewolf movie starring Henry Hull and produced by Universal Pictures. Jack Pierce's eerie werewolf make-up was simpler than his version six years later for Lon Chaney, Jr., in The Wolf Man but, according to film historians, remains strikingly effective as worn...
, wherein he is played by Lawrence Grant
Lawrence Grant
Percy Reginald Lawrence-Grant was an English actor known for his supporting roles in films such as The Living Ghost, I'll Tell the World, The Mask of Fu Manchu, and Son of Frankenstein...
. He is a former army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
and a prominent Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
official, as well as the son of the wealthy Lady Alice Forsythe and the uncle of Captain Paul Ames
Captain Paul Ames
Paul Ames is a fictional character who appeared in the 1935 Universal horror film, Werewolf of London. He was played by Lester Matthews.-Character overview:...
. He was baffled by a series of brutal killings which plagued London. Initially he chose not to believe his nephew's theory that the murders were the work of a werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
, certain the killings were being done by a normal wolf that had escaped the zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
.
The mysterious Dr. Yogami came to Colonel Forsythe's office, telling him and Captain Ames of the mariphasa plant in the possession of Dr. Wilfred Glendon and its usefulness as an antidote for lycanthropy
Lycanthropy
Lycanthropy is the professed ability or power of a human being to undergo transformation into a werewolf, or to gain wolf-like characteristics. The term comes from Greek Lykànthropos : λύκος, lykos + άνθρωπος, ànthrōpos...
, but Forsythe shrugged him off. It wasn't until he and his men found withered mariphasa blossums in Yogami's apartment, the site of a third murder, that the Colonel finally put two and two together. Forsythe and his men drove to Glendon Manor, arriving in time to shoot the lycanthropic Glendon before he could kill his own wife, Lisa.
Hammerhead
Frankie, or "Hammerhead" as his friends call him, is one of Blackie Cole's henchmen in The Invisible WomanThe Invisible Woman
The Invisible Woman is a science fiction, comedy film that was released near the end of 1940 by Universal. It is the third film follow Invisible Man and The Invisible Man Returns which had been released earlier in the year. The comedic writers Robert Lees and Fred Rinaldo wrote the screenplay in...
. He is played by Shemp Howard. He was one of the ones sent to steal Professor Gibbs' invisibility
Invisibility
Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be invisible . The term is usually used as a fantasy/science fiction term, where objects are literally made unseeable by magical or technological means; however, its effects can also be seen in the real...
machine. It is unclear why he was nicknamed Hammerhead (although possibly it was because he was incredibly brash and headstrong).
Hawkins
Hawkins was Dr. Wilfred Glendon's loyalLoyalty
Loyalty is faithfulness or a devotion to a person, country, group, or cause There are many aspects to...
assistant who appears in Werewolf of London
Werewolf of London
Werewolf of London is a 1935 Horror/werewolf movie starring Henry Hull and produced by Universal Pictures. Jack Pierce's eerie werewolf make-up was simpler than his version six years later for Lon Chaney, Jr., in The Wolf Man but, according to film historians, remains strikingly effective as worn...
. He is played by J.M. Kerrigan. He helped Glendon in his at-home laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
and tended to the numerous plants that the botanist kept in his collection. Hawkins was extremely loyal to his boss, so loyal in fact that he did not ask questions whenever Glendon began acting strangely. Although Hawkins did not know for certain it was because Glendon was a werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
, he suspected it, especially after seeing Glendon's hand grow fur under the rays of the moon lamp.
Dr. Johnson
Dr. Johnson is a biochemistBiochemist
Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. Typical biochemists study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. The prefix of "bio" in "biochemist" can be understood as a fusion of "biological chemist."-Role:...
who appears in The Creature Walks Among Us
The Creature Walks Among Us
The Creature Walks Among Us is the third and final installment of the Creature from the Black Lagoon horror film series from Universal Pictures, following 1955's Revenge of the Creature. The film was released April 26, 1956, in the United States....
. He is played by James Rawley. A mutual colleague of Dr. William Barton and Dr. Tom Morgan along with Dr. Borg, he accompanied them on their expedition to find the Gill Man in the Florida Everglades and assisted them in their surgical transformation of the creature.
Karl
Karl is one of Dr. Pretorius' assistants in the 1935 Bride of FrankensteinBride of Frankenstein
Bride of Frankenstein is a 1935 American horror film, the first sequel to Frankenstein...
. He is played by Dwight Frye
Dwight Frye
Dwight Iliff Frye was an American stage and screen actor, noted for his appearances in the classic horror films Dracula , Frankenstein , The Invisible Man , and Bride of Frankenstein .-Early life and career:Frye was born in Salina, Kansas...
. He and Ludwig assisted Pretorius in robbing graves
Graves
Graves is an important subregion of the Bordeaux wine region. Graves is situated on the left bank of the Garonne river, in the upstream part of the region, southeast of the city Bordeaux and stretch over...
to get the parts needed to create the Bride of Frankenstein. When a fresh heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
was needed for the Bride, Pretorius had Karl go out and murder a young woman and take her heart. When the Bride was being brought to life, the thunderstorm
Thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
agitated the Frankenstein Monster, and Karl tried to cow the creature with a lit torch
Torch
A torch is a fire source, usually a rod-shaped piece of wood with a rag soaked in pitch and/or some other flammable material wrapped around one end. Torches were often supported in sconces by brackets high up on walls, to throw light over corridors in stone structures such as castles or crypts...
. This had the opposite effect, as the Monster threw Karl from the laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
roof and killed him.
There was an abandoned subplot
Subplot
A subplot is a secondary plot strand that is a supporting side story for any story or the main plot. Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or in thematic significance...
in Bride of Frankenstein that fleshed out Karl's character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
a bit more, in which he murdered his aunt and uncle, the Glutzes, and blamed their deaths on the Monster. This would've given the Monster a more sufficient reason for tossing Karl off the roof, but ultimately it was cut for time.
Prof. Bruno Lampini
Bruno Lampini, better known as Professor Lampini, is a sideshowSideshow
In America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair or other such attraction.- Types of attractions :There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions:...
huckster
Huckster
A huckster is a seller of small articles, who tricks others into buying cheap imitation products and then bargains them as if they were the real thing...
played by George Zucco
George Zucco
George Desylla Zucco was an English character actor who appeared, almost always in supporting roles, in 96 films during a career spanning two decades, from 1931 to 1951. He is fondly remembered for his roles in classic horror films.-Early life:Zucco was born in Manchester, England...
who appears in House of Frankenstein
House of Frankenstein (1944 film)
House of Frankenstein is an American monster horror film produced in 1944 by Universal Studios as a sequel to Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man the previous year. This monster rally approach would continue in the following film, House of Dracula, as well as the 1948 comedy Abbott and Costello Meet...
. He was the owner of the travelling show known as Professor Lampini's Chamber of Horrors. Lampini had in his possession the actual skeleton
Skeleton
The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...
of Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
, which he took from the vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
's castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in Carpathia
Carpathia
Carpathia can refer to various things:*RMS Carpathia was a steamship, notable for its role in the rescue of survivors from the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912*Carpathian Mountains, part of a mountain range in Europe...
though this would seem impossible within the Universal series' continuity, as Dracula's skeleton would be resting in the swamps of the American South at the end of Son of Dracula, the previous Dracula installment. While travelling in a rainstorm, Lampini's wagon
Wagon
A wagon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals; it was formerly often called a wain, and if low and sideless may be called a dray, trolley or float....
became stuck in the mud, and he and his assistant Sherman were unable to move it. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Dr. Gustav Niemann, freshly escaped from prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, arrived.
Niemann and his assistant Daniel helped Lampini and Sherman free the wagon from the mud, and in return a grateful Lampini allowed the two men hitch a ride with him to the next town. This proved to be a fatal mistake on Lampini's part, for when he refused to take Niemann to Reigelberg, the mad scientist
Mad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
ordered Daniel to kill him. Daniel did so by breaking Lampini's neck, a rather unflattering end for the man who did indeed possess Dracula's skeleton.
Niemann later impersonated Lampini and brought Dracula back to life by removing the stake from his heart.
Latham
Latham is a Scotland YardScotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
who appears in She-Wolf of London
She-Wolf of London
She-Wolf of London was a short-lived television series that aired was distributed in first-run syndication in the USA from October 1990 to April 1991...
. He is played by Lloyd Corrigan
Lloyd Corrigan
Lloyd Corrigan was an American film actor, producer, screenwriter and director who began working in films in the 1920s...
. He served under Inspector Pierce. When a number of vicious attacks and murders began occurring in a London park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
, Latham caused Pierce much grief with his off-the-wall theories that it was the work of a werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
. While assisting constables in the nighttime hunt for the killer, Latham fell victim to the She-Wolf herself, Martha Winthrop. Martha cut Latham's throat
Throat
In vertebrate anatomy, the throat is the anterior part of the neck, in front of the vertebral column. It consists of the pharynx and larynx...
, and he died before he could be taken to a hospital.
Dr. Lloyd
Dr. Lloyd is the family physicianPhysician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
to the Talbots in Llanwelly, who appears in The Wolf Man. He is played by Warren William
Warren William
Warren William was a Broadway and Hollywood actor, popular during the early 1930s, who was later nicknamed the "king of Pre-Code". He was born Warren William Krech in Aitkin, Minnesota to parents Freeman E. and Frances Krech. He had a certain physical resemblance to John Barrymore. He attended the...
. He looked after Larry Talbot
Larry Talbot
Lawrence Stuart "Larry" Talbot is a fictional character and antihero who appears as the protagonist of the 1941 Universal film The Wolf Man, where he was portrayed by Lon Chaney, Jr...
following his scrape with a werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
, and did his best to convince Larry that his nightly transformations were all in his mind, as Lloyd did not believe in werewolves. Lloyd later joined Captain Paul Montford
Captain Paul Montford
Capt. Montford is a fictional character who appears in the 1941 Universal film The Wolf Man. He was played by Ralph Bellamy.Montford was chief constable in the town of Llanwelly and a close family friend of Larry Talbot's...
and Frank Andrews on the hunt for what they all thought was an ordinary wolf, but was in fact the Wolf Man.
Ludwig (Frankenstein)
Ludwig is the father of Maria, a woodcutter who lived in the town of Goldstadt. He appears in both FrankensteinFrankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
, where he is played by Michael Mark, and its sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
, Bride of Frankenstein
Bride of Frankenstein
Bride of Frankenstein is a 1935 American horror film, the first sequel to Frankenstein...
, where he is played by Reginald Barlow
Reginald Barlow
Reginald Harry Barlow was a veteran stage and screen character actor, author, and film director. He was a busy performer in Hollywood films of the 1930s.-Early life:...
. In the latter film he is strangely referred to as Hans. Presumably this was to avoid confusion with another character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
named Ludwig (see below), who assisted Dr. Pretorius.
In Frankenstein, after finding his daughter Maria drowned, Ludwig blamed the Frankenstein Monster and, along with Henry Frankenstein and Burgomaster Vogel, led the angry mob that trapped the Monster in an old windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
.
Even though the mob burned the windmill down, Ludwig refused to rest until he saw the Monster's dead body. He ended up falling down into the flooded basement
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
of the mill, where he encountered the still-living Monster. The Monster then killed Ludwig by drowning him.
Ludwig (Bride of Frankenstein)
Ludwig is one of Dr. PretoriusDoctor Septimus Pretorius
Septimus Pretorius is a fictional character who appears in the Universal film Bride of Frankenstein . He is played by British stage and film actor Ernest Thesiger. Some sources claim he was originally to have been played by Bela Lugosi or Claude Rains...
' two assistants who appear in Bride of Frankenstein. He is played by Ted Billings. He and Karl helped Pretorius rob graves
Graves
Graves is an important subregion of the Bordeaux wine region. Graves is situated on the left bank of the Garonne river, in the upstream part of the region, southeast of the city Bordeaux and stretch over...
for the parts needed to create the Bride of Frankenstein, and then assisted Pretorius and Henry Frankenstein in the actual creation of the Bride.
Ludwig completely disappears from Bride of Frankenstein towards the end of the film. The last time he's seen is when he watches the Frankenstein Monster kill Karl, and it is unknown if he was killed too.
Dr. Matos
Dr. Matos is a scientist who appears in Creature from the Black LagoonCreature from the Black Lagoon
Creature from the Black Lagoon is a 1954 monster horror film directed by Jack Arnold, and starring Richard Carlson, Julia Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, and Whit Bissell. The eponymous creature was played by Ben Chapman on land and Ricou Browning in underwater scenes...
, played by Sydney Mason. He worked at the Instituto de Biologia Maritma, and offered his expertise to colleagues Dr. David Reed and Dr. Mark Williams, regarding Dr. Carl Maia's fantastic find of a fossilized Gill Man hand.
Inspector Owen
Inspector Owen is a police inspector who appears in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf ManFrankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, released in 1943, is an American monster horror film produced by Universal Studios starring Lon Chaney, Jr. as the Wolf Man and Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein's monster. This was the first of a series of "ensemble" monster films combining characters from several film...
. He is played by Dennis Hoey. A Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
, Owen was looking into the claims of a seemingly deranged
Deranged
Deranged is a Canadian/American horror film made in 1974 and directed by Alan Ormsby and Jeff Gillen. It is also known by the title Deranged: The Confessions of a Necrophile in the USA...
man that he was not only Larry Talbot
Larry Talbot
Lawrence Stuart "Larry" Talbot is a fictional character and antihero who appears as the protagonist of the 1941 Universal film The Wolf Man, where he was portrayed by Lon Chaney, Jr...
, thought dead for four years, but also a murderous werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
. Owen accompanied Dr. Frank Mannering to Llanwelly, where the two discovered that someone had broken into the Talbot family crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
and that the body of Larry Talbot was missing.
Inspector Pierce
Inspector Pierce is a police inspector played by Dennis HoeyDennis Hoey
Dennis Hoey was a British film and stage actor, best known for playing Inspector Lestrade in Universal's Sherlock Holmes series. He played the Master of Harrow in The Foxes of Harrow and appeared in Tarzan and the Leopard Woman. After a career as a singer, Hoey moved to acting on the stage in...
in the movie She-Wolf of London
She-Wolf of London
She-Wolf of London was a short-lived television series that aired was distributed in first-run syndication in the USA from October 1990 to April 1991...
. The chief of Scotland Yard, Pierce was baffled by a number of brutal attacks occurring in one of London's public parks each full moon. Those who survived claimed it was a "wolf woman", and Pierce's assistant, Latham, was convinced it was a werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
. Pierce did not believe so, at least not until Latham was killed and, with his dying breath, said he'd been attacked by a wolf woman. Of course, even then it turned out that the killer was not supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
at all, but merely Phyllis Allenby's aunt, Martha Winthrop.
Captain Stanley
Captain Stanley is the captainCaptain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
of the research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
vessel
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
Vagabondia III, who appears in The Creature Walks Among Us. He is played by David McMahon
David McMahon
David McMahon is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Fitzroy in the VFL.McMahon played on the half forward flank and after being recruited from Preston he made his league debut in 1973. He retired in 1984 with 218 VFL games to his name which puts him at 7th on the all time list...
. Stanley took Dr. William Barton and his expedition into the Florida Everglades to hunt for the Gill Man.
Victor Twiddle
Twiddle is Captain Paul MontfordCaptain Paul Montford
Capt. Montford is a fictional character who appears in the 1941 Universal film The Wolf Man. He was played by Ralph Bellamy.Montford was chief constable in the town of Llanwelly and a close family friend of Larry Talbot's...
's assistant who appears in The Wolf Man. He is played by Forrester Harvey
Forrester Harvey
Forrester Harvey was an Irish-born film actor. He appeared in 117 films between 1922 and 1946, including two films directed by Alfred Hitchcock.He was born in County Cork, Ireland and died in Laguna Beach, California....
. Twiddle's job seemed to consist entirely of jotting down whatever clues and information Paul found at a crime scene
Crime scene
A crime scene is a location where an illegal act took place, and comprises the area from which most of the physical evidence is retrieved by trained law enforcement personnel, crime scene investigators or in rare circumstances, forensic scientists....
on his notepad. An extremely squeamish and cowardly man, Twiddle was visibly distressed and unnerved by the rash of murders committed by the Wolf Man.
Jenny Williams
Jenny Williams appears in The Wolf ManThe Wolf Man
The Wolf Man is a 1941 American Werewolf Horror film written by Curt Siodmak and produced and directed by George Waggner. The film stars Lon Chaney, Jr. as The Wolf Man, featuring Claude Rains, Evelyn Ankers, Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles, Béla Lugosi, and Maria Ouspenskaya...
, played by Fay Helm. She was a close friend of Gwen Conliffe. Jenny accompanied Gwen and Larry Talbot to see Bela, the Gypsy fortune teller. While having her fortune told, Bela, who was a werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
, saw the mark of the pentagram
Pentagram
A pentagram is the shape of a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes...
on Jenny's hand. Realizing she was to be his next victim, he tried to save her life by sending her away, but turned into a wolf under the light of the full moon, then chased her down and killed her before meeting his own demise.
Mrs. Williams
Mrs. Williams is Jenny Williams' mother, who appears in The Wolf ManThe Wolf Man
The Wolf Man is a 1941 American Werewolf Horror film written by Curt Siodmak and produced and directed by George Waggner. The film stars Lon Chaney, Jr. as The Wolf Man, featuring Claude Rains, Evelyn Ankers, Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles, Béla Lugosi, and Maria Ouspenskaya...
and is played by Doris Lloyd
Doris Lloyd
Hessy Doris Lloyd was an English actress.She appeared in over 150 films between 1920 and 1967, including the 1933 low-budget Monogram Pictures version of Oliver Twist, in which she played Nancy...
. She blamed Gwen Conliffe for her daughter's death.
Zee
Zee is Chico's brother and one of the South American crewmen aboard the Rita in Creature from the Black Lagoon. He is played by Bernie Gozier. After seeing his brother get dragged down into the water by the Gill Man and killed, Zee fell victim to the creature as well when he attacked it with a macheteMachete
The machete is a large cleaver-like cutting tool. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the English language, an equivalent term is matchet, though it is less commonly known...
trying to protect Kay Lawrence and it strangled him to death.
In the original screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
for Creature From the Black Lagoon, the Gill Man kills Zee not by strangling him, but by picking him up and throwing him. The manner of his death was changed after the wire
Wire
A wire is a single, usually cylindrical, flexible strand or rod of metal. Wires are used to bear mechanical loads and to carry electricity and telecommunications signals. Wire is commonly formed by drawing the metal through a hole in a die or draw plate. Standard sizes are determined by various...
s used to lift Bernie Gozier up kept breaking.