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I have never seen any of the films featuring Rondo Hatton as "The Creeper." It was not just make-up, darlings, it was the real thing.
Born in 1894, would you believe Hatton was voted "Most Handsome Boy" in his senior class, at Hillsborough High School, in Hillsborough, Florida, where he also excelled at track and football????????? The quintessential high school golden boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He was even a sportswriter for "The Tampa Tribune." Henry King, who directed "The Song Of Bernadette" (You better believe it, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!) discovered him, while shooting a film in Tampa called "Hell Harbor," back in 1930, and put him in a small role. He even appeared in one A-list film, 1943's "The Ox-Bow Incident."
The golden looks did not last. During his adult years, in the war, Hatton developed the disfiguring disease, acromegaly, which gave him his career as "The Creepr." Talk about luck. However, his fame was iconic, but short lived. Because the disease debilitates the body, Hatton died of a heart attack--not his first--on February 2, 1946. In fact, the film Svengoolie is showing was made in 1945, but not released till 1946, after Hatton's death.
So, we will get to see Hatton do his "Creeper" thing, as he goes about murdering artists models, at the command of Martin Koseleck as Dr. Marcel De Lange, who was also in "She-Wolf Of London," also released in 1946, and recently shown on "Svengoolie." But he was especially memorable as Professor Peter Bartell in the 1964 horror hoot, "The Flesh Eaters," memorable for the giant blob that arises out of the water, engulfing the screen. You have GOT to see it, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope to see all of you on Saturday as we share "Horror House." I don't even know if Hatton speaks, so I am curious. Meanwhile, we have welcomed a new member to our viewing entourage, Norma, The Lion, who was officially welcomed here, earlier, by Baby Gojira!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't miss out on the fun, girls, and let us hope Sevngoolie sometime shows "The Flesh Eaters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4 comments:
"House Of Horrors" is a GREAT little flick, possibly the very last decent production of the classic "Universal Horror" cycle. At just 66 mins, it never drags. The entire cast is compelling, esp Kosleck as the blatantly fey artist and of course poor Rondo Hatton, whose uniquely menacing appearance and voice are used to thrilling effect. There are some obvious callbacks to the "closeted gay has love/hate reaction to the man he makes for himself" subtexts of the first two Frankenstein films. The overall gestalt of this little B-pic is very moody and spooky, on par with some of the Val Lewton epics.
The "Svengoolie" framing device will make a mockery of it and distract from its impact, per usual. But its beloved by those of us who saw it as children that sneaked a peek at the Late Late Show, or caught is as 430pm movie after school.
Curious about Norma the Lion!!
Victoria,
Norma the Lion is beautiful.
David ordered her online, she has
a lovely cerulean mane, a Laura
Ashley patterened body, and cerulean
tail. She also has a loving, affecitonate
face,
She is named for our friend Norma, in
her fifth remission for cancer, for which
she had to have stem cell treatment. Recently,
she fractured her hip, but is battling that, with
equal determinatiion.
Darling,
We loved "House Of Horors."
And I felt sympathy for Hatton as
The Creeper!
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