Saturday, December 2, 2023

Girls, Join Us Tonight At 8PM, As "Svengoolie" Kicks Off December With A Real Gem--1933's "The Mystery Of The Wax Museum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"


                                  Just wait till you see the early Thirties chrome Technicolor, darlings!  Simply stunning for its time!



                                   If the plot sounds familiar, don't be surprised.  This was remade twenty years later, in 1953, as "House Of Wax," with Vincent Price, and a scene-stealing Carolyn Jones!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



                                    I once took out a DVD from my library that had both films on one disc.  At the time I had never seen the 1933 version, so I watched "House Of Wax" first, and then the earlier version to compare.  No surprise that the 1933 film is better, and Lionel Atwill goes for pathos rather than camp in this production.  This was Fay Wray's big year--she made "King Kong" around the same time, and her screams are put to good use.  But the lavish sets and period look--and the laboratory--made me wonder how RKO could have spent so much.  But they did, and it was worth it.



                                       Little Pippin has never seen it, so he is genuinely excited about tonight's showing.



                                         This is a wax museum you will never forget.  Be careful with those Christmas candles, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2 comments:

  1. Oh I missed it!!
    Let’s hear Pippin’s review!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Victoria,
    It is one of the best. You must see it some time.
    Little Pippin loved it but closed his eyes at the scary moments.
    And he was impressed with Fay Wray's screaming power.

    ReplyDelete