Welcome, all lovers of Frankenstein and Dracula movies! Welcome to my Radio Spot Reliquary.
Ask any old monsterkid which memories are the most endearing from their childhood and most will say sitting in front of the TV on Friday or Saturday night and watching the latest offering on Shock Theater. On top of the list of favorites will undoubtedly include the old Universal Frankenstein and Dracula movies.
Most monsterkids can easily recite all of the Universal Frankenstein movies in order and tell you who played the monster in each. The same with the Dracula movies. Thanks to magazines like Famous Monsters of Filmland, World Famous Creatures, Horror Monsters and Mad Monsters, the life-long love affair with these movies was kept alive month after month. To fill the void, a lot of kids made soundtrack recordings of the movies onto reel-to-reel tape to listen to at every opportunity.
Amateur filmmakers used their 8mm cameras to construct their own versions of these classics, copying key scenes and duplicating creepy characterizations and lighting effects. Oh, and don’t forget the incredible laboratory scenes with their sparking electrical machines, Jacob’s ladders, and large Tesla coils. Those scenes alone were worth the wait, and monsterkids tried their best to recreate them for their amateur productions.
So it came as no surprise when professional comedy filmmakers decided to pay homage to the movies they, too, had grown up with.
Mel Brooks decided to spoof the Frankenstein series with his Young Frankenstein (1974), a loving tribute to the whole classic series that included atmospheric settings, stereotypical characters and the beloved lab sequence, using some of the original electrical machinery developed and used by Kenneth Strickfaden in the original movies. It was a delight and most fans embraced the movie for the nostalgia it brought.
Across the pond, British studio World Film Services produced a spoof on vampire movies and called it Vampira (1974). After the success of Young Frankenstein, American International Pictures, seeing a golden marketing opportunity, distributed it with a new name, Old Dracula for the United States release. Fans saw it for what it was: a title-play rip-off which lacked the charm and endearment Young Frankenstein had brought. The movie was a very seventies adventure with a sixties air with David Niven as Old Dracula adding a sense of class to an otherwise cheap attempt to copy the success of Mel Brooks’ loving tribute. The two movies were often played together as a double bill.
So, here are radio spots for both movies. Mel Brooks gives a proper approach to his spots which highlight the comedic aspects. A “Wolfman Jack” soundalike (or maybe it is he!) pitches Old Dracula. Looking back, one can see which one is remembered and loved.
Dr. Fronkensteen! Igor! Inga! Frau Blucher! Elizabeth! The Monster! Walk This Way! Dracula! Vampira! Young Frankenstein and Old Dracula!
Old Dracula
Young Frankenstein
