MovieChat Forums > The Old Dark House (1932) Discussion > Classic Whale

Classic Whale

posted 19 years ago by crisso
11 replies | jump to latest

A typically eccentric and original offering from James Whale - probably his second best film after Bride of Frankenstein. Ernest Thesiger is hillarious as Horace ("Have a potato") and is closely matched by Eva Moore as his religious fanatic sister. Funny, spooky and utterly delicious!

[–] bok602 19 years ago

Agreed! A forgotten, under-appreciated classic!

Have a Potato?

"If you don't know the answer -change the question."

[–] lraymond1 19 years ago

I don't know any answers...but...
I saw this for the first time last night on TMC. The dinner party was surprisingly cozy and civilized! What do you think happened to that first Femm brother 'on the landing' where the lamp was...you remember the landing don't you?
I was prepared to be amused by all of the seminal scenes in this that have been used in so many other movies, but I did get the creeps a little bit from the film and found myself captivated by the unpredictable scene cuts.

[–] bok602 19 years ago

You and I must have watched the same broadcast; that's why I looked it up here.

Roderick Femm -played by the same actress who played Rebecca Femm- most likely survived the night and got hauled away to a nursing home after the travellers alerted the police when they reached the next town.

I would find it inconceiveable that Laughton, Massey & company would have simply gone their merry way without telling the authorities about a houseful of certifiable looney toons.

"No beds! They can't have beds! Laughter and sin! Laughter and sin!"

[–] lraymond1 19 years ago

Do you think this is where the saying, "The butler did it?" came from?

[–] pjwoodall1 17 years ago

Too too many years since I read the book which I found in a secondhand bookstore in DC. I think it might've been an Armed Forces copy because of its weird rectangular shape.
The William Castle version with Tom Poston and Robert Morley couldn't hold a candle.
There's a great Whale story on the "Bride" commentary. He took some friends to see "Bride" and began laughing at how much he had gotten past the censors. Finally a woman in the audience turned to him and said "If you don't like the movie, why don't you leave?"
I also remember seeing THE CAT AND THE CANARY in a truly silent version at the AFI in DC where somebody forgot to tell the organist the film didn't have a soundtrack!

[–] Shinobu_Sensui 16 years ago

If Roderick Femm was hauled off to a nursing home after the events of the movie than perhaps thi shappened as well.

Horace and Rebecca were most likely put in insane asylums. Morgan was most likely jailed.

''I can refute ANY argument !'' -- RexFDR

[–] pjwoodall1 16 years ago

I ran across an Armed Forces paperback of the novel years ago in a DC secondhand store. It had a weird, rectangular shape I don't think I've ever seen since. Don't remember much about it but I thought at the time the story was more serious. I think Whale decided to take a story line that had been done to and have fun with it.

The William Castle remake was mildly entertaining with Tom Poston coming to visit the eccentric family. The only time I think I saw Poston in the lead role.

Happy holiday!

[–] fast_fierce_and_funny 16 years ago

I ran across an Armed Forces paperback of the novel years ago in a DC secondhand store. It had a weird, rectangular shape I don't think I've ever seen since.

I think what you were looking at was an Armed Services Edition (ASE) of the original Priestly book.

ASE's were oblong-shaped paperbacks printed for the troops during WWII. They were designed to be cheap, interesting to read, and above all, easy to carry. Their oblong shape was given to them by the presses they were printed on. The oblong shape also made them easy to carry in fatigue pockets; the elongated pages made them easier to read, too. If you've handled one, you'll know what I mean.

Here's a write-up on them if you'd like to know more:

http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/exhibits/ase/Chapter_2.html

There was a very wide range of titles. And these weren't all "simple" books by any means: along with Westerns, there were books on topics such as psychology and philosophy, too. A lot of the titles are not ones you'd expect to find in the hands of "grunts."

Don't remember much about it but I thought at the time the story was more serious.

The original book ("Benighted" by J. B. Priestly) was a novel meant as an allegory of post-war England, a country filled with a strong sense of disillusionment (among other things). While it had its whimsical elements, it had some serious touches, too. For instance, in the book, the hero dies. So while the film was "based" on the book, Whale and the screenwriters certainly took liberties with the original material (for the benefit of the moviegoing audience).

I think Whale decided to take a story line that had been done to and have fun with it.

Exactly. Nicely put.

The William Castle remake was mildly entertaining with Tom Poston coming to visit the eccentric family. The only time I think I saw Poston in the lead role.

The Castle version of the film was played more for laughs than anything else. While Whale's version had some dark comedy, Castle went straight for slapstick.

Of course, Castle's version was made in 1963, and perhaps that's what he felt audiences wanted then. Castle, from what I can gather, was a showman first, and a moviemaker second.

Whale, OTOH, was making films in the aftermath of the First World War. Which is why I think he went for dark humor: his was an audience that had lived through a World War and appreciated dark humor.

[–] pjwoodall1 16 years ago

Thanks for the information on those old books, Priestley and film versions. I remember seeing a special edition DVD with two commentary tracks, one by Gloria Talbot, but I don't know if it's still available.

I uased to spend a lot of time in the second bookstores in DC, two of which were near the old Gayety Burlesque Theater. I found almost all of the first editions of Dashiell Hammett story collections there for 10 cents. I made mistake of selling them to Larry McMurtry for $10. Today if you can find one in mint condition it might go for $45.

Happy holidays.

[–] JPfanatic93 14 years ago

Moby Dick.

Sorry, couldn't resist. But yeah, this is classic Whale. Not as good as both his Frankenstein movies, or The Invisible Man, but still pretty creepy nonetheless.

[–] pjwoodall1 14 years ago

I read the book years ago in one of those strange rectangular WWII edition but don't remember much about it. Great cast. I saw the William Castle remake with Tom Poston(!) and Robert Morley years ago and don't recommend it. No wonder Ira Levin didn't want Castle to get his hands on ROSEMARY'S BABY!