gave the monster a more barbaric, sinister look. I read somewhere that a screenwriter gave the impetus for his wearing it but I forgot why. Maybe someone can help me out.
shareI thought it made the monster look sort of like a member of the Hells Angels motorcycle club.
This sentence is false. -- The Zurich Gnome
Over the years I've read a few reasons for the addition of the Monster's fur vest from author Gregory Mank and others. Originally, "Son of Frankenstein" was to have been shot in color, and the vest, which was reddish-brown, would have given the creature a more dynamic appearance. Color footage was shot,* but scrapped because it was decided that Karloff's makeup did not photograph well.
Another reason for the vest was it helped hide the padding Karloff wore that made his character look bigger and more imposing. Although he enjoyed filming the movie (his daughter was born on his 51st birthday during the production), Karloff later said he did'nt care for the film and disliked the furry waredrobe. He decided at that point against playing the role again.
* Universal's color footage is long gone, but color home movies of Karloff in costume do survive, and have been posted on Youtube.
To paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld, you can't beat a monster in a fleece!
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