Dracula's Daughter (1936)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Lambert Hillyer

Writers:

Bram Stoker (based on work by)
David O. Selznick (suggestion)
(more)

Release Date:

11 May 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Tagline:

Look out, she'll get you!

Plot:

Hungarian countess Marya Zaleska seeks the aid of a noted psychiatrist, in hopes of freeing herself of a mysterious evil influence.

Plot Keywords:

Corpse | Dracula | Murder | Scotland Yard | Curse

Cast

Otto Kruger	...	Jeffrey Garth
Gloria Holden	...	Countess Marya Zaleska - Dracula's Daughter
Marguerite Churchill	...	Janet
Edward Van Sloan	...	Prof. Von Helsing
Gilbert Emery	...	Sir Basil Humphrey
Irving Pichel	...	Sandor
Halliwell Hobbes	...	Hawkins (as Halliwell Hobbs)
Billy Bevan	...	Albert
Nan Grey	...	Lili
Hedda Hopper	...	Lady Esme Hammond
Claud Allister	...	Sir Aubrey (as Claude Allister)
Edgar Norton	...	Hobbs
E.E. Clive	...	Sergeant Wilkes
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Agnes Anderson	...	Elena (bride in Transylvania) (uncredited)
John Blood	...	Bobby (uncredited)
David Dunbar	...	Motor bobby (uncredited)
Douglas Gordon	...	Attendant (uncredited)
Owen Gorin	...	Groom's friend (uncredited)
Gordon Hart	...	Mr. Graham (host) (uncredited)
Elsa Janssen	...	Wedding guest (uncredited)
Guy Kingsford	...	Radio announcer (uncredited)
George Kirby	...	Bookstore proprietor (uncredited)
Edna Lyall	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Eily Malyon	...	Miss Peabody (nurse) (uncredited)
Paul Mitchell	...	Messenger (uncredited)
Clive Morgan	...	Desk sergeant (uncredited)
Vesey O'Davoren	...	Butler (uncredited)
John Power	...	Police official (uncredited)
Hedwiga Reicher	...	Innkeeper's wife (uncredited)
Christian Rub	...	Coachman (uncredited)
William Schramm	...	Groom in Transylvania (uncredited)
George Sorel	...	Police officer (uncredited)
Pietro Sosso	...	Priest (uncredited)
Bert Sprotte	...	Wedding guest (uncredited)
Vernon Steele	...	Squires (uncredited)
Joseph R. Tozer	...	Dr. Graham (attending Lili) (uncredited)
Silvia Vaughan	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Wilhelm von Brincken	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Fred Walton	...	Dr. Beemish (Chief of Staff) (uncredited)
Paul Weigel	...	Transylvania innkeeper (uncredited)
Eric Wilton	...	Butler (uncredited)
Douglas Wood	...	Dr. Townsend (attending Lili) (uncredited)

Directed by
Lambert Hillyer

Writing credits
Bram Stoker		(based on work by)
David O. Selznick		(suggestion) (as Oliver Jeffries)
Garrett Fort		(screenplay)
John L. Balderston		story and
Kurt Neumann		treatment (uncredited)
Charles Belden		(contributing writer) uncredited and
Finley Peter Dunne		(contributing writer) uncredited and
R.C. Sherriff		(contributing writer) uncredited

Produced by
E.M. Asher	....	producer
Harry Zehner	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Heinz Roemheld		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
George Robinson

Film Editing by
Milton Carruth

Art Direction by
Albert S. D'Agostino

Costume Design by
Brymer		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Grace Boyd	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Otto Lederer	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Jack P. Pierce	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Victor Noerdlinger	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Sergei Petschnikoff	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Gilbert Kurland	....	sound supervisor
Joe Lapis	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
John P. Fulton	....	special cinematographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Vera West	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Maurice Pivar	....	supervising editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Clifford Vaughan	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Edward Ward	....	conductor (uncredited)
Edward Ward	....	music supervisor (uncredited)

Other crew
Kathleen Deek	....	stand-in: Gloria Holden (uncredited)
Myrtle Gibsone	....	script clerk (uncredited)
Fred Keck	....	stand-in: Otto Kruger (uncredited)
Katherine Stanley	....	stand-in: Marguerite Churchill (uncredited)
Peggy Vaughan	....	production secretary (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures (as Universal Productions Inc.)

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1936) (USA) (theatrical)
• Realart Pictures (1949) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Screen Gems (1957) (USA) (TV)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2004) (Sweden) (video)

Also Known As:

Daughter of Dracula
La hija de Drácula (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Córka Drakuli (Poland) [pl]
Draculas dotter (Sweden) [sv]
I kori tou Drakoula (Greece) [el]
La figlia di Dracula (Italy) [it]
La fille de Dracula (France) [fr]

Runtime:

71 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-7 (2004) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Spain:13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #2019) | Sweden:7 | Germany:12

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Bela Lugosi earned $4,000 for his participation in publicity photos for this film (he does not actually appear in it).

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Although the film takes place Mostly in London, telephones consistently ring one ring at a time, whereas British phones have always used a double ring.

Quotes:

[on the phone]
Dr. Garth: Yes? Dr.Garth speaking. Well who is this? What do you want?
[in a false German accent]
Janet Blake: Please come right away.This is the zoo speaking.
Dr. Garth: The what? The zoo?
Janet Blake: Ja! One of our elephants is seeing pink men!
Dr. Garth: All right.Now listen to me,Janet,this has gone far enough! Well,there's nothing funny about it!I'm in the midst of a very serious...
[Janet hangs up and laughs]
Dr. Garth: HELLO?
[hangs up]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Son of Svengoolie: Son of Svengoolie's Halloween Draculathon: Dracula (1931)/Dracula's Daughter (1936)/House of Dracula (1945) (#1.19)" (1979)

Soundtrack:

Nocturne No.5 F Sharp Major, Op.15-2

Lesbian undertones?

Did "Dracula" need a sequel? That's debatable, but "Dracula's Daughter" was worth seeing. Picking up where the original left off, Prof. Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan) is arrested for murdering Dracula. (Those ingrates! He gets rid of an evil force and this is how they repay him?!) Anyway, Countess Marya Zaleska (Gloria Holden) turns up and we learn that she is the Count's daughter. By which I mean that she inherited her father's taste for blood. And her assistant Sandor (Irving Pichel) keeps her addicted to being a vampire.

One thing that I now have to wonder is whether or not they were implying that Marya might have been a lesbian, the way that she comes on to women. Obviously they couldn't talk openly about it back then, but you know...occasionally they look for ways to push the limits. Anyway, "Dracula's Daughter" is worth seeing if there's nothing else to do.