The Wolf Man (1941)

Director:

George Waggner

Writer:

Curt Siodmak (writer)

Release Date:

12 December 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

"His hideous howl a dirge of death!"

Plot:

A practical man returns to his homeland, is attacked by a creature of folklore, and infected with a horrific disease his disciplined mind tells him can not possibly exist.

Plot Keywords:

Werewolf | Wolf | Full Moon | Gypsy | Wolf Man

Cast

Claude Rains	...	Sir John Talbot
Warren William	...	Dr. Lloyd
Ralph Bellamy	...	Col. Montford
Patric Knowles	...	Frank Andrews
Bela Lugosi	...	Bela
Maria Ouspenskaya	...	Maleva
Evelyn Ankers	...	Gwen Conliffe
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Charles Conliffe
Fay Helm	...	Jenny Williams
Forrester Harvey	...	Twiddle
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	The Wolf Man / Larry Talbot (as Lon Chaney)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jessie Arnold	...	Gypsy woman (uncredited)
Caroline Cooke	...	Woman (uncredited)
Harry Cording	...	Wykes (uncredited)
Margaret Fealy	...	Woman (uncredited)
Gibson Gowland	...	Villager (uncredited)
Leyland Hodgson	...	Kendall (Talbot butler) (uncredited)
Olaf Hytten	...	Villager (uncredited)
Kurt Katch	...	Gypsy with bear (uncredited)
La Riana	...	Gypsy dancer (uncredited)
Connie Leon	...	Mrs. Wykes (uncredited)
Doris Lloyd	...	Mrs. Williams (Jenny's mother) (uncredited)
Ottola Nesmith	...	Mrs. Bally (uncredited)
Eddie Polo	...	Churchgoer (uncredited)
Ernie Stanton	...	Phillips (member of search party) (uncredited)
Tom Stevenson	...	Richardson (the gravedigger) (uncredited)
Harry Stubbs	...	Rev. Norman (uncredited)
Eric Wilton	...	Chauffeur (uncredited)

Directed by
George Waggner

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Curt Siodmak		writer

Produced by
George Waggner	....	producer
Jack J. Gross	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Charles Previn		(uncredited)
Hans J. Salter		(uncredited)
Frank Skinner		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Joseph A. Valentine		(director of photography) (as Joseph Valentine)

Film Editing by
Ted J. Kent		(as Ted Kent)

Art Direction by
Jack Otterson

Set Decoration by
Russell A. Gausman		(as R.A. Gausman)

Costume Design by
Vera West		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Jack P. Pierce	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Vernon Keays	....	assistant director

Art Department
Robert F. Boyle	....	associate art director (as Robert Boyle)

Sound Department
Bernard B. Brown	....	sound director
Joe Lapis	....	sound technician

Special Effects by
Ellis Burman	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
John P. Fulton	....	special effects (uncredited)

Music Department
Charles Previn	....	musical director

Other crew
Ellis Burman	....	property maker: Larry's Silver Wolf Head Cane (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1941) (USA) (theatrical)
• Film Classics (1948) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Screen Gems (1957) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Universal Home Video (2002) (Brazil) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Destiny (USA) (working title)
El hombre lobo (Spain) (Venezuela) [es]
Der Wolfsmensch (Germany) [de]
El lobo humano (Venezuela) [es]
L'uomo lupo (Italy) [it]
Le loup-garou (France) [fr]
Varulven (Sweden) [sv]

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-15 (2004) | Spain:13 | Australia:PG | Germany:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #7874) | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Larry's silver wolf-headed cane, the only known surviving prop from the movie, currently resides in the personal collection of genre film archivist Bob Burns. Burns, who was a schoolboy at the time, was given the cane head by the man who made it for the film, prop-maker Ellis Burman.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the climactic scenes in the forest, the same log (resembling an open alligator's mouth) can be seen in different sections of the forest at the same time.

Quotes:

Larry Talbot: Don't try to make me believe that I killed a man when I know that I killed a wolf!
Doctor Lloyd: [patronizing Larry] Yes, yes. We're all a little bit confused.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Son of Svengoolie: The Wolf Man (1941) (#1.16)" (1979)

A sympathetic monster

The wolf man is the beast or Freudian "Id" in all of us -- the part of us we don't want others to see, the part of us we may not even want to see ourselves.

Lon Chaney, Jr., gives a touching and sympathetic performance depicting his struggle with the monster within him. Some critics were snide, pointing out that he came across too much like Lenny in OF MICE AND MEN, but to say that is to miss the sense of pathos he brings to his part.

The rest of the cast is an interesting mix of character actors, including Bela Lugosi who has a small but important part and Maria Ouspenskaya who recites the werewolf verses with such conviction as to make you think they are true.

This film is a fable about us all. We all have a spilt personality that can overtake us if we are not careful to know ourselves.