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With a full moon gracing us just in time for Halloween 2020, this critic decided to revisit one of the less-loved Universal Classic Monsters, Henry Hull’s titular beast in the flop curio Werewolf of London (1935). We’ll examine what was essentially a werewolf-infused reinterpretation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886), and how Universal learned from its mistakes to create a trailblazing masterpiece six years later. Werewolf of London, ultimately, stands as an imperfect but intriguing early stab at reinterpreting classic werewolf mythology for a big screen presentation.

As our tale begins, famed obsessive botanist and neglectful husband Dr. Wilfred Glendon (Henry Hull) travels to Tibet to retrieve a rare flower, the “mariphasa lumina lupina,” a “phosphorescent wolf flower” that only blooms under moonlight. Though he succeeds in grabbing the plant he covets, he is also bitten by a wild werewolf in the process.

Academy Award wins included Gigi, Porgy And Bess.

André Previn, the celebrated German-American musican, conductor and composer whose numerous Oscar wins included awards for My Fair Lady and Porgy And Bess, has died in Manhattan. He was 89.

Previn was renowned as one of the most brilliant musicians of the age. He won awards, conducted the London Symphony Orchestra (Lso) from 1968-1979, and was known for his extraordinary ability as a jazz pianist.

He was born in Berlin before his father, fearing for the safety of his Jewish family, relocated them to the United States at the onset of the Second World War.

Oscar-winning film composer and symphony orchestra conductor Andre Previn died Thursday at his home in Manhattan, his manager confirmed to the New York Times. He was 89.

The former enfant terrible of motion picture scoring and accomplished jazz pianist was honored with four Academy Awards. He won the first two, for best scoring of a musical picture (a category that has since been retired), for “Gigi” and “Porgy & Bess” in 1958 and 1959, respectively, while still in his 20s. He then won two for best adaptation or treatment (another retired sub-category) in 1963 and 1964 for “Irma la Douce” and “My Fair Lady,” respectively.

He later abandoned films to conduct such esteemed orchestras as the London Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Previn’s jazz influence was pianist Art Tatum and, from the age of 12, he developed a proficiency in jazz piano, which led to his first film assignment at age 16, while still a...

For my money this is the brightest, most endearing and wittiest ’30s comedy to be given the name ‘screwball.’ Everyone on screen is flawlessly magnificent — Carole Lombard, William Powell, Alice Brady, Gail Patrick, Jean Dixon, Eugene Pallette and Mischa Auer — and Gregory La Cava’s direction is so good, it’s invisible. No kidding, I’ve never watched this with a group or individual that didn’t immediately rank it among the best entertainments they’ve seen.

My Man Godfrey

Blu-ray

The Criterion Collection 114

1936 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 93 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date September 18, 2018 / 39.95

Starring: William Powell, Carole Lombard, Alice Brady, Gail Patrick, Eugene Pallette, Alan Mowbray, Jean Dixon, Mischa Auer.

Cinematography: Ted Tetzlaff

Film Editors: Ted Kent, Russell Schoengarth

Original Music: Charles Previn

Written by Morrie Ryskind, Eric Hatch from his novel

Produced by Gregory La Cava, Charles R. Rogers

Directed by Gregory La Cava

Screwball...

(1939, PG, Optimum)

This cult classic, a surprisingly literate work made when anglophilia was riding high in Hollywood, draws most of its cast from the Hollywood cricket club and brings together Universal's cycle of gothic horror movies with the 1930s swashbuckler for a decent exercise in 15th-century British history. Directed by the talented Rowland V. Lee (The Count of Monte Cristo, Son of Frankenstein), it stars Basil Rathbone at his most villainously suave as the Duke of Gloucester, and charts his way to becoming Richard III and his defeat at Bosworth. He's assisted from first to last by Boris Karloff (playing hairless, crippled executioner Mord), and among his victims is Vincent Price in his first evil role as the Duke of Clarence, famously drowned in a butt of malmsey. The trio were reunited 20 years later as members of Roger Corman's rep company. There are fascinating touches (eg, Richard charting his...