Is there any doubt that amongst serious genre enthusiasts that a mention of the name of actress Fay Wray (1907-2004) immediately conjures up thoughts of her seminal screen performance, that of 1933's monster epic King Kong?
Hailing originally from the Great White North (aka Canada), Wray came to Hollywood at a very young age, finding minor fame and fortune in the realm of silent pictures. 1923's Speed Bugs is credited as her first screen foray -- basic math suggests she would've been around 16 years of age at this point -- and IMDB.com reports that it only took a few years for her fastly increasing recognition to draw the attention of the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers: the organization selected Wray -- along with twelve other talents -- as most likely to succeed in motion pictures. Her stint with Kong was still a few years away at this point; but something that's often overlooked by those examing her career was that by 1932 she was well on her way to being recognized as a force to be reckoned with in the Realms of the Fantastic.
In fact, a prescient mind might argue that her presence peaked with Kong and went a bit downhill -- albeit slowly -- from there.
Hailing originally from the Great White North (aka Canada), Wray came to Hollywood at a very young age, finding minor fame and fortune in the realm of silent pictures. 1923's Speed Bugs is credited as her first screen foray -- basic math suggests she would've been around 16 years of age at this point -- and IMDB.com reports that it only took a few years for her fastly increasing recognition to draw the attention of the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers: the organization selected Wray -- along with twelve other talents -- as most likely to succeed in motion pictures. Her stint with Kong was still a few years away at this point; but something that's often overlooked by those examing her career was that by 1932 she was well on her way to being recognized as a force to be reckoned with in the Realms of the Fantastic.
In fact, a prescient mind might argue that her presence peaked with Kong and went a bit downhill -- albeit slowly -- from there.
From IMDB.com:
"A wisecracking New York reporter intrudes on a research scientist's quest to unmask The Moon Killer."
I've seen Doctor X (my thoughts on it are available here), and -- from what I can recall loosely of it -- it's a reasonably atmospheric chiller that the studios started churning out in the early 1930's. Audiences had embraced early Horror features, and I think that the powers that be were trying to get about anything with a Horror theme -- even modest attempts -- into theaters. Doctor X doesn't really get to what fans would deem 'the good stuff' well into its second half -- there's a big mansion where some of the darker action involving the murderer, along with some suitable gloomy cinematography -- so this one is a bit of a tease at best.
Again pulling from memory, Wray's character -- Joanne Xavier (where the X of the title comes from) -- is tied into this mild Gothic mystery by trying to protect the family name from association to the reign of terror; and I do recall a good amount of verbal sparring between her and the aforementioned wisecracking reporter. Its melodrama was better than its dark delights, but this was Wray's first steps in a direction that would ultimate give her some incredible exposure to genre fans of her day.
"A wisecracking New York reporter intrudes on a research scientist's quest to unmask The Moon Killer."
I've seen Doctor X (my thoughts on it are available here), and -- from what I can recall loosely of it -- it's a reasonably atmospheric chiller that the studios started churning out in the early 1930's. Audiences had embraced early Horror features, and I think that the powers that be were trying to get about anything with a Horror theme -- even modest attempts -- into theaters. Doctor X doesn't really get to what fans would deem 'the good stuff' well into its second half -- there's a big mansion where some of the darker action involving the murderer, along with some suitable gloomy cinematography -- so this one is a bit of a tease at best.
Again pulling from memory, Wray's character -- Joanne Xavier (where the X of the title comes from) -- is tied into this mild Gothic mystery by trying to protect the family name from association to the reign of terror; and I do recall a good amount of verbal sparring between her and the aforementioned wisecracking reporter. Its melodrama was better than its dark delights, but this was Wray's first steps in a direction that would ultimate give her some incredible exposure to genre fans of her day.
From IMDB.com:
"A psychotic big game hunter deliberately strands a luxury yacht on a remote island, where he begins to hunt its passengers for sport."
Back in my high school days, my literature teacher turned the entire class on to the short story -- "The Most Dangerous Game" written by Richard Connell. It's a great little ditty that -- much like the shorter works of Rod Serling or Alfred Hitchcock -- truly revolves around its pretty solid ending. Others describe the finale as a 'twist,' but that's not the case. It's just good writing from an author who knew how to craft a last scene meaningfully, and it works entirely on that level.
Again pulling from memory, I do recall that she had mentioned this theatrical adaptation; and I was finally able to see it years later on DVD. I believe it was shot almost simultaneously with King Kong (I've read that RKO Pictures made use of the Kong sets, locations, etc. for the required jungle island); and I can confirm that the film certainly benefits from the same milieu. Also, it's more of an action thriller than it is a Horror though I've seen it billed as such because of the story's premise of hunting humans for sport.
Wray stars as "Eve," a lovely companion who spends her time on-the-run alongside actor Joel McCrea. It's a great watch, and I might pull it out of my library (if I can find it) and do a review for the site.
"A psychotic big game hunter deliberately strands a luxury yacht on a remote island, where he begins to hunt its passengers for sport."
Back in my high school days, my literature teacher turned the entire class on to the short story -- "The Most Dangerous Game" written by Richard Connell. It's a great little ditty that -- much like the shorter works of Rod Serling or Alfred Hitchcock -- truly revolves around its pretty solid ending. Others describe the finale as a 'twist,' but that's not the case. It's just good writing from an author who knew how to craft a last scene meaningfully, and it works entirely on that level.
Again pulling from memory, I do recall that she had mentioned this theatrical adaptation; and I was finally able to see it years later on DVD. I believe it was shot almost simultaneously with King Kong (I've read that RKO Pictures made use of the Kong sets, locations, etc. for the required jungle island); and I can confirm that the film certainly benefits from the same milieu. Also, it's more of an action thriller than it is a Horror though I've seen it billed as such because of the story's premise of hunting humans for sport.
Wray stars as "Eve," a lovely companion who spends her time on-the-run alongside actor Joel McCrea. It's a great watch, and I might pull it out of my library (if I can find it) and do a review for the site.
From IMDB.com:
"When corpses drained of blood begin to show up in a European village, vampirism is suspected to be responsible."
In case you missed it, Doctor X was the first screen pairing of Wray alongside actor Lionel Atwill; but their presence together is credited for making that flick a bit of a theatrical success. So the makers of The Vampire Bat (1933) and even Mystery Of The Wax Museum (1933) sought to capitalize on that clout by putting them together for a few more attempts at box office gold.
From what I've been able to uncover, it looks like The Vampire Bat was, largely, a respectively cheap production as it curtailed costs by reusing sets from 1931's Frankenstein and 1932's The Old Dark House. Respectfully, it's good that they did that as Google.com reports that the feature failed to really ignite audiences in the way producers sought. While its occasionally garnered some positive attention as a cult flick, The Vampire Bat remains an oddity amongst Wray's other works.
"When corpses drained of blood begin to show up in a European village, vampirism is suspected to be responsible."
In case you missed it, Doctor X was the first screen pairing of Wray alongside actor Lionel Atwill; but their presence together is credited for making that flick a bit of a theatrical success. So the makers of The Vampire Bat (1933) and even Mystery Of The Wax Museum (1933) sought to capitalize on that clout by putting them together for a few more attempts at box office gold.
From what I've been able to uncover, it looks like The Vampire Bat was, largely, a respectively cheap production as it curtailed costs by reusing sets from 1931's Frankenstein and 1932's The Old Dark House. Respectfully, it's good that they did that as Google.com reports that the feature failed to really ignite audiences in the way producers sought. While its occasionally garnered some positive attention as a cult flick, The Vampire Bat remains an oddity amongst Wray's other works.
From IMDB.com:
"The disappearance of people and corpses leads a reporter to a wax museum and a sinister sculptor."
Mystery Of The Wax Museum usually draws attention singly for the fact that it was the first Horror to utilize the backdrop of a wax museum populated by human subjects as a foundation. There's a whole subset to the Horror genre that have explored such places, and yet it all began right here with Atwill and Wray.
Aside from launching its own niche, was it a commercial success?
Well, Google.com reports that Mystery indeed tackled an awful lot of green: it was the fifth-highest grossing motion picture in 1933, and that alone speaks volumes for what it delivers as a Horror property. It also supports the theory that Atwill and Wray together might have been not only an unlikely duo but also viewers took notice and rewarded them for their good if not grisly works.
"The disappearance of people and corpses leads a reporter to a wax museum and a sinister sculptor."
Mystery Of The Wax Museum usually draws attention singly for the fact that it was the first Horror to utilize the backdrop of a wax museum populated by human subjects as a foundation. There's a whole subset to the Horror genre that have explored such places, and yet it all began right here with Atwill and Wray.
Aside from launching its own niche, was it a commercial success?
Well, Google.com reports that Mystery indeed tackled an awful lot of green: it was the fifth-highest grossing motion picture in 1933, and that alone speaks volumes for what it delivers as a Horror property. It also supports the theory that Atwill and Wray together might have been not only an unlikely duo but also viewers took notice and rewarded them for their good if not grisly works.
From IMDB.com:
"A film crew goes to a tropical island for a location shoot, where they capture a colossal ape who takes a shine to their blonde starlet, and bring him back to New York City."
As you can see, Wray -- as a talent -- was well on the track to delivering genre goodness by the time that she got to King Kong, her best remembered work. By my count, this makes her fifth appearance in genre entertainment: I suspect her experience with these previous entries helped fuel what she was doing as an actress, and perhaps that's why she's recalled by so many in what remains one of the seminal monster movies ever.
And -- speaking entirely frankly now -- one has to give the lady an incredible amount of credit? Special effects of her screen era were extraordinarily limited in comparison to anything that gets accomplished today, but with little more around her than the best craftsmen of the 1930's could do she brought so much heart and soul to the screen while essentially interacting with nothing. (For an example, just gander at the above picture.) There was no life-sized Kong in the studio or on location with her, requiring for her to carry a good deal of the picture's emotion. It works despite these challenges, and it does so chiefly because of her abilities.
That's a testament to some solid acting, if ever there were.
"A film crew goes to a tropical island for a location shoot, where they capture a colossal ape who takes a shine to their blonde starlet, and bring him back to New York City."
As you can see, Wray -- as a talent -- was well on the track to delivering genre goodness by the time that she got to King Kong, her best remembered work. By my count, this makes her fifth appearance in genre entertainment: I suspect her experience with these previous entries helped fuel what she was doing as an actress, and perhaps that's why she's recalled by so many in what remains one of the seminal monster movies ever.
And -- speaking entirely frankly now -- one has to give the lady an incredible amount of credit? Special effects of her screen era were extraordinarily limited in comparison to anything that gets accomplished today, but with little more around her than the best craftsmen of the 1930's could do she brought so much heart and soul to the screen while essentially interacting with nothing. (For an example, just gander at the above picture.) There was no life-sized Kong in the studio or on location with her, requiring for her to carry a good deal of the picture's emotion. It works despite these challenges, and it does so chiefly because of her abilities.
That's a testament to some solid acting, if ever there were.
From IMDB.com:
"Young girl escapes voodoo sacrifice of parents on tropical island. Years later, compelled to return with family. Locals revere her as voodoo goddess, driving her insane, leading to family's demise."
Of course, it's at some point that actors and actresses naturally want to expand into scripts with somewhat different themes. Inevitably, talented players want to pair with strong ideas; and I can't help but wonder if that's the direction Wray went. While these last two appearances in like-minded fare are notable, they certainly appear at face value to veer toward greater seriousness and perhaps a bit less Fantasy.
IMDB.com credits Black Moon as being the final Horror film of Wray's career but gives no further indication as to whether or not this was the actress' choice. Their citation even credits the lady as being on the screen's first 'Scream Queens,' and I suppose that's true although I've never quite looked at her performances in the same way I would other Scream Queens. But IMDB.com also indicates that the actress really had no significant recollections regarding making the picture: depending upon whenever that interview was conducted, I'm also not sure that's any major revelation, either.
Still, I do find it a bit curious that Black Moon was apparently only screened in the United States. There's an indication that it was refused by censors outside of the 50 states, so perhaps I need to do a bit more digging on its background as it might be an old school gem.
"Young girl escapes voodoo sacrifice of parents on tropical island. Years later, compelled to return with family. Locals revere her as voodoo goddess, driving her insane, leading to family's demise."
Of course, it's at some point that actors and actresses naturally want to expand into scripts with somewhat different themes. Inevitably, talented players want to pair with strong ideas; and I can't help but wonder if that's the direction Wray went. While these last two appearances in like-minded fare are notable, they certainly appear at face value to veer toward greater seriousness and perhaps a bit less Fantasy.
IMDB.com credits Black Moon as being the final Horror film of Wray's career but gives no further indication as to whether or not this was the actress' choice. Their citation even credits the lady as being on the screen's first 'Scream Queens,' and I suppose that's true although I've never quite looked at her performances in the same way I would other Scream Queens. But IMDB.com also indicates that the actress really had no significant recollections regarding making the picture: depending upon whenever that interview was conducted, I'm also not sure that's any major revelation, either.
Still, I do find it a bit curious that Black Moon was apparently only screened in the United States. There's an indication that it was refused by censors outside of the 50 states, so perhaps I need to do a bit more digging on its background as it might be an old school gem.
From IMDB.com:
"A fake music-hall clairvoyant meets a woman, and suddenly his predictions seem to come true ..."
To be fair, The Clairvoyant at best looks like it's far more of a conventional Mystery that utilizes the unconventional premise of prognostication as little more than a side element to give it some greater genre relevance. There's certainly nothing wrong with that, and there's certainly even less wrong when you consider Wray paired up with the great Claude Rains for a bit of cinematic romance.
While I've not read a great deal on the picture (honestly, I haven't found a great deal written about it), I've can say that there's nothing truly horrific about the story. It truly only loosely winds down Wray's genre credentials for the purposes of this summary, but I think it deserves mention nonetheless.
This certainly wasn't the end to the lady's professional career. Her intense fliration with genre entertainment may've only lasted a few years, and yet she continued showing up on screens big and small all the way until 1980. IMDB.com reports that she amassed an incredible 126 roles in her lifetime ... but I'll always remember her most for her time in the Realms of the Fantastic.
-- EZ
"A fake music-hall clairvoyant meets a woman, and suddenly his predictions seem to come true ..."
To be fair, The Clairvoyant at best looks like it's far more of a conventional Mystery that utilizes the unconventional premise of prognostication as little more than a side element to give it some greater genre relevance. There's certainly nothing wrong with that, and there's certainly even less wrong when you consider Wray paired up with the great Claude Rains for a bit of cinematic romance.
While I've not read a great deal on the picture (honestly, I haven't found a great deal written about it), I've can say that there's nothing truly horrific about the story. It truly only loosely winds down Wray's genre credentials for the purposes of this summary, but I think it deserves mention nonetheless.
This certainly wasn't the end to the lady's professional career. Her intense fliration with genre entertainment may've only lasted a few years, and yet she continued showing up on screens big and small all the way until 1980. IMDB.com reports that she amassed an incredible 126 roles in her lifetime ... but I'll always remember her most for her time in the Realms of the Fantastic.
-- EZ
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