Stardate 08.12.2026.A: Latest Addition - 1943's 'Phantom Of The Opera' Has Been Added To The Daily Archives For August 12th!

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so many movies ... so little time ...
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On this day in 1943 (in the U.S.), the big city of Los Angeles, California played host for the exclusive theatrical premiere of Phantom Of The Opera from Universal Pictures.  Directed by Arthur Lubin and based on the novel by Gaston Leroux, the film starred Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster, Claude Rains, and others. 

​According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"An acid-scarred composer rises from the Paris sewers to boost his favorite opera understudy's career."

For the record:

• To the film's credit, Phantom Of The Opera was a bit of a sensation at the 1944 Academy Awards.  The picture took home two big wins in the categories of 'Best Cinematography - Color' and 'Best Art Direction - Interior Direction - Color' while having to settle for the honor of nominations alone in the categories of 'Best Sound Recording' and 'Best Music, Scoring Of A Musical Picture.'
• Additionally, several releases of the classic film on home video have garnered some positive attention of the Academy Of Science Fiction, Fantasy, And Horror Films.  In 2013 (as an example), an all-new release -- as part of the Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection -- took home the trophy in the category of 'Best DVD / Blu-ray Collection.'  The film was repackaged with other releases (in 2015 and 2024) but had to settle for the honor of nominations alone in the same category.
• At the 2019 Hugo Awards, the film received a Retro Hugo Award nomination in the category of 'Best Dramatic Presentation - Long Form.'

-- EZ
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From Google.com:

Released on August 27, 1943, Universal Pictures' Phantom of the Opera is a Technicolor romantic horror film directed by Arthur Lubin. It stars Claude Rains as the masked phantom (Erique Claudin), Susanna Foster as Christine Dubois, and Nelson Eddy as Anatole Garron. It is famous as the first version filmed in color and the only classic Universal monster movie to win Academy Awards. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Plot and Story Changes
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• The Backstory: Erique Claudin is a gentle, poor pit violinist who secretly loves rising soprano Christine and pays for her lessons.
• The Disfigurement: When Erique loses his hand use and mistakenly thinks a publisher steals his music, he kills him and gets acid thrown on his face.
• The Rivalry: Two suitors—baritone Anatole (Nelson Eddy) and police inspector Raoul—compete for Christine while hunting the phantom. [2, 3, 6, 7]

Production and Legacy

• Sets: The film reused Universal's massive, expensive opera house set originally built for the silent 1925 Lon Chaney version.
• Awards: It won two Oscars at the 16th Academy Awards: Best Art Direction (Color) and Best Cinematography (Color).
• Tone: It leans much more heavily into lavish musical numbers and lush Technicolor romance than traditional, dark monster horror. [1, 7, 8, 9, 10]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_of_the_Opera_(1943_film)
[2] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036261/
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJXhbYKTvzM
[4] https://universalmonsters.fandom.com/wiki/Phantom_of_the_Opera_(1943_film)
[5] https://www.amazon.com/Phantom-Opera-Blu-ray-Nelson-Eddy/dp/B00L8QP06Y
[6] https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/phantom_of_the_opera_1943
[7] https://anotherplace.wordpress.com/2025/12/17/the-phantom-of-the-opera-1943/
[8] https://www.classic-monsters.com/phantom-of-the-opera-universal-1943/
[9] https://poto.fandom.com/wiki/Phantom_of_the_Opera_(1943)
[10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_of_the_Opera_(1943_film)