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Broderick Crawford... as the Phantom?!!?
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Re: Broderick Crawford... as the Phantom?!!?
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TServo4
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Dec 29 08 8:28 PM
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Universal was really looking to create a vehicle for Deanna Durbin, not make a horror picture, which is why the end product is quite neutered. Like I said, Laughton had just co-starred with Durbin in her last picture, and the role in that film is also of the fatherly nature that was tailored for the remake of THE PHANTOM (apparently, audiences and critics liked the chemistry between the two, even if it was platonic). Durbin's reckless attitude and a number of suspensions at the studio no doubt nixed the original idea. Eventually she got her way, getting a free hand in whatever she wanted out of her films, which coupled with the merger in '48, I think ended up killing her career.
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA was a project that seemed to be kicked around as an idea at Universal every year, no doubt because of the standing opera house set. The 1943 version really finds lineage in a series of scripts that went back to the '30s that were being tailored for Karloff, and probably even earlier than that when Universal thought they could lure Chaney back for a talkie remake, which obviously never happened and became the hybrid sound re-issue. When U. made MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES, the comment cards for the "Phantom" scene in the film were so positive that they decided to do a remake then, which eventually morphed into the Hammer film when the two struck a deal with them in 1959. Similar to how the 1940 script was tailored for Durbin's image, Universal had some sort of idea they were going to fit Cary Grant into the picture, although it's been debated whether he would have played the hero or the villain. Kathryn Grayson was also attached to the Hammer version at some point, no doubt intended as a comeback after leaving MGM in '56.
J. Theakston
Capitol Theatre, Rome, NY
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Welcome to the CHFB
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CHFB TURNS 20!
Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards
Universal Horrors
The Universal Monsters Blu-Ray Collection
Golden Age Horror
Kong - 8th Wonder of the World
Silent Horror
Poverty Row
The World of Sherlock Holmes
Murder and Mystery
Thrills and Chills
'50s Horror and Sci-Fi
'60s Horror and Sci-Fi
'70s Horror and Sci-Fi
Hammer Horror
The Psycho Ward
Foreign Horror
Japanese Giants
Horror and Sci-Fi of Recent Decades
Current Films
Second Takes on Films of the 2000s
Independent Films and Documentaries
Coming Soon
TV Terrors
Classic Horror on DVD, Blu-Ray and Streaming
Stream and Stream Again
Horror Film Books and Magazines
Horror by Candlelight
Horror Comics and Fantasy Art
Monster Toys and Collectibles
Classic Horror Movie Memorabilia
Horror Music
Old Time Radio and Audio Horror
Classic Horror Online
CHFB Member Reviews
Our Favorite Horror Hosts
Classic Disney Scares
Horror Film Stars
Men Behind the Monsters
Monster Kid Memories
General Horror and Sci-Fi
Horror Tech
Movie of the Day
Off Topic Discussions
Classic Horror News and Events
Birthdays and Holidays
DVR / TiVo Alert
Final Farewells
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Monster Kids Helping Monster Kids
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Universal Horrors
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Broderick Crawford... as the Phantom?!!?
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