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Wait, wait. Slow down.

OK, as Joe says, onto BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN.

If George DeNormand doubled for Boris, in which scene?

And does this mean he was the second person ever to have the Jack Pierce makeup, or partial makeup?

>>It always looked to me like a stuntman who jumps into the stream to rescue the shepherdess.

And that would be George DeNormand, then? Interesting! Someone else who played the monster in BRIDE!

Can anyone confirm that it was DeNormand? DeNormand is in FILMFAX #107, but I'm at work and the library here at USA TODAY -- believe it or not -- DOESN'T have FILMFAX!!

david

OK, here's what it says about George DeNormand in the new FILMFAX (No. 107). The article, mostly about his stunt work in westerns, is by Jim Harmon:

'On The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), George was doubling Boris Karloff as the Monster. Near the end of the day's shooting, Karloff came up to DeNormand, the two of them in complete monster makeup with the huge, square headpieces.

'Karloff said, 'This is your first day in make-up, George. I think you had better come with me.'

'The two men went to Karloff's dressing room and the star offered George a very stiff whiskey. 'Bottoms up, George.' The two then went to make-up. The first thing they did to each of the men was to remove the headpiece glued to their own scalps. It was like ripping off the top of the man's own head -- blinding pain, and an inadvertent yelp. George then understood why they needed that shot of whiskey.

'For some time, Frankenstein aficionado Donald F. Glut was not sure where DeNormand doubled Karloff. George was on the production records for doubling the old man who drowned beneath the windmill at the beginning of the film. There was no double for the climax of the film. It was either Karloff or a dummy.

'But Glut believes that it was a double, possibly George, who is hoisted up on a pole when the Monster is captured midway through the film. The director would not ask a star like Karloff to go through that.'

-- Jim Harmon, FILMFAX #107.

Harmon's piece is based on interviews with DeNormand before the veteran stuntman died in 1976.

There's no doubt it is Karloff in the closeup during the 'crucifixion' scene on the pole:



But Glut apparently believes it could have been DeNormand during the hoisting or when the pole falls into the wagon. If so, DeNormand would be the second man to play Jack Pierce's monster.

So what think? Are we convinced enough to start a list?

-- Frankenstein (1931): Boris Karloff
-- Bride of Frankenstein (1935): Boris Karloff, George DeNormand

Or do we need more proof?

david
'I'll bind him!'

OK, if we agree then the list will be:

-- FRANKENSTEIN (1931) Boris Karloff
-- BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1931) Boris Karloff, George DeNormand

On to SON OF FRANKENSTEIN:

As noted above, the scene where a stuntman was known to be used is the falling into the sulphur pit.

Here's two images from the Philip Riley MagicImage SON OF FRANKENSTEIN book, which identifies the monstrous stand-in as Bud Wolfe:



The IMdB lists Bud Wolfe as an 'uncredited' stunt man in SON OF FRANKENSTEIN. He was heavily used in serials.

An Ed Wolff is also listed separately. SON OF FRANKENSRTEIN is not listed but the short list of films includes Wolff playing Phllippe in RETURN OF THE FLY and the creature in COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK (probably briefly), a mutant in INVADERS FROM MARS and, in a 1932 film called HYPNOTIZED, 'Midget.' That last confuses things.

But it could be that Bud Wolfe and Ed Wolff are the same person.

Does anyone know more?

david

So do we think it is Bud or Ed? Glut now says Ed was in SON?

What do you think, Tom?