Just in time for Hallowe'en, as always, comes the birthday of our Patron Saint, the Bride of Frankenstein herself, Miss Elsa Lanchester...
We adore her - not just for her unconventional eccentricities, nor for the fact that (even after catching him with a rent boy on the couch, which prompted her to throw not just the interloper and errant hubbie out of the house, but also the sofa itself!) she and Charles Laughton remained Hollywood's (somewhat tainted) "golden couple" for so many years, but for her humorous and unique ventures into the wonderful world of Music Hall, with all its innuendo.
Not least in this, from one of our most treasured albums Songs for a Smoke-filled Room!
Linda and her Londonderry Air,
Linda and her Londonderry Air,
As a vehicle for Linda,
It fitted like a glove,
And if sometimes she exploited it,
Well, heavens above!...
Elsa Sullivan Lanchester (28th October 1902 – 26th December 1986)
Read my previous tributes to Miss Lanchester here, here, and particularly here.
What a coincidence, I just watched Bride of Frankenstein last week, TMC, the movie channel, was having a Halloween windup. One of the most interesting parts is the opening, where Elsa plays Mary Shelly and looks incredibly pretty. Such huge eyes and so dainty, it's hard to imagine her taking a whack at Charles Laughton.
ReplyDeleteIn or out of her "Bride of Frankenstein" get-up, by all accounts she was a formidable lady... Jx
DeleteI really must watch The Bride of Frankenstein before Universal remake it. I've seen bits and pieces, but never the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately Miss Lanchester doesn't sing in it. Jx
DeleteAdorable and adored.
ReplyDeleteThat's why she is one of our "Patron Saints". Jx
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