1985's "Lugosi: The Forgotten King" was the first ever documentary about the life and career of Bela Lugosi, done on the fly by budding filmmakers who were only able to use public domain footage from trailers to flesh out his most famous roles. Enthusiastic contributors include Forrest J. Ackerman, illustrious editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland, who proudly serves as host in an actual Lugosi-owned cape, and interview subjects Ralph Bellamy, John Carradine, Carroll Borland, and Alex Gordon. Gordon's perspective was an interesting one, growing up in England during the crackdown on horror films to forbid children under 16 from viewing them, so in effect his first genre encounter with Bela was opposite Boris Karloff in "The Invisible Ray," after first seeing him in Universal's dirt cheap "Postal Inspector." Ralph Bellamy discusses how the studios glamourized their stars, and offers one anecdote about director Erle C. Kenton on "The Ghost of Frankenstein" (he also worked with Bela in "The Wolf Man"), while Carroll Borland shares her story of working on stage ( as Lucy in "Dracula") and film (as Luna in "Mark of the Vampire") with the handsome Hungarian, and the effect his presence had on women every time he walked in the room. A later screen Dracula, John Carradine, worked with Lugosi on four titles: 1934's "The Black Cat," 1944's "Return of the Ape Man" and "Voodoo Man" for Monogram, and Bela's last completed role in 1956's "The Black Sleep," admitting that he didn't really know him that well, other than he considered him a fine actor who appeared to be good friends with Boris Karloff (he also noted how quickly Monogram shot their films as opposed to the major studios). Carradine's most humorous comment is about the Lugosi funeral (Forrest J. Ackerman was present to share his thoughts with us), and the (false) rumor that Boris Karloff was in attendance, looking down upon his former costar to quietly intone: "come now Bela, you're putting us on!" Some 30 years after its disappearance into television syndication and home video flirtations, the filmmakers were contacted by the Lugosi family to update the documentary, promising the late actor's son Bela G. Lugosi as their first new interviewee, followed by what few survivors still lived: Carla Laemmle, Donnie Dunagan, Louise Currie, Janet Ann Gallow, and Anne Jeffreys. This more recent cut is much longer, preserving all the footage shot exclusively for the 1985 original so Forry Ackerman remains our guide, the grainy trailer footage now replaced by higher quality sources. From the early days in Hungary to the final days recovering from drug addiction, it is a respectful retrospective that may not be very detailed but offers its share of surprises for even the most dedicated buffs.
