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Re: The Return of Dracula

Posted: September 28th, 2014, 2:14 am
by Joe Macclesfield
W.G., THE VAMPIRE; it's not bad! Kenneth Tobey is always Welcome with me. No one utilised him the same as Hawks (or should that be Nyby!).

Re: The Return of Dracula

Posted: September 28th, 2014, 8:27 am
by Western Guy
. . . And Joe, Kenneth Tobey was a very nice guy. I've conducted a series of celebrity interviews over the years (though nowhere in league with Tom Weaver's resume) and Ken had agreed to do a career interview with me for Filmfax before he suffered a stroke. But I was glad to at least have had the chance to get to talk with him. He was very proud of his work in sci-fi films - particularly, of course, THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD.

I have a soft spot for THE VAMPIRE also because it features Coleen Gray, whom I did get to interview. And sweet lady that she is (92 years old, God bless her) she actually wrote a letter to the magazine that published our talk: Videoscope to compliment me on how I conducted the interview . . . which the magazine printed.

Re: The Return of Dracula

Posted: September 28th, 2014, 2:23 pm
by Joe Macclesfield
I didn't know that Kenneth Tobey had suffered a stroke W.G. It's nice that you got the chance to speak with him, as you say; and a pity the interview had to be scuppered. I did notice the beautiful Ms. Gray!

W.G., Tom Weaver's piece on Ken Tobey--Is it available to read anywhere?

Re: The Return of Dracula

Posted: September 28th, 2014, 3:23 pm
by Western Guy
Joe, Tom Weaver`s interview with Ken Tobey in in Weaver's volume "Attack of the Monster Movie Makers" (McFarland & Co., 1994).

And here's a link to an article you might find of interest, Joe:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obitu ... 23341.html

Re: The Return of Dracula

Posted: September 29th, 2014, 11:22 am
by Joe Macclesfield
Thanks for the info. and the link on Ken Tobey W.G. Tom Weaver was so right when he wrote: "one of the first--and one of the best--of the great sci-fi movie heroes of the Fifties." Was pleased to read that Ken "ran into Sammy Davis Jr in a Los Angeles jazz club in the early sixties." A great actor, nice guy, and a jazz fan to boot! :D

Re: The Return of Dracula

Posted: September 29th, 2014, 11:30 am
by Western Guy
You know, Joe, that Sammy Davis was a great fan of horror films - particularly those produced by Hammer studios. Both Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing told me of Sammy's fondness for their movies. In fact, it was Sammy who suggested that Chris and Peter both perform a cameo as their most famous characters in the otherwise abysmal ONE MORE TIME.

Re: The Return of Dracula

Posted: February 27th, 2016, 1:42 pm
by Brian McFadden
Return of the Vampire was on a cable station last week. I hadn't seen it in years and - as is the case whenever our memories are better than reality - I was a bit disappointed with it overall. But Bela did a fine job. I agree with "Western Guy" that Universal should have used him when it resurrected the character in the forties (Pardon the pun.) Carradine just walked through the two he did with his ridiculous top hat tilted at a jaunty angle, and Lon was way too beefy to be a vampire! So it was nice to see Bela back for this one, even if it wasn't a Universal. And Matt Willis did a good job as the werewolf. The negatives were some pretty bad writing and a weak performance by Roland Varno.
Brian