The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935)

Starring Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Valerie Hobson, Ernest Thesiger, Elsa Lanchester
Directed by James Whale
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After the Monster survives his apparent death, an evil scientist blackmails Henry Frankenstein into creating a mate for the creature.

A terrific sequel to Whale's 1931 Frankenstein film that launched Karloff's stellar horror career, the picture features the return of Karloff in his classic role, who speaks as the monster for the first and only time.  Although his performance in this film has been often parodied over the years, it is still a work of quality,  such that the distinguished British gentleman underneath the makeup isn't discernible at all.  Karloff is only one component however of a fine motion picture, which also features Whale's expert direction and the addition of wry touches of humor, something missing from the first film, as well as beautiful photography from John Mescall, and a thrilling score by Franz Waxman.  The screenplay, which according to IMDB several individuals worked on at one time or other, wisely recreates a sequence from Mary Shelley's original novel which was absent from the first film, a touching sequence in which Karloff's monster befriends a blind hermit played by O.P. Heggie.

The Ghost Goes West (1935)

Starring Robert Donat, Jean Parker, Eugene Pallette, Elsa Lanchester, Ralph Bunker
Directed by Rene Clair
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A Scottish clansman, after dying dishonorably, is cursed to haunt his castle as a ghost, but 200 years later, he may have a chance for redemption when the castle is sold to a wealthy American.

French director Rene Clair delivers one of his many charming fantasy films in this effort for British producer Alexander Korda, and although its not as amusingly scripted as it could have been, it's still a light and enjoyable concoction, with some good production values and well-done special effects.  The film features a fine cast, although Lanchester is wasted in a very small role, and the romance between Donat and Parker, if not very well defined, is sweet and cute enough to delight the audience.

Mystery Street (1950)

Starring Ricardo Montalban, Sally Forrest, Bruce Bennett, Elsa Lanchester, Marshall Thompson
Directed by John Sturges
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A Cape Cod detective turns to a Harvard professor for help in determining how a skeleton discovered on the beach got there.

Almost a mystery in reverse, the film begins by showing us the identity of the murder victim and where and how she meets her fate, and then introduces us to Lieutenant Morales, who must deduce what we've just seen with only her skeleton as evidence.  Although Montalban was one of MGM's stars by this time, it's refreshing to see him headline the picture with nary a reference to his ethnicity, and he does a nice job in his role, convincingly portraying a dedicated cop on his first murder case.  The picture is also stylistically interesting, commencing with scenes drenched in shadow, a nice device symbolizing how much Morales has to uncover.

Pajama Party (1964)

Starring Tommy Kirk, Annette Funicello, Elsa Lanchester, Harvey Lembeck, Jesse White
Directed by Don Weis
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The Martians send an advance scout to prepare the way for their invasion of the Earth, and among a crowd of partying teenagers, he finds a pretty girl he falls for.

Somewhat akin to the way The Horror Of Party Beach mixed horror with the teen musical, this film does the same with science fiction, with the sci-fi content actually being somewhat less preposterous than the other wacky shenanigans going on in the film.  These include a motorcycle gang going after a volleyball squad for making footprints on their beach, and a con man trying to raid the fortune in his neighbor's house, relying on an Indian chief and a gorgeous Swedish blonde to find out where it is.  This was the status quo for most of the teen musicals of this era, particularly the beach movies starring Funicello and Frankie Avalon during this period.  None of the songs stayed with me long after the movie ended, but the youthful exuberance on display was entertaining.  There is one bit of casting that left a sour taste in my mouth, the use of the great silent comedian Buster Keaton, who is saddled with the stereotyped character of the Indian chief, an insult to Native Americans and a waste of his great talent.  What a shame.