All the Classic Movies That I Have Seen

1. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931).

One of the best versions of Robert Louis Stevenson's novella that I have seen thus far. Fredric March deserved his Oscar. Miriam Hopkins was not too bad either.

2. Frankenstein (1931).

Another horror classic. Not much I could say about this that others have not already said but I am still haunted by certain scenes -- the windmill fire scene, for example -- that I remember from my childhood. I wish I could say that I have seen the 1931 version of Dracula as well but I have only seen bits and pieces.

3. The Invisible Man (1933).

Yes, it takes liberties with some of the original novel's plot but it is still a better rendition than one might think.

4. Werewolf of London (1935).

Another movie I saw in my teenage years. I never liked it as much as The Wolf Man but it had its moments.

5. Son of Frankenstein (1939).

For some reason, I never saw half as much of The Bride of Frankenstein as I did this one. Obviously a big influence on Young Frankenstein.

6. The Cat and the Canary (1939).

The Bob Hope version. Actually a lot better than I thought it would be. The fact that Hope had Paulette Goddard of Modern Times fame as his female lead does not hurt either. I have yet to see a film in which Ms. Goddard's presence was not a welcome addition -- she even managed to steal the show from her more famous co-stars in The Women -- and this film is no exception.

7. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941).

Interesting experiment that did not quite work, perhaps because director Victor Fleming overdid the special effects -- especially in the dream sequences -- or more likely because Spencer Tracy was not a very convincing Mr. Hyde. He tried, bless his heart, and of course, Ingrid Bergman and Lana Turner were quite attractive, but I still prefer the 1931 version.

8. The Wolf Man (1941).

This film always confused me as a young boy because I never quite understood why the filmmakers called the title character a “wolf man” when he so obviously looked nothing like a wolf. I guess “Weird Hairy Man” was taken as a title.

9. The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942).

I had seen this when I was a young boy but I don't remember too much about it.

10. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1942).

For some reason I liked this as a young boy but I don't remember why.

11. House of Frankenstein (1944).

Ditto.

12. The Body Snatcher (1945).

Robert Wise does horror. Actually a pretty good horror film as I recall.