Boris Karloff
A late photo of Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff began his film career in 1919 and
appeared in dozens of films through the 1920's in minor roles. Not
until he was offered the role in Frankenstein that Bela Lugosi refused
did Karloff's acting career take off. Not only was this movie a huge
success, but in the next four years he would star in many other Univeral
Pictures classics including The Mummy and The Black Cat,
in which he played a role opposite Bela Lugosi. He was called upon again
in 1935 for the Bride of Frankenstein, which many critics consider
to be the best black and white horror film ever made. During the
1940's Karloff was typecast in many B-movies, although he was able to land
some quality roles during the latter part of the decade. He gave
Broadway a shot in the 1950's, but ultimately ended his career on the screen
with Targets in 1968.
L.C. Subject Headings
The following Library of Congress Subject Headings are for use in searching
the on-line catalog for materials pertaining to Boris Karloff.
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Karloff, Boris, 1887-1969.
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Karloff, Boris, 1887-1969 – Bibliography.
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Karloff, Boris, 1887-1969 – Criticism and interpretation.
Biographies
Glut, Donald F. The Frankenstein Legend: A Tribute to Mary Shelley
and Boris Karloff. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1973.
[Davis, 7th floor stacks: PR5397.F73 G4]
The Frankenstein Legend is devoted to the history of
the story, beginning with Mary Shelley in 1818. Most of the remainder
of the book has to do with the history of Frankenstein on screen,
a majority of which focuses around Boris Karloff. While the final
chapters to not deal directly with him, the sections that do are worth
the read. The introduction is written by Forest Ackerman, who was
a close and personal friend of Karloff’s and continued that relationship
with his children, who also contributed.
Lindsay, Cynthia. Dear Boris: The Life of William Henry Pratt
a.k.a. Boris Karloff. New York: Knopf, 1975.
[Davis, 7th floor stacks: PN2287.K25 L5]
Although it seems like a rather basic biography, Lindsay’s
book is listed here because it has received great praise from other authors.
One of the first detailed accounts of Boris Karloff, this work is listed
in the bibliographies of most other biographers. Today there are
many other books that do a better job than this one, but for a trip back
in time Dear Boris is a sure thing. One nice thing about this
book is the large number of photographs it contains.
Nollen, Scott Allen. Boris Karloff: A Critical Account of His
Screen, Stage, Radio, Television and Recording Work. Jefferson,
N.C.: McFarland & Co., 1991.
[Davis, 7th floor stacks: PN2287.K25 N6 1991]
This book starts off on the right foot, with a foreword by
Ray Bradbury. From there this book evolves into a well written and
well organized biography of Boris Karloff. Set up differently than
many other biographies, Nollen’s work begins with a small biography of
his early years and then, chapter by chapter, goes through many of his
best films, using those time periods to portray Karloff’s life. There
is an interesting chapter on horror parodies, such as Abbott and Costello
Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, and the final chapter which talks about
Karloff’s legacy. The six appendices contain lists of his performances
in all mediums, as well as published writings and proposed films and roles.
Underwood, Peter. Horror Man: The Life of Boris Karloff, with
an Appendix of the Films in Which he Appeared. London:
Leslie Frewin, 1972.
[Davis, 7th floor stacks: PN2287.K25 U47]
A well written account of the late actor, Horror Man
is a straightforward read, with the only pictures being 12 pages of photos
in the center of the book. Not every bit of Karloff’s life is present
here, and for the reader who wants a briefer description of his life this
is probably the better book to read. In the back there is a discography
of recordings that were made for Caedmon Records, and the appendix is a
filmography which has information about all the movies Karloff was in,
adding up to over 160.
Filmographies
Bojarski, Richard & Beale, Kenneth. The Films of Boris
Karloff. Secaucus, N.J.: Citadel Press, 1974.
[Davis, 7th floor stacks: PN2287.K25 B6]
Richard Bojarski is someone who knows his movies inside and
out, and this could not be more evident than in this filmography.
With a striking selection of photos and very descriptive summaries, this
book is a must have for anyone interested in the films of Boris Karloff.
It starts out with a brief biography, and then goes into a summation of
his early movies, both silent and sound. The first movie to receive
its own page is 1931’s Graft, and from there the book continues
through scores of Karloff’s hits.
Buehrer, Beverley Bare. Boris Karloff: A Bio-bibliography.
Westport, C.T.: Greenwood Press, 1993.
[Davis, 7th floor stacks: PN2287.K25 N6 1991]
What could probably be considered the best filmography about
Boris Karloff, Buehrer has definitely gone through great pains to bring
the information in this book to light. With exceptionally thorough
summaries and comments this is the book for the person who is serious about
the actor’s movies. Along with the films are his other appearances,
and also included is a bibliography with books and articles about Karloff.
There are only a handful of pictures which appear in the back of the book,
and it seems as though this was done on purpose so as not to distract the
reader.
World Wide Web Resources
Boris Karloff Home Page
The official website of Boris Karloff, this site is maintained by Karloff
Enterprises, which is run by Karloff’s descendants. Here you will
find lots of great information about the late actor including a full filmography,
biographies, a family tree which goes from the early 19th century to the
present and a list of radio appearances. This website also has links
to various other places that have to do with horror movies and conventions,
a link to a full unabridged version of Mary Shelley’s book, and there is
also a gift shop for purchasing Karloff related materials.