Glenn Strange got walloped by a tourist during ''Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein''
Integral to the story: He was in Frankenstein makeup
How nutty is your workplace? We're willing to wager that even for the craziest of job sites, there aren't too many monsters walking around. Granted, this might come off as a little hypocritical... We here at MeTV work in an office with Svengoolie. Creatures of the night abound, even while we're just making copies. But we're probably the exception to the rule.
Your boss might be a real creep, but at least he still looks human, right? Imagine, then, the antics that would abound in and around a soundstage at Universal Studios during their monster movie heyday. Surely, some frightening sights created a strange norm.
This was absolutely the case during the production of 1948's classic horror comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Because the title monster wasn't alone... This frightfully funny flick also featured The Wolf Man, Dracula, and even a cameo appearance by The Invisible Man. And while the latter might not have been seen anywhere on set, the studio was absolutely crawling with creepy caped creatures.
The 1981 book It's Alive!: The Classic Cinema Saga of Frankenstein, relayed a story in which Glenn Strange spoke to how he wasn't particularly well-received in his monster makeup— at least as far as unsuspecting tourists were concerned. Specifically, Strange recalled eating lunch with Ann Blyth, who at the time was one of the title stars in the in-production Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (hint: Blyth was not Mr. Peabody).
We were just minding our own business, having our lunch outside a soundstage, when it happened," Strange recalled. "Like me, Ann had to keep on her makeup until the day's shooting was over. Naturally, she couldn't walk around with her feet covered with a mermaid's body, so they had fixed up a little cart for her to lie in."
Now, given the context, the sight might not be frightening to you. But remember, you're a genre fan reading about the story of an actor in a horror comedy. Try to put yourself in the shoes of some poor old lady just off the bus for a cheerful Hollywood tour.
Strange continues:
"Well, this tourist suddenly comes around the corner and saw us. She took one look at the crazy sight of a Monster and mermaid eating lunch together, let out a screech, and hit me in the face with her purse! Then she ran off screaming bloody murder, leaving me with my lunch all over my face and costume!"
Luckily, at least by the time he got around to passing the story along, Strange seemed like he had no hard feelings toward the offending purse-swinger!
