Biographic - Sunday October 25, 2009 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

Werewolves have been staples of folklore for centuries and have been featured in movies going back to the first years of the silent era. In 1941, "The Wolf Man" captured the public's imagination and made Lon Chaney Jr. A horror giant. He went on to play the character in four more films, pitted against everyone from Frankenstein's Monster to comedy duo Abbott and Costello. The advent of sci-fi movies brought a decline in popularity for the horror genre. The early days of of rock 'n' roll saw Michael Landon, who would go on to enjoy fame on "Bonanza" and "Little House On The Prarie" take the lead in 1957's "I Was A Teenage Werewolf" In the late 1960s, werewolf movies were all the rage in Europe, but it wasn't until the early 1980s that the creatures enjoyed a significant revival. Advances in special effects and makeup contributed to the success of "An American Werewolf in London" "The Howling" and "The Company of Wolves." In 1985, at the heights of his "Back To The Future" popularity Michael J. Fox starred in the the hit comedy "Teen Wolf." Following 1994's "Wolf" a big-budget vehicle for Jack Nicholson, werewolf movies were comparatively few and far between. But recently, they've made a major comeback. From Harry Potter to tv show's such as "True Blood" and the BBC's "Being Human" lycanthropes are back in Vogue. "New Moon" Taylor Lautner's Jacob character morphs into a wolf, while upcoming release "The Wolfman" sees Benicio Del Toro reprise the role that made Lon Chaney Jr. a star.

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