Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man 1943 Promotional Mannequins

[Toy Ranch]

The FMTWM graphics are so overwhelming, I didn't see the 2nd feature until you mentioned that there was one.

The other movie appears to be "Vengeance Strikes".  The little white box below the title contains the words "prison mutiny".  I haven't been able to locate any information about this movie.  There is nothing on Amazon, eBay, Google, etc.  It isn't even listed in Michael Fitzgerald's 766 page book "Universal Pictures", which contains a catalog of all the Universal movies from 1930 through 1970 - listing casts, credits and major awards.

"Vengeance Strikes" seems to have slipped into cinematic obscurity.

It sure does.  The starring actor it says is Jack La Rue.  According to IMDb, he was in many movies in the 40's, and by the 50's he was doing TV.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0479011/

Vengeance Strikes isn't on his list of credits.

Wartime was a huge series of contrasts in the movie industry.  Profits were way up, after things almost collapsed during the depression (as it's often said, the monster movies saved Universal, or they would have gone out of business).  At the same time, there were severe materials restrictions and it was hard for them to even get film, as much of it was being set aside for military training films.  This is a long article that covers several issues confronting the movie industry in wartime.

http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/2921/The-Motion-Picture-Industry-During-World-War-II.html

Vengeance Strikes may have run afoul of the OWI and have been pulled shortly after it debuted.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Office_of_War_Information

It does seem to be a lost movie.

[zombiehorror]

Awesome finds and very cool history behind the pieces!!

[Wich2]

Amazing find - thanks & congrats, Bobby!

(Though Wolfie looks more like a very sick Carrot Top, than Larry Talbot!)

[HMAEA]

What a fantastic read, Bobby! The history, the hunt, the score, all adds up to a wonderful story.

Thanks for sharing this with us!

E.A.

[Toy Ranch]

Yes lol he isn't a great likeness. 

I should also mention that the person who sold me the heads did not have the photos, and the person who sold me the photos was not aware that the heads still existed.

[Wich2]

The LaRue feature might be:

"You Can't Beat the Law"

Per imdb, he plays "Convict Cain, Prison-break Leader," and it's a '43 film.

"Vengence Strikes" could just be a ballyhoo line.

-Craig

[Monsters For Sale]

The LaRue feature might be:

"You Can't Beat the Law"

Per imdb, he plays "Convict Cain, Prison-break Leader," and it's a '43 film.

"Vengence Strikes" could just be a ballyhoo line.

-Craig

I was just reading about that movie.  I've been looking for a poster.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATE:

This must be it.  The title matches the words in that little white box under the large phrase "... Vengeance Strikes..."

"PRISON MUTINY" - AKA: "You Can't Beat the Law"

http://www.amazon.com/Prison-Mutiny/dp/B002ZTIV28/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1322843119&sr=8-4

Someone is even selling a 16mm print of "Prison Mutiny" on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/16mm-B-W-Feature-PRISON-MUTINY-43-Original-/280644368203?pt=US_Film&hash=item4157b5374b

Man, I LOVE the Internet!

[Zombiology]

This is the kind of stuff I love to read about -- the history of back when....  Thanks for posting that info.  It was great.

[michblk]

Simply amazing!  I love this stuff!  Thanks for sharing!

BK

[Dr. Jitters]

Wow!  Great thread.  Thanks for sharing and congrats on the score Toy Ranch!

[RedKing]

That is simply amazing! What a realpiece of history-and the Wolf Man's eyes still light up after all these decades!!

[Monster Bob]

Just to let you know Bobby, the seller of these was incorrect about this being a one of a kind set, though she insisted and would not believe me. This is the third set of these I have seen in the last 10 years, and there was also a set of hands made for the Wolfman, that did not look anything like the ones in your pics- they were cast also, like the Frankenstein hands. Cool pieces!

[Minion]

Just for the record, I'm not questioning the age or authenticity of the actual busts, just the time period of the pictures posted of them. The busts are very cool scores and pieces of monster history. I also was not implying these were Don Post latex hands, as those didn't come out until the 60s (though the first ones released that were sculpted by Pat Newman were small. The big oversized movie mold ones didn't come out until Bill Malone worked there in the 70s)

I found this post by Frankenseinia interesting -

and the ticket price is 50 cents.

Going from that angle I found these online -

"The average price of movie tickets in the 1940's:

1940: 24 cents
1943: 29 cents
1945: 35 cents
1949: 46 cents.

In an effort to compete with television, the average U.S. movie ticket prices declined from $.53 in 1950 to $.51 in 1959."

So either they were massively overcharging (for the time) to see the film when it came out or the price listed in the picture fits into the 50s time period (as do the clothes actually)

there was also a set of hands made for the Wolfman, that did not look anything like the ones in your pics- they were cast also, like the Frankenstein hands.

Strange that they would need to replace the hands on a brand new mannequin with hands that look nothing like wolfman hands.

Okay, I'm done. LOL

Great scores Bobby

[Toy Ranch]

Aaron, while you are looking things up, look up when there was a 10% sales tax on movie tickets.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7158/6443066101_4e50852c24_o.jpg

I'm going to guess it was during the war. 

[Gillfan]

Averages are misleading.
If you look here
http://www.natoonline.org/statisticstickets.htm
the National Association Of Theatre Owners, who you would consider an authority, says that the average price right now of a ticket is $7.89.

Theaters here by me in NY charge $12-$15.
A 3d film in RPX or IMAX is $15-$25.

That said, if this is a NY or LA theatre, which would explain an elaborate display, it make sense for there to be higher prices.