Do you prefer Boris Karloff Frankenstein's Monster or Glenn Strange?

[BigShadow]

I'm not a fan of the Glenn Strange Monster, it just seems too cartoonish to me.  Karloff is much more menacing.  Lon Chaney's was the worst.  His portrayal made the monster seem more human than anything.

[YoungestMonsterKid]

There not really comparable in the same respects. Karloff has so much going for it, including the actual movies themselves. Meanwhile, all Strange has is the look. The monster in Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein might be the scariest, appearance wise. Though, Karloff had a gaunt look in the first film that couldn't really be copied after (not even by Karloff, apparently).

Lugosi just feels wrong, but technically most of Frankenstein meets the Wolfman was stunt doubles anyways. Chaney Jr's face was too round, but passable.

[Hepcat]

So which Frankenstein did James Bama use for a model when he did these paintings?





Because that's the one I like.

[YoungestMonsterKid]

So which Frankenstein did James Bama use for a model when he did these paintings?





Because that's the one I like.

Heh, yeah. That'd be both. Basically Glenn Strange but with the unused "rings" that were on Karloff's head in early makeup tests.

[YoungestMonsterKid]

It's also worth noting that the monster looks different from movie to movie, even when it's the same actor. I don't think Strange looked quite as good in House of Frankenstein or House of Dracula. Despite it actually being done by Jack Pierce those times.

[Hepcat]

So I understand that Boris Karloff played Baron von Frankenstein's monster in these three movies:

Frankenstein (1931)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Son of Frankenstein (1939)

Glenn Strange then played Frankenstein's monster in these three flicks:

House of Frankenstein (1944)
House of Dracula (1945)
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

Hard to pick but growing up in the 50s and 60s Strange image of the monster was pretty much on everything for sale on Frankenstein. I believe the NY Times showed Strange's image of the monster when Karloff died. Strange wins it for me.

But if I close my eyes and think FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER I see Glenn Strange as rendered by Basil Gogos on a Famous Monsters cover.

For the movies, Karloff is way ahead. No comparison, really.

However, I love all of the Strange-based merchandise. He just "looks" like more like Frankenstein's monster as an icon.

Karloff is King, but Glenn Strange is the Monster for me! He's so iconic!

Yes, it does seem that Glenn Strange's image became the iconic one:

During the wave of monster-related merchandising in the late 1950s and 1960s, it was often Glenn Strange's iconic image used for the Monster on toys, games and paraphernalia most often from his appearance in the Abbott & Costello film. In 1969, The New York Times mistakenly published Boris Karloff's obituary with Glenn Strange's picture as the Frankenstein monster.

[Hepcat]

But if I close my eyes and think FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER I see Glenn Strange as rendered by Basil Gogos on a Famous Monsters cover.

Here's Basil Gogos' rendering of the Frankenstein monster:

[crissrudd4554]

Karloff for the win!

[Earth 2 Chris]

I have to say that I love them all! Although, I do have a specific order to share that love:

1. Karloff. Like Adam said - he was first that I saw. He scared me most. His growl is priceless!

2. Glenn Strange. My favorite version of Glenn's monster is in A&C meet Frankenstein. Compare Glenn with the Pierce & Westmore versions of the makeup. The modifications that Westmore added to the makeup... make all the difference: The Monster's hair is longer in the back, with the hair on each side of the monster's head combed back, giving it a better look. There is more shading on the Monster's face, and the body padding looks to have been increased as well. The finished result is the finest looking version of the Glenn Strange Monster.

3. Lon Chaney Jr. Not a big fan of the film in general. Mainly because the monster plays bully with Igor. The script isn't great either as we get another version of "The Monster Meets The Kid" again!

4. Bela Lugosi. Poor Bela, a victim of Post Production tampering. The shooting script features all of Bela's (monster's/Igor's) dialogue, and I had always hoped that it would have been found. The Monster sitting with Talbot and talking about his dilemma may have sounded hilarious to viewers even in Igor's voice. It's amazing that what worked to close a film in 1942, doesn't work in 1943.   

I pretty much agree with every assessment here. Karloff gave the monster his soul. Once he was out of the role, that humanity was gone. And of course, everyone from Chaney at the end of Ghost of Frankenstein onward is actually playing Ygor's brain in the body of the monster, so it's not even the same character, really!

But Strange is probably my second favorite, just because of his look, and the little bit of characterization he's allowed to give the Monster in A & C Meet Frankenstein. He is pretty much a prop in the "House of" films.

Chris

[Rich]

Boris Karloff is the definitive Frankenstein Monster. I like Glen Strange, but Boris is the best. Honestly, Lugosi was the worst Franky in my opinion.

[Monsters For Sale]

Boris Karloff is the definitive Frankenstein Monster. I like Glen Strange, but Boris is the best. Honestly, Lugosi was the worst Franky in my opinion. 

Ask any little kid to be Frankenstein and they will almost always stagger around like Bela's Monster. 

My least favorite Monster is Lon Chaney.  He seems to think the whole character is in the costume and makeup and not add anything of a real performance.  He might as well be playing Bluto in a Popeye cartoon.

But, that' just me.

[Haunted hearse]

The Frankenstein monster had a soul, when Karloff played the fault. Glen Strange wasn't really given much to do in the films he was in.