Red Skelton and Bela Lugosi on The Red Skelton Show in 1954
It is not currently known exactly how many appearances Bela Lugosi made on TV. He appeared on several high-profile programmes, such as Texaco Star Theatre, The Red Skelton Show and Suspense, but, unlike many of his contemporaries, he did not fully capitalize on the possibilities that television offered at a time when his film work had all but dried up. There is some evidence that other TV projects were proposed. Billboard reported in 1949 that he would appear in a new series called Surprise Theater. In 1952, the Advocate newspaper announced that he would appear in a “new horrors-and-shivers series.” When interviewed by Art Baker on You Asked for it in 1953, Lugosi mentioned a forthcoming TV series called Dr. Acula. Whether the failure of these projects and other TV work to materialize was purely the result of poor management remains unclear. This page contains a chronological listing of Bela Lugosi’s known TV appearances. Where available, transmission times and dates, programme details, and contemporary press notices and reviews are included.
Click on the links below to read about the individual TV programmes.
The Bela Lugosi Blog 