The Wolf Man (Universal Pictures, 1941)

One Sheet Poster

The Evening Independent, November 22, 1941

The Film Daily December 10, 1941

The New York Times, December 22, 1941

THE SCREEN

Universal, which must have a veritable menagerie of mythological monsters, all with an eye on stardom and a five-year contract, is now sponsoring the debut of its latest pride and joy, “The Wolf Man” at the Rialto. Perhaps in deference to a Grade-B budget it has tried to make a little go a long way, and it has concealed most of that little in a deep layer of fog. And out of that fog, from time to time, Lon Chaney Jr. appears vaguely, bays hungrily, and skips back into mufti. Offhand, though we never did get a really good look, we’d say that most of the budget was spent on Mr. Chaney’s face, which is rather terrifying, resembling as it does a sort of Mr. Hyde badly in need of a shave. Privately, and on the evidence here offered, we still suspect that the werewolf is just a myth.

Well, so for that matter is Santa Claus—though this is no time to be saying it. But the fact is that nobody is going to go on believing in werewolves or Santa Clauses if the custodians of these legends don’t tell them with a more convincing imaginative touch. And that is precisely where the wolf man is left without a paw to stand on; without any build-up either by the scriptwriter or director, he is sent onstage, where he, looks a lot less terrifying and not nearly as funny as Mr. Disney’s big, bad wolf. Sharing his embarrassment

are Maria Ouspenshaya, Claude Rains, Bela Lugosi, Warren William, Ralph Bellamy and Evelyn Ankers—who under more nonchalant circumstances would be referred to as a “sterling” cast. Most of them look as though they wished they had a wolf-skin to jump into—any old wolf-skin, so long as it was anonymous.
THE WOLF MAN, original screen play by Kurt Siodmak; directed by Gearge Waggner and produced by Universal. At the Rialto.
Sir John Talbot . . . . . Claude Rains
Dr. Lloyd . . . . . Warren William
Captain Paul Montford . . . . . Ralph Bellamy
Frank Andrews . . . . . Patric Knowles
Bela . . . . . Bela Lugosi
Twiddle . . . . . Forrester Harvey
Maleva . . . . . Maria Ouspenskaya
Jenny . . . . . Fay Helm
Gwen Conliffe . . . . . Evelyn Ankers
Charles Conliffe . . . . . J. M. Kerrigan
The Wolf Man . . . . . Lon Chaney

The Baltimore News Post, January 12, 1942

Sacremento Bee, January 31, 1942

The Spokesman-Review, January 31, 1942

San Diego Union, February 4, 1942

The Indianapolis News, February 10, 1942

San Diego Union, February 15, 1942

Seattle Daily Times, March 27, 1942

Akron Beacon Journal, March 28, 1942

“The Wolf Man”

Palace Theater

by Gloss:

The Bogeyman is on the prowl once more and the shiver fans can watch Lon Chaney Jr. alternate between a friendly, bewildered squire and a supernatural killer in ‘The Wolf Man.’

This new movie is strictly on the serious side of the werewolf myth, indulging in mysterious signs, spells and incantations. And unless you take your horror movies seriously, it is pretty indifferent entertainment. Those who like these scare-em movies, however, should find this one entirely satisfactory.

Berkeley Daily Gazette, April 1, 1942