Son of Frankenstein was originally going to be shot in color but Universal went back to B&W as it was difficult to make the monster's makeup look right. A documentary I saw had color home movie film of Karloff in costume clowning around on the set. Wish someone would find that and post it as well.
@bobszvetics1 LOL. Do you know how long it takes to transfer ten seconds of films to photoshop a frame at a time, colorize each separate frame, then put it back together into a quicktime movie? Sorry that wasn't good enough for you.
The color film that exists is not a Technicolor test, it's a 16mm home movie taken by Karloff's family on the set. The color may not be completely accurate because of the film type and the lights used, but it's the only color film we have of the Frankenstein make-up. It doesn't represent the way the monster would have looked in a color movie. The greenish make-up gave the monster a pale grayish look on black and white film.
Very well done! Having done similar experiments in Photoshop, frame by frame, I appreciate the enormous amount of time you put into this brief clip. BTW, the Monster was indeed green as evidenced by Karloff's home movie from Son of Frankenstein which is readily available on UA-cam.
there's no doubt about it, the use of b/w in the frankenstein movies of that era, particularly son of frankenstein, was a stunning example of cinematic expressionism, but i found this short flash with karloff in color rather thrilling.
I love it! How I wish Universal would release all the early horror films in colorized versions. Fans would have the best of both worlds-black and white and color. It must have been an arduous task to colorize just these 19 seconds-thank you!!!
This is GREAT!! I'm practicing at this kinda stuff. I thought your art at Marvel was fantastic! Especially the Indiana Jones issues and Marvel Team-Up.
Very nice video. I've read where the producers of "Son of Frankenstein" were actually thinking of filming the movie in color but decided it would cost too much so changed their minds.
@FlamingoKicker As both Jack Pierce and Mary Shelley made the monster, he was actually more of a pale yellow. Although, Shelley's monster was not made of dead people.
@grimlockfire The point of this little experiment was not to show the monster's true color, just to have some fun adding color to a scene. Karloff's make-up was actually reported to be a grayish green, which was chosen for the way it photographed in B&W. And though there were many green depictions of Frankenstein before the Munsters, Herman Munster was never green. There are many color photos and the color movie MUNSTER GO HOME (plus later TV movies) which show Herman as sort of blueish gray.
the hulk was based in part on the frankenstein monster. i dug how universal serialized the frankenstein franchise. it created a frankenstein universal universe that culminated in the munsters when it had grown too corny. but i loved it anyway. hammer didnt do to bad either. none of the modern versions in my opinion capture that feel of the old days.
I agree. In todays multicolored, Hi-Def world, I find that B&W film is very soothing to the eyes and mind. I know it sounds funny, but I even like the soft popping and crackling of the old soundtrack, I find it relaxing. Anyone else feel that way?
@kgammill It is true. Karloff's daughter came to a local theater here and showed footage of him in the make up chair. I dig your vids! I love colorized stuff. It really does make classic flicks a whole new viewing experience! I would love to see a clip of The Black Cat with Karloff and Lugosi colorized. It has so much potential.
@grimlockfire Actually, when you look at the actual color film taken on the set of "Son of Frankenstein," the color was green although that was only because green photographed better in b&w. Although it's true that corpses do turn green at one point so it wouldn't be preposterous for the monster to be green.
@grimlockfire If you have an authentic color photo of Karloff as Frankenstein (besides those home movies shot during Son of Frankenstein) you have something no other film researcher in the last 75 years has been able to find. The closest thing we have is a pastel portrait by Rolf Armstrong done from life during the making of Bride of Frankenstein.
@fenriz218 Note - DOCTOR X was not colorized. It was actually filmed in early two-strip Technicolor, although there is a black and white version too. It was filmed with two camera at the same time so they could have a color negative and a B&W negative for making cheaper B&W prints.
Universal Studios had the foresight to patent that image to forever be identified as Frankenstein. What all the Studios created in the 30's & 40's including the star system will outlive anything created by "hollywood" today.
Yeah in the first two films, Frankenstein, The Bride Of Frankenstein the dead grey skin that you have for the monster is perfect, Green skin really looks cheezy IMHO.
Looks great, I'd like to see more. Was he really that green though? I know there is some test footage of him clowning around with Jack Pearce where he looks avocado green, but was his makeup for that footage the same as it was in the first two Frankenstein films? I thought he was more gray.
immortal classic(s) - it needs to be done IF a studio would approach the quality and depth you gave to these teasing seconds - - - ("kickstart campaign"?)
Good point, I am sure you are right about that. But somehow the image stuck and survived beyond the original B&W films. There are many depictions of Frankenstein as a "green" monster. In posters, drawings, etc. I don't mind it, I can accept a variety of "Frankensteins"
From what I heard the movie was originally meant to be in technicolor. The Monster's sweater was supposed to help with the color coming out or something like that despite Karloff's annoyance with it. However it was ultimately filmed in b&w. It's not a problem really, I think b&w is fine. We colorized It's a Wonderful Life and it looks okay, but it doesn't have the same appeal. There's just a more emotional and artistic look to b&w and it focuses on the actors more. Regardless great job on this.
It's an old question but I tried it with Star Trek. Put the film clip in Photoshop & color every frame. The Trek clip was around 40 frames. Not much fun. I'm looking to see if there's a faster & easier way to do it. ua-cam.com/video/NPvWl4Wk5u4/v-deo.html
Fun fact: Son of Frankenstein was originally supposed to be shot in color, but they couldn't get the make up for the monster to look right in color so they kept it black and white.
@grimlockfire Not true. The Jack Pierce make-up was indeed green for the son of frankenstein and indeed amateur cine film exists of a green colored monster messing about with jack pierce. The only reason you believe he was pale white is because thats how he looked in a b&w movie.
it,s about time that universal studios break the cinema stigma curse of racist henry fonda of keeping b&w films forever trapped in a lifeless noir realm and finally give the classics a new visual perspective to a new viewing whether streaming or theater due to pandemic safety to the audience. so many movies were filmed in the early days due to the lack of color technology but today now can be seen as if it was film with a color lens without any degrading of the original b&w version. thanks! kgamm for showing with care how today,s digital tech can help to give a new life to cinema and the fans of classic horror like yourself should ask universal studios to finally do the right thing for their fans and include it into the universal movies cinema edition and bring it into a new color era which it certainly long over due. maybe now everyone can finally see the true color screen test of Jack Pierce and horror icon Sir Boris Karloff 1939 " Son of Frankenstein " as it was meant to be. " IT'S ALIVE! "
I think this Great!!!!!could you try a snippit od Dracula,Your work is really great, and much appreciated.This from a old old horror fan, bring on the COLOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh yeah, It's sort of like when Philip Glass did that new alternate score for the Bela Lugosi 1931 Dracula film by The Cronos Quartet, It's really irritating to the ears.
Color is infinitely better than B&W, it's another player in the feature that fleshes out the story. I take color over B&W anyday except for in silent movies where it couldn't be helped
Even though i love black and white, it would be interesting to see "Son of Frankenstein" which is terrific by the way, in color.
One of my FAVORITE Frankenstein movies!
Love this variant of Frankenstein! That fur vest looks fantastic!!
Son of Frankenstein was originally going to be shot in color but Universal went back to B&W as it was difficult to make the monster's makeup look right. A documentary I saw had color home movie film of Karloff in costume clowning around on the set. Wish someone would find that and post it as well.
@bobszvetics1
LOL. Do you know how long it takes to transfer ten seconds of films to photoshop a frame at a time, colorize each separate frame, then put it back together into a quicktime movie? Sorry that wasn't good enough for you.
I am shore but it brings out more detail the sets the make up the lighting like seeing it new either way its epic classic monster heaven! Thanx!
Beautiful work, Kerry!
A lot of the original Frankenstein movie posters were illustrated with him having green skin.
My all time favorite Movie and in color. Wow guys more pleeze. King Karloff prowls again. thank you so very much for posting. love it.
Very nice little clip. Great job.
Lovely job!!
i agree. it takes away from the creepy factor too.
I love it! it looks very nice in colour!
The color film that exists is not a Technicolor test, it's a 16mm home movie taken by Karloff's family on the set. The color may not be completely accurate because of the film type and the lights used, but it's the only color film we have of the Frankenstein make-up. It doesn't represent the way the monster would have looked in a color movie. The greenish make-up gave the monster a pale grayish look on black and white film.
Very well done! Having done similar experiments in Photoshop, frame by frame, I appreciate the enormous amount of time you put into this brief clip. BTW, the Monster was indeed green as evidenced by Karloff's home movie from Son of Frankenstein which is readily available on UA-cam.
Oh wow that looked Excellent!
That had to take awhile! Lots of frames. Nice work!
Very impressive!
Super job...from the few colour stills I've seen, you have his skin tone down perfectly...
K-MAN---Do the whole film and the 1931 film too!
It would look awesome!
Looks great
there's no doubt about it, the use of b/w in the frankenstein movies of that era, particularly son of frankenstein, was a stunning example of cinematic expressionism, but i found this short flash with karloff in color rather thrilling.
Beautiful Sr., Beautiful.
love boris karloff and frankenstein we ain't got films like this no more
I love it! How I wish Universal would release all the early horror films in colorized versions. Fans would have the best of both worlds-black and white and color. It must have been an arduous task to colorize just these 19 seconds-thank you!!!
I always disliked colorization. It's like taking a painting and changing it. B/W depicts a time frame in film history that should remain unaltered.
This is GREAT!!
I'm practicing at this kinda stuff.
I thought your art at Marvel was fantastic!
Especially the Indiana Jones issues and Marvel Team-Up.
Awesome!
Very nice video. I've read where the producers of "Son of Frankenstein" were actually thinking of filming the movie in color but decided it would cost too much so changed their minds.
@FlamingoKicker
As both Jack Pierce and Mary Shelley made the monster, he was actually more of a pale yellow. Although, Shelley's monster was not made of dead people.
Well said!
IMPRESSIVE!
I love it
The gothic nature of the film begs for black and white. But seeing him green is cool.
@grimlockfire
The point of this little experiment was not to show the monster's true color, just to have some fun adding color to a scene. Karloff's make-up was actually reported to be a grayish green, which was chosen for the way it photographed in B&W. And though there were many green depictions of Frankenstein before the Munsters, Herman Munster was never green. There are many color photos and the color movie MUNSTER GO HOME (plus later TV movies) which show Herman as sort of blueish gray.
people think that frankenstein monster is green because in the time the movie was made the monster was green in all the posters and publicity artwork
Not bad! That colorization was actually pretty good! You deserve a cookie, Kerry.
good color
that was nice.
the hulk was based in part on the frankenstein monster. i dug how universal serialized the frankenstein franchise. it created a frankenstein universal universe that culminated in the munsters when it had grown too corny. but i loved it anyway. hammer didnt do to bad either. none of the modern versions in my opinion capture that feel of the old days.
Boris was the man! He played the best Frankenstein monster ever! he really gave him life!
Incredible Frankenstein
I agree. In todays multicolored, Hi-Def world, I find that B&W film is very soothing to the eyes and mind. I know it sounds funny, but I even like the soft popping and crackling of the old soundtrack, I find it relaxing.
Anyone else feel that way?
Wow!
In the movie Weird Science, the whole creation scene is in colour
Happy Halloween!!!!
Nice Work.
I wish they would colorized all the Universal Classics.
@kgammill It is true. Karloff's daughter came to a local theater here and showed footage of him in the make up chair. I dig your vids! I love colorized stuff. It really does make classic flicks a whole new viewing experience! I would love to see a clip of The Black Cat with Karloff and Lugosi colorized. It has so much potential.
This is true. I do think some of it was even filmed in color.....but is long since lost.
Good job to the original poster, BTW. Nice.
@grimlockfire Actually, when you look at the actual color film taken on the set of "Son of Frankenstein," the color was green although that was only because green photographed better in b&w. Although it's true that corpses do turn green at one point so it wouldn't be preposterous for the monster to be green.
@grimlockfire
If you have an authentic color photo of Karloff as Frankenstein (besides those home movies shot during Son of Frankenstein) you have something no other film researcher in the last 75 years has been able to find. The closest thing we have is a pastel portrait by Rolf Armstrong done from life during the making of Bride of Frankenstein.
@fenriz218 Note - DOCTOR X was not colorized. It was actually filmed in early two-strip Technicolor, although there is a black and white version too. It was filmed with two camera at the same time so they could have a color negative and a B&W negative for making cheaper B&W prints.
Universal Studios had the foresight to patent that image to forever be identified as Frankenstein. What all the Studios created in the 30's & 40's including the star system will outlive anything created by "hollywood" today.
Yeah in the first two films, Frankenstein, The Bride Of Frankenstein the dead grey skin that you have for the monster is perfect,
Green skin really looks cheezy IMHO.
Looks great, I'd like to see more. Was he really that green though? I know there is some test footage of him clowning around with Jack Pearce where he looks avocado green, but was his makeup for that footage the same as it was in the first two Frankenstein films? I thought he was more gray.
I tried that with Dracula. It's lot of work: you have to rembember all the colour proportions, colouring frame by frame...
💝💝💝Love it, great work.
Paul Bacchus esq
immortal classic(s) - it needs to be done IF a studio would approach the quality and depth you gave to these teasing seconds - - - ("kickstart campaign"?)
Good point, I am sure you are right about that.
But somehow the image stuck and survived beyond the original B&W films. There are many depictions of Frankenstein as a "green" monster. In posters, drawings, etc.
I don't mind it, I can accept a variety of "Frankensteins"
Looking at this - now I know why I was compared to this fellow.
It looks like a 1960 japenese movie in color !
I agree
FYI, there's a rare color clip on UA-cam of Karloff as Frankenstein and the skin tone of the makeup is green.
I agree!
From what I heard the movie was originally meant to be in technicolor. The Monster's sweater was supposed to help with the color coming out or something like that despite Karloff's annoyance with it. However it was ultimately filmed in b&w. It's not a problem really, I think b&w is fine. We colorized It's a Wonderful Life and it looks okay, but it doesn't have the same appeal. There's just a more emotional and artistic look to b&w and it focuses on the actors more. Regardless great job on this.
Llllooooove it...
wow do you do that ? thats awesome 5/5
@kgammill Amazing work... Looking forward to seeing future clips, do "Frankenstein Jr." :) "SUBSCRIBED"
Does anyone know how to do something like that? I would appreciate if you told me.
It's an old question but I tried it with Star Trek. Put the film clip in Photoshop & color every frame. The Trek clip was around 40 frames. Not much fun. I'm looking to see if there's a faster & easier way to do it.
ua-cam.com/video/NPvWl4Wk5u4/v-deo.html
@kgammill Are you the same Kerry Gammil who used to work for Marvel Comics? If so, I loved your stuff.
I'm feeling a bit lost myself.
I love colorisation....who did the job on WEIRD SCIENCE ? The Phantom looks really good, and the Karloff and Wolfman sequence.....
@utube9000 I do and I always have love B&W movies the best because they actually had plots, etc... whereas in todays CGI crap the CGI is the story.
Fun fact: Son of Frankenstein was originally supposed to be shot in color, but they couldn't get the make up for the monster to look right in color so they kept it black and white.
@801liveable Oh, It Is Green, Huh?
Remember when he tore those kids apart in the sewers under Derry?
@grimlockfire
Not true. The Jack Pierce make-up was indeed green for the son of frankenstein and indeed amateur cine film exists of a green colored monster messing about with jack pierce. The only reason you believe he was pale white is because thats how he looked in a b&w movie.
Wonder what color the Monster was on that "Route 66" episode?
@kgammill But I like the way bsil Gogos 'colorized' FrankenKarloff, on the cover of FM# 21.
you people dont know wat frakenstien is its a classic for the best horror movie is thats so manny ppl love it ?
I love it! I don't care who doesn't like colorization. Kerry Gammill is a famous comic artist, so he gets to.
@IDaCashman Actually, I Like Both
I think Karloff's wife was a little too busy to be taking home movies that day. She was giving birth to Karloff's daughter Sara. :-)
@redfenderguy
what?
it,s about time that universal studios break the cinema stigma curse of racist henry fonda of keeping b&w films forever trapped in a lifeless noir realm and finally give the classics a new visual perspective to a new viewing whether streaming or theater due to pandemic safety to the audience.
so many movies were filmed in the early days due to the lack of color technology but today now can be seen as if it was film with a color lens without any degrading of the original b&w version.
thanks! kgamm for showing with care how today,s digital tech can help to give a new life to cinema and the fans of classic horror like yourself should ask universal studios to finally do the right thing for their fans and include it into the universal movies cinema edition and bring it into a new color era which it certainly long over due. maybe now everyone can finally see the true color screen test of Jack Pierce and
horror icon Sir Boris Karloff 1939 " Son of Frankenstein " as it was meant to be. " IT'S ALIVE! "
Yeah and maybe every film noir can be colorized too! WTF lol.
I think this Great!!!!!could you try a snippit od Dracula,Your work is really great, and much appreciated.This from a old old horror fan, bring on the COLOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@younghoss I Thought His Skin Was Green!
@Sawlon MMM HMM
im sorry =--(
Oh yeah, It's sort of like when Philip Glass did that new alternate score for the
Bela Lugosi 1931 Dracula film
by The Cronos Quartet,
It's really irritating to the ears.
Mejor en blanco y negro se ven mas de terror.
@artdamaged Yes. Thanks!
Color is infinitely better than B&W, it's another player in the feature that fleshes out the story. I take color over B&W anyday except for in silent movies where it couldn't be helped
@georgee895 I Don't
@younghoss Me Neither
@metaldave08096 OMG!
Boris Karloff narrates "Peter and the Wolf," 1940s recording:
watch?v=EmgNPA5EwmM
thanks and regards.
I agree, it does look nice, but the BW version is still the only one for me
Why not give fans the choice-you can always turn off the color. I'd repurchase em'all.
BOO!!!!
uurrrrrrrr COLOR BAD, COLOR BAD!!!!!
Amen! I really hate Colorization,
It always looks like someone colored it in with crayons or puke.