I Was a Teenage Frankenstein
Encyclopedia
I Was a Teenage Frankenstein is a film starring Whit Bissell
, Phyllis Coates
and Gary Conway
released by American International Pictures
(AIP) in November 1957. It is the follow-up to AIP's box-office hit I Was a Teenage Werewolf
released less than five months earlier. Both films were later sequelled
in AIP's How to Make a Monster
, released in July of 1958.
I Was a Teenage Frankenstein was filmed in black and white, with the ending in color for a vivid effect.
Margaret, becoming suspicious of what is going on, decides to investigate and goes down to the morgue. She is panic-stricken by the monster who has been activated by electricity following the grafting of a new leg and arm. She dares not tell the Professor about her feelings, and keeps silent for the present.
On a couple of occasions, the professor takes discarded human body parts and feeds them to an alligator locked in limited-access chamber.
One night the Monster steals out of the laboratory and goes on a rampage when frightened by the sounds of street noises. He breaks into a girl's room, the girl becomes hysterical and
starts screaming, and in his attempt to silence her, he kills her in panic and flees.
The next morning the hunt for the murderer is on. Margaret, angry at the Professor, tells him that she knows about the Monster is responsible for the murder. The Professor, taking no chances, has the Monster kill her and feeds her remains to a crocodile. Dr. Karlton, sent out of town, knows none of this.
The Professor sends the Monster to a Lover's Lane, where he kills a teenager. The head of the teenager is successfully transplanted to the Monster.
Professor Frankenstein tells Dr. Karlton of his plans to dismember his creation and ship him in various boxes to England—there to put him together again. When they strap the Monster down again, he becomes suspicious and tears loose to throw Dr. Frankenstein into the alligator pit, while Dr. Karlton runs for help.
When Dr. Karlton arrives with the police, the Monster, who is maddened with fright, backs into the electrical dial board. Contact with the iron wrist bands electrocutes him, and he falls to the ground dead. Karlton tells the police that he'll never forget the way the monster's face looked after the accident, and that shot dissolves into a close up of the original mangled face.
Whit Bissell
Whitner Nutting Bissell , better known as Whit Bissell, was an American actor.-Early life:Born in New York City, Bissell was the son of prominent surgeon Dr. J. Dougal Bissell. He trained with the Carolina Playmakers, a theatrical organization associated with the University of North Carolina at...
, Phyllis Coates
Phyllis Coates
Phyllis Coates is an American film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her portrayal of reporter Lois Lane in the 1951 film Superman and the Mole Men, and during the first season of the Adventures of Superman television series.-Early life and career:After graduating from high...
and Gary Conway
Gary Conway
Gary Conway is an American actor and screenwriter.Conway was born Gareth Monello Carmody in Boston, Massachusetts. His most notable credits include a co-starring role with Gene Barry in the detective series Burke's Law from 1963-1965...
released by American International Pictures
American International Pictures
American International Pictures was a film production company formed in April 1956 from American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson, former Sales Manager of Realart Pictures, and Samuel Z. Arkoff, an entertainment lawyer...
(AIP) in November 1957. It is the follow-up to AIP's box-office hit I Was a Teenage Werewolf
I Was a Teenage Werewolf
I Was a Teenage Werewolf is a 1957 horror film starring Michael Landon as a troubled teenager and Whit Bissell as the primary adult. It was co-written and produced by cult film producer Herman Cohen, and was one of the most successful films released by American International Pictures...
released less than five months earlier. Both films were later sequelled
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
in AIP's How to Make a Monster
How to Make a Monster (1958 film)
How to Make a Monster is a 1958 American horror film released by American International Pictures. The film is a follow-up to both I Was a Teenage Werewolf and I Was a Teenage Frankenstein. Like Teenage Frankenstein, a black & white film that switched to color for the final moments, How to Make a...
, released in July of 1958.
I Was a Teenage Frankenstein was filmed in black and white, with the ending in color for a vivid effect.
Plot
Professor Frankenstein, a guest lecturer from England, talks Dr. Karlton into becoming an unwilling accomplice in his secret plan to actually assemble a human being from the parts of different cadavers. After the recovery of a body from a dreadful automobile wreck, Professor Frankenstein takes the body to his laboratory-morgue, where in various drawers he keeps spare parts of human beings. The Professor also enlists the aid of Margaret, as his secretary to keep all callers away from the laboratory.Margaret, becoming suspicious of what is going on, decides to investigate and goes down to the morgue. She is panic-stricken by the monster who has been activated by electricity following the grafting of a new leg and arm. She dares not tell the Professor about her feelings, and keeps silent for the present.
On a couple of occasions, the professor takes discarded human body parts and feeds them to an alligator locked in limited-access chamber.
One night the Monster steals out of the laboratory and goes on a rampage when frightened by the sounds of street noises. He breaks into a girl's room, the girl becomes hysterical and
starts screaming, and in his attempt to silence her, he kills her in panic and flees.
The next morning the hunt for the murderer is on. Margaret, angry at the Professor, tells him that she knows about the Monster is responsible for the murder. The Professor, taking no chances, has the Monster kill her and feeds her remains to a crocodile. Dr. Karlton, sent out of town, knows none of this.
The Professor sends the Monster to a Lover's Lane, where he kills a teenager. The head of the teenager is successfully transplanted to the Monster.
Professor Frankenstein tells Dr. Karlton of his plans to dismember his creation and ship him in various boxes to England—there to put him together again. When they strap the Monster down again, he becomes suspicious and tears loose to throw Dr. Frankenstein into the alligator pit, while Dr. Karlton runs for help.
When Dr. Karlton arrives with the police, the Monster, who is maddened with fright, backs into the electrical dial board. Contact with the iron wrist bands electrocutes him, and he falls to the ground dead. Karlton tells the police that he'll never forget the way the monster's face looked after the accident, and that shot dissolves into a close up of the original mangled face.