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The Epic Saga Behind Frankenstein

The True Story

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The Epic Saga Behind Frankenstein

By: Sam Irvin
Narrated by: Sam Irvin, Jane Seymour, Leonard Whiting, Doug Jones, Don Bachardy, Juliet Mills, Maxwell Caulfield, Julian Barnes
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About this listen

Foreword by Anne Rice (read for the audiobook by Emmy Award winning actress Juliet Mills). Afterword by Guillermo del Toro (read for the audiobook by Doug Jones who played the Amphibian Man in Guillermo del Toro's Oscar winning masterpiece THE SHAPE OF WATER).

Investigative journalist Sam Irvin's tell-all behind the making of FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY (Universal / NBC-TV, 2-part miniseries, 1973) has many facets. It is an eye-opening exposé on the movie industry of the early 1970s with an emphasis on Universal Pictures and the horror genre. But the chronicle also reveals a hidden agenda – fueled by the astonishing courage of a revolutionary group of LGBTQ+ artists spearheaded by producer Hunt Stromberg Jr. and his screenwriters Christopher Isherwood (THE BERLIN STORIES – the basis for CABARET) and his lover, artist Don Bachardy.

This self-proclaimed "Lavender Hill Mob" actively plotted to sneak as much queer subtext into the film as possible, without censors catching on to their scheme. How the hell did they get away with it?! Prepare to catch your jaw before it drops to the floor. Exclusive interviews with Leonard Whiting, Jane Seymour, David McCallum, Margaret Leighton, co-screenwriter Don Bachardy, Universal Pictures President Sid Sheinberg, friend of the producer Dame Angela Lansbury, and scores of others. Also included in this book is a comprehensive biography of the film’s flamboyant producer Hunt Stromberg Jr. Not to name drop or anything, but... Stromberg discovered Vampira, hired Boris Karloff, produced a play with Bela Lugosi, teamed Vincent Price with Peter Lorre, was friends with both Lon Chaney Jr. and Sr., met Elsa Lanchester when she was filming BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, and cast Yvonne De Carlo as Lily Munster. And that’s just for starters.

The audiobook is narrated by author Sam Irvin, with special guest star voices Jane Seymour, Leonard Whiting, Don Bachardy, Juliet Mills, Maxwell Caulfield, Julian Barnes, and Doug Jones.

©2023 Sam Irvin (P)2024 Sam Irvin
Biographies & Memoirs Direction & Production

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