Bela lugosi biography rip

Born Bela Ferenc Dezso Blasko in Lugos, Banat, Hungary (now Lugoj, Romania), he was the youngest of four children of a banker.
Bela Lugosi passed away in his sleep 63 years ago today at around 6:45 p.m.
I took a little afternoon snooze on the grave of Bela Lugosi the other day.

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Transatlantic History Ramblings

INTERVIEW BEGINS AT : 34:00

These days it is common to hear people say we should go back to the America of the 1950's, I couldn't DISAGREE more! The 1950's in America gave rise to a movement that could have ended the freedoms we have forever, and this movement was lead by one man who's name has not only become synonymous with fanatical witch hunts, but has become a verb!

Dr. Andrea Bails and Elizabeth Levy document this in the brilliant new book Witch Hunt : The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare (Roaring Book Press 2024), and we are thrilled to be joined by the authors today to discuss not only the fact of the witch hunt, but it's lasting affect on America as a whole

Dr. Andrea Balis is a faculty member in the history department of John Jay College, City University of New York. Her specialization is twentieth century political history. She has also written extensively for the theater, and worked as a director. She is the author of two books for young people, What Are You Using: A Birth Control Guide for Teenagers and a novel, PJ.

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Steve A. Wiggins

Fandom can lead to fame, even if it’s just cult fandom. The nature of Ed Wood’s films is such that he could’ve been among those forgotten had he not posthumously developed a following. Unfortunately it didn’t arise in time to ameliorate the tragic final years of his life when he died pretty much penniless, drinking away the pain. Rudolph Grey’s Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Work of Edward D. Wood, Jr. may have helped rescue him from obscurity. Of course, Wood had gained a following earlier than the book, but nobody had really thought to document his life. What I find so compelling is that Wood was like so many of us—trying hard to gain some recognition only to be shut out of what we love by a huge industry that calls the shots. It’s difficult to get notice as an independent filmmaker, or even as a writer publishing with smaller presses.

Wood lived a most unusual life. A straight transvestite, he fought as a Marine in World War Two. He moved to California to try to break into filmmaking and wrote and directed several movies. When this fa

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A Graveside Discourse With a Fellow Admirer of the Night

I took a little afternoon snooze on the grave of Bela Lugosi the other day. I folded my arms across my chest and dozed off for a few minutes. It seemed an appropriate pose.

Lugosi is at rest in the “Grotto--Our Lady of Lourdes” section of Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, near the crest of a sunny hilltop framed by languid eucalyptus trees and flitting mockingbirds. His gray-and-black marker bears his name, the dates of his life (1862-1956) and the simple sentiment, “Beloved Father.”

I positioned a shock of lyrical, yellow day-lilies at the foot of the grave, along with a note. It read:

Dear Mr. Lugosi, Somebody made a movie about you. They took some liberties, but it’s mostly a nice tribute--Your friend, Rip Rense.

I went to visit, it occurred to me, out of obligation. Lugosi has been a presence in my life--possibly a shaping force in my personality (I do work mostly at night)--since I first saw “Dracula” on KTLA’s “Shock Theater” back around 1958.

I was about 5, watching the movie with my older brothers a