A Tribute to Lon Chaney, Jr.
Mar 16, 2009
Award-winning author, satirist, and armchair cineaste James Morrow hosts Ghost of Frankenstein (1942, 60 minutes), and The Mummy’s Curse, two classic 1940’s “B” movies featuring Lon Chaney, Jr.
James Morrow, author of Towing Jehovah, The Last Witchfinder, and The Philosopher’s Apprentice, will be introducing these two classic 1940’s “B” movies featuring Lon Chaney, Jr. Morrow’s most recent novella, a postmodern extravaganza entitledShambling Towards Hiroshima, recounts the extraordinary adventures of Syms Thorley, a Hollywood horror actor based on Chaney, Jr. In 1945 Syms’s career takes a bizarre turn when the U.S. Navy hires him to don a rubber lizard suit and impersonate the giant mutant iguana Gorgantis, a new and terrifying biological weapon that might, if Syms can give a sufficiently persuasive performance, convince the Japanese to lay down their arms and end WWII. Morrow’s presentation will include critical observations and historical tidbits of interest to film scholars and movie buffs alike.
Co-sponsored by NW Media Arts, Tachyon Publications, and the University Book Store.
Doors open at 6:30 PM. First movie starts at 7:00 - note early start time! There will be a short intermission between the two films.
Tickets $5 at the door.
Praise for James Morrow
“One of America’s premier comic novelists and satirists” — Denver Post
“Morrow’s a genius!” - Booklist