“Tales of Tomorrow: Frankenstein” will explore one of the more niche moments in history.
Courtesy: IMDb
WHAT: Texas Tech University Libraries will screen “Tales of Tomorrow: Frankenstein,” as well as various science and pop-culture video clips shared by students and attendees, during its Sci+Pop Movie Night event.
WHEN: 5-8 p.m. Friday (April 22)
WHERE: Mathematics & Statistics building, room 010
EVENT: This snack-filled event will explore one of the more niche moments in television history. “Tales of Tomorrow” is an anthology series that debuted in 1951. It was one of the first science-fiction television shows, predating the seminal “The Twilight Zone” in 1959.
“Their ‘Frankenstein’ adaptation broadcast in 1952 is significant in that it was the first telling of Mary Shelley’s great sci-fi/horror story for a television audience,” said Rob Weiner, pop culture expert and librarian for visual and performing arts at Texas Tech University.
Additionally, the behind-the-scenes narrative gives this now-pedestrian adaptation more color.
“The shows were filmed before a live audience and urban legend has it that Lon Chaney Jr. thought this was the rehearsal and not the actual live broadcast,” Weiner added. “He was supposedly drunk when they filmed the broadcast as Chaney was known to drink on set during many of his jobs. That said, Chaney was no stranger to playing Frankenstein’s monster as he played the creature in the Universal classic ‘The Ghost of Frankenstein’ in 1942.”
Advance registration is required and seats are limited.
CONTACT: Julie Barnett
Manager, Communications & Marketing, Texas Tech University Libraries, Texas Tech University
julie.barnett@ttu.edu
(806) 834-0718
