The Wolf Man (Lon Chaney Jr.) trudges through the snow in FRANKENTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN (1943)

PICTURE OF THE DAY:  FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN (1943) – Lobby Card

Even the Wolf Man has to deal with the snow this winter!

Love this lobby card from the Universal classic FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN, showing the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney Jr.) in the snow, and that’s exactly why this particular lobby card caught my eye this week: the snow.

You see, I’ve had it with this winter of 2014.  I’ve had my fill of those Artic blasts of cold air, and the snow that’s gone along with it.  And so when I saw this image of the Wolf Man trudging through the snow, I felt a kindred spirit.  Hang in there, Mr. Wolf Man.  It’s March.  The snow will be melting soon.

Of course, this scene is taken from the sequence where the Wolf Man has fled from some angry torch wielding villagers, escaping to an underground icy cave, where shortly when he awakes as Larry Talbot, he’s about to find the Frankenstein Monster (Bela Lugosi) buried in ice.  Nice stuff.

I love these old lobby cards, and it’s fun to collect them, even though originally they were only intended for use at the movie theaters and not for public sale.  I also love the colors used in this particular card.  It’s good to see the Wolf Man in color, since all the Wolf Man films were shot in black and white.

Jack Pierce created the make-up for Lon Chaney Jr. as the Wolf Man, and he did the make-up for all of Ch;aney’s Wolf Man movies.  I think his best make-up job was in FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN, and you can get a good look at Pierce’s superb work in this image.

So, next time you see tracks in the snow, and you’re trying to figure out what kind of critter has trotted across your path, remember to add the Wolf Man to the list of possible suspects, especially if you’re out after a full moon.

Happy snow trails!

—Michael