None but the most diehard classic movie fans might realize that one of the most iconic Universal monsters also appeared in a Disney musical comedy. Inimitable British character actor Elsa Lanchester‘s most famous and signature role was that of the monster’s mate with the unforgettable electrified hairdo in Universal’s Bride of Frankenstein. Decades later, her career was rejuvenated with an unexpected turn in Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins.
Both Bride of Frankenstein and Mary Poppins are now considered classics, and Elsa Lanchester is memorable in both. Her Bride of Frankenstein character is iconic and has entered pop culture, frequently parodied, most notably by Madaline Kahn in Mel Brooks’ 1974 comedic homage, Young Frankenstein. Though she was rarely given lead roles, Lanchester had a long and remarkable career as a consummate character actor. Unique, pixyish, and unusual, she leveraged her singular appearance, voice, and sensibility into a series of unforgettably eccentric characters that live on in the annuls of cinema history.
What Is ‘Bride of Frankenstein’ About and Who Does Elsa Lanchester Play In It?
Bride of Frankenstein is the 1935 sequel to the classic Universal Pictures 1931 hit Frankenstein, which launched the career of Boris Karloff and, with Dracula, started what is referred to as the classic Universal Studios monster cycle of the 1930s and 4’0s; a series of remakes, reboots, and sequels featuring the characters Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula, the Wolfman, the Mummy, and the Invisible Man. The first two Frankenstein films were both adapted from the 1818 novel of the same name by Mary Shelley. Directed by James Whale, both films starred Boris Karloff and Colin Clive. The sequel continues the story of Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Clive) and his creation, referred to as “The Monster” (Karloff) because of its brutish nature, an artificial man made of dead body parts that Frankenstein has sewn together and reanimated with electricity. In the sequel, Frankenstein decides to make a female version of his creature to be his original’s mate (Lanchester).
Lanchester plays a dual role in the movie: first as the author Mary Shelley in the film’s prelude, then as the man-made bride herself in the final act. As Shelley in pin curls and finery, on a stormy night in a nineteenth-century drawing room, she gently discusses her penchant for writing horror stories with poets George Lord Byron and her husband Percy Shelley. Later, by contrast, as the man-made Bride, she’s like a salamander on hind legs, truly unforgettable, stunningly long-necked, her head moving in twitches like a lizard, shrieking and hissing in a flowing white floor-length shroud, falling forward more than walking. It is an acting tour de force like few others and stands out in the Universal Monster canon. The film is a horror classic and a rare sequel that improves on the original.
How Did Elsa Lanchester Go From Frankenstein’s Bride to ‘Mary Poppins?’
Over the next three decades, Lanchester would continue in a string of eclectic roles, including 12 performances opposite her husband, Charles Laughton. After his death in 1962, Lanchester’s career slowed for a time, only to be revitalized by her next major project, Mary Poppins, about as far away from The Bride of Frankenstein as you can get. The 1964 musical fantasy film was based on the book of the same name by English author P. L. Travers, produced by Walt Disney, and directed by Robert Stevenson. Now considered an absolute classic, the film is particularly notable for the award-winning music and lyrics by brothers Richard and Robert Sherman, and for being Julie Andrews‘ live-action screen debut.
Lanchester appears as the character who kicks off the movie’s events: Katie Nanna, the Banks family’s disgruntled governess who is quitting her job as the movie begins. Fed up with the two Banks children’s constant pranks and disappearances, she confronts Mrs. Banks (Glynnis Johns) with a demand for her wages. Frumpish, disheveled, porkpie hat askew, she huffs down the stairs and out the door, performing the essential task of making way for the new nanny, Mary Poppins, whose arrival begins the main story. Without Katie Nanna quitting, there is no Mary Poppins. Though it is a small role, Lanchester makes it her own, and it is considered the second great highlight of her career. The film was a blockbuster hit and is considered the crowning achievement of Disney’s career, garnering multiple Academy Awards and nominations and his only Best Picture nomination.
Lanchester would go on to have a long and prolific career, including three more Disney movies and a funny turn as Jessica Marbles (a Miss Marple knock-off) in Neil Simon’s 1976 all-star parody Murder by Death. She worked almost until her death in 1986, receiving two Best Actress Oscar nominations during her career, the last for her amusing final collaboration with Laughton as his nurse in 1957’s Witness for the Prosecution, for which she also won a Golden Globe.
Bride of Frankenstein is available to watch on Peacock in the U.S.
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