Posted in: Heritage Sponsored, Horror, Movies | Tagged: bela lugosi, collectibles, dracula, scripts

Bela Lugosi Memorabilia, Classic Horror Scripts At Auction

Published Thu, 04 Nov 2021 04:17:12 -0500

Heads up, horror fans – Heritage Auctions has a lot full of classic monster movie memorabilia, including original scripts from Tod Browning's Dracula, the Wolf Man (covered in a separate post by Jeremy Konrad), Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, and even a few pieces from Bela Lugosi's personal collection: a Dracula statuette and a souvenir box from his service in the Hungarian Army during the First World War. The auction for this lot closes on November 4 at 10:50 AM Central time.

Bela Lugosi Commissioned Ceramic "Dracula" Statuette (Circa 1930's – early 1940's) Vintage original "Dracula" statuette created for Bela Lugosi to gift to friends. Consisting of a hollow, slip-cast ceramic sculptural figure and Lugosi-likeness of the legendary "Count," hand-glazed and fired to a high gloss finish. According to Hope Lininger Lugosi (1919- 1997), fifth wife and widow of Bela Lugosi, m.1955, this was the statuette that Bela kept as his personal copy of a very limited, hand-made edition. Hope Lugosi recalled that Valeria Arch, sister of Lillian Arch Lugosi – Bela's fourth wife, hand-crafted these statuettes at the request of Lugosi himself. Lugosi kept this statuette until his death in 1956. It remained with Hope Lugosi until 1994 when she personally gifted it to her friend Charles Heard who is the only person ever to own it except Lugosi. There were rumored to be only around 25 of the 8.25" tall x 2" round figures produced. Of those 25, a very small handful are known to have survived.

Bela Lugosi Personal Ornate Metal Souvenir Box (1915). Vintage original small 4" x 3" x 1" metal box with hinged lid. The intricately floral scroll-detailed lid forms a frame for an inset, hand-painted, full-color tile under clear celluloid shell depicting the Bavarian spa town of Reichenhall. The interior lid is engraved with "Reichenhall Juli 1915." It is circa Lugosi's service in the Hungarian Army during WWI. This box was kept as a personal memento by Bela Lugosi throughout his life. It remained with him until his death in 1956.

Original Studio Copy Script of Dracula for Tod Browning (Universal, 1931). Vintage original approx. 171-unnumbered loose page Studio Shooting Script for the Tod Browning-directed, Karl Freund photographed Vampire classic. The oversized 13.5" x 9" script lacks a title page but remains filled with the collaborative result of Bram Stoker (novelist), Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston (adapters of the play), Garrett Fort (Playwright), and contributing writers Louis Bromfield, Tod Browning, Dudley Murphy, Frederick Stephani, Louis Stevens, Max Cohen (uncredited) and others.

"VAN HELSING
Please! One Moment!
(looks out into audience and says with a smile)
Just a word before you go. We hope the memories of Dracula won't give you bad dreams – so just a word of reassurance! When you get home tonight and lights have been turned out, and you're afraid to look behind the curtains – and you dread to see a face appear at the window – why, just pull yourselves together and remember –
(Pause)
-that, after all, there are such things!
QUICK FADE
THE END"

This lot is full of rare, historical collectibles almost never seen at auction for any horror fan. The lot closes on November 4 at 10:50 AM Central time.