The definitive account of horror legend Elsa Lanchester’s life and career is set to be relayed in author M.J. Simpson’s biography, Elsa Lanchester: Bride of the Hunchback.
Bloody Disgusting has learned that pre-orders for the Collector’s Edition – with stunning page edge printing – will go live beginning Thursday, October 1 from publisher Fab Press.
Elsa Lanchester of course played the iconic Bride of Frankenstein in James Whale’s 1935 Universal Monsters sequel, but that’s only scratching the surface of Lanchester’s career.
Here’s the official synopsis from Fab Press…
“If all that Elsa Lanchester ever did was play the Monster’s Mate in Bride of Frankenstein, she would still be an icon. But there was so much more to her than that. Rebelling against her infamous parents, she became a celebrity in her teens and by 1927 was one of the most famous women in Britain. She met and fell in love with Charles Laughton, whose star was rising meteorically, and for two years they were London’s golden couple. When Charles admitted to Elsa that he was gay, she resolved to live with that till death do them part.
“The couple moved to Hollywood in the 1930s where Elsa established a solid career as a character actress in classic films such as Bell, Book and Candle, The Bishop’s Wife, The Spiral Staircase and Witness for the Prosecution. Ironically, she disliked acting, describing herself as a vaudevillian, and was desperate to return to cabaret and revue. The opportunity came when she met the team behind the Turnabout Theatre, a unique live/puppet venue where Elsa appeared as “Guest Artist” six nights a week for thirteen years. After Charles’ death she continued her busy career in film and television, including a series of memorable Disney roles. She also determined to reveal the truth about Charles and their unconventional marriage.
“Across seven decades Elsa Lanchester worked with an extraordinary catalogue of 20th century legends, from H.G. Wells to W.C. Fields, Noël Coward to Jerry Lewis, Stravinsky to Elvis. In Elsa Lanchester: Bride of the Hunchback, award-winning biographer M.J. Simpson draws on twenty years of research, including interviews with several key figures now deceased, to present for the first time the full incredible story of Elsa Lanchester’s storied life and career. Illustrated with more than 200 rare and previously unpublished images.”
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