Bela Lugosi's sinister eyes a highlight of 1923 film The Silent Command

 

Check out Bela Lugosi's sinister eyes! Nine years before close ups of Lugosi's eyes were a feature in "White Zombie," audiences at silent theaters enjoyed several scenes of Bela's piercing eyes in the 1923 feature film, "The Silent Command."

Lugosi was not a star in 1923, nor was he after this film. However, his screen presence and dark attractiveness was getting him noticed. Hungarian-born movie mogul William Fox was one who certainly was interested in Bela's talent. He likely saw him in plays such as "The Red Poppy" (in English) and "The Tragedy of Man." Lugosi performed that famous play in Hungarian in New York City. Authors Gary D. Rhodes and Kaffenberger, in "Becoming Dracula: The Early Years of Bela Lugosi, Volume Two," surmise Fox may have seen "The Tragedy of Man," and other Hungarian-language plays featuring Lugosi.

So, Bela got the call to be in his first U.S. film, "The Silent Command," a Fox film made with the participation of the United States Navy. It was a "Top Gun"- type propaganda film 60 years before Tom Cruise, and without jet fighters. Directed by J. Gordon Edwards, it starred Edmund Lowe as the hero, Navy Capt. Richard Decatur. Lugosi, (billed incorrectly as Belo), plays the villain, Benedict Hisston, an evil, wealthy, well-connected hater of America who plots to blow up the Panama Canal and subsequently split the U.S. Navy in half.

To stymie Bela's character's nefarious plans, Lowe's Capt. Decatur takes drastic steps. He intentionally strikes an admiral. He is kicked out of the Navy and separates from his longsuffering wife (Alma Tell). Hisston steps up and recruits Peg Williams (Martha Mansfield), a "vampire" in the romantic sense, to seduce Decatur. This is all designed to get Decatur, now working undercover, to help Hisston with the terrorist bombing.

"The Silent Command" was a higher budget A picture, partially filmed in Panama, and also in New York City. There are faux newsreels and excellent scenery shots, particularly on the sea. The climax involves an impressive action fight between Lowe's Decatur and Lugosi's Hisston on a boat. The film drags a little midway but it's a solid three-star movie.

It was praised by military leaders. "Becoming Dracula: The Early Years of Volume Two," has a 1923 newspaper ad with General John J. Pershing, commandeer-in-chief of the U.S. Army, and Theodore Roosevelt Jr., Assistant Secretary of the Navy, tub-thumping the film. Some showings included military recruiters at the theater. It was generally well reviewed.

Lowe, who was in four other Lugosi films -- including "Chandu the Magician" -- does a capable job. Lugosi is ridiculously listed sixth in the credits. He's clearly the second lead in the film. As usual, Bela has the best screen presence, evoking emotion and intensity in his role. He's also the best actor in the film. He was ignored in press ballyhoo but was interviewed about his role in Hungarian media. As Arthur Lennig has noted in the biography "The Immortal Count," Lugosi in America reconciled himself to not being a "Valentino" type, instead settling for sinister "villain" roles. Lugosi expressed amusement at being from Hungary, a landlocked nation with no navy.

Martha Mansfield plays her vamp role well. The actress would tragically die in late 1923 after suffering burns while filming a movie.

After "The Silent Command," Lugosi would continue his slow trajectory to stardom that would arrive in 1931. He continued to play villains in future films. In "Daughters Who Pay," he was a Russian spy. In "The Midnight Girl," he was a wealthy, insensitive rake who lusted after his son's girlfriend. He would continue in stage performances and roles in films through the Roaring 20s. "The Silent Command" is easy to find for free on streaming services. It can also be purchased.

-- Doug Gibson

'Becoming Dracula: Volume 2' charts Bela Lugosi's rise in the USA

 

Review by Doug Gibson

There's an interesting photo of an advertisement in "Becoming Dracula: Volume 2," BearManor Media, 2021 (Amazon link). It's a 1928 ad for Listerine mouthwash, published in Photoplay magazine. On the right, inconspicuous, is definitely Bela Lugosi, already known as a Broadway, and feature film actor. Lugosi must have been paid for the subtle modeling act. Authors Gary D. Rhodes and Bill Kaffenberger wonder if there are other, still-yet-to-be-discovered ads with Lugosi of that era. I'd wager yes.

The photo underscores two essential truths about Bela Lugosi's three-plus decades in America. He was both -- by all rational assessments -- a successful actor, and a man nearly always in need of money. Even when he had achieved successful working-actor status in America, he made regular forays into the U.S. Hungarian stage scene, often taking the role of director or headlining for a night. These gigs were partially motivated by money, the authors surmise. 

"Becoming Dracula 2" is, like its predecessor, "Becoming Dracula: Volume One, the Early Years of Bela Lugosi," a marvelous mixture of dedicated research and enjoyable style. Through old media sources, many very obscure (long-gone U.S. Hungarian newspapers) and I'm sure not easy to track down, the authors chart Lugosi's slow but steady emergence as a respected stage and screen actor through the 1920s and early 1930s (up to "Dracula" film).

Bela may have arrived in America penniless, but he already had a reputation as an actor in Europe, and quickly found work in various Hungarian stage groups. The Hungarian presence in the United States was large enough to support acting troupes, and Hungarian U.S. newspapers were around to cover it all. Hungarian works, such as "The Tragedy of Man," were featured.

It wasn't long before Bela's skill made him an attractive option for English-speaking theaters. One of his more significant early plays was "The Red Poppy," which featured a popular star of the era, Estelle Winwood. Lugosi's scenes with Winwood were noted by critics.

Bela appeared on the stage with co-stars who would also achieve huge success, including Leslie Howard and Fredric March. One of his Broadway plays, "Arabesque," in which his character shared passionate scenes with actress Hortense Alden, shocked audiences. (See Lugosi and Alden below). 

Besides staying busy on the stage, the authors detail Lugosi's resumption of a movie career in the 1920s. His earlier films, from mid-size producers, include "Silent Command," "The Midnight Girl," "The Rejected Woman,'" and "Daughters Who Pay." Watching these films reveal an actor with strong screen presence, one who attracts the camera's attention, whether playing a hero or villain. 

Playing "Dracula" on Broadway led to Bela getting that defining film role. The journey to filming "Dracula" is interesting. Rhodes and Kaffenberger provide a detailed log of events, including Bela accompanying the play to the West Coast and its continued success there. A host of actors were considered. Lugosi gradually became a Los Angeles-based actor, a move that would last the rest of his life. The authors detail Bela's persistent efforts to retain his coveted role for the film, including shrewd marketing efforts. He made sure he was playing Count Dracula for a brief stint in Oakland as final casting was being set. 

Lugosi also parleyed his stage success with more films, including a contract with Fox for a few pre-Dracula films. He also had a major role, although inexplicably billed seventh, in "The Thirteenth Chair." It was for MGM, and directed by Tod Browning, who would helm "Dracula."

Despite being busy as an actor between the play, "Dracula," and the film version, Bela was still feeling financial pinches. The authors include correspondence from the actor where he expresses displeasure with his finances and career. Lugosi would find ways to make money providing Hungarian dialogue for U.S. films. He also appeared in short films, some of which are likely lost. He may have had some roles where his scenes were deleted.

The authors capably detail much of Lugosi's personal life, including two failed marriages and his well-known affair with screen star Clara Bow. One marriage, with an heiress named Beatrice Weeks, provides insight into the actor's mind. He was likely prone to impulsive decisions. He also had a traditional, for the time, Hungarian male perspective of marriage, with the man working and the woman serving. This led to a quick divorce with the independent Weeks, who was apparently also prone to impulsive acts.

"Becoming Dracula: Volume 2" is a joy for genre purists; as Volume 1 was. Volume 2 respects the first volume by starting with, Chapter 21. We revel in the minutia that Rhodes and Kaffenberger have painstakingly logged; the footnotes are dessert. There's 10,000 facts to learn that I have not included in this review. 

But the ease of reading and good-natured occasional observations from the authors also make this a wise choice for the casual reader. It provides a primer for how actors moved through the stage and film worlds 90-plus years ago. I think both "Becoming Dracula" volumes would be valuable texts for film classes. I'd love to see this writing style used for other famous actors, say Boris Karloff. The poring over of obscure, mostly forgotten publications -- a healthy percentage only saved with crumbling print -- guarantees that new scholarship is logged.