The 1931 Film 'Frankenstein' Made Its World Premiere in Detroit

The granddaddy of all the movie monsters made his debut right here in Michigan.

The film was Frankenstein, which kicked off a 25-year streak of the most classic monster movies ever made, from 1931 to the early 1950s.

Frankenstein made its premiere at the RKO Downtown Theatre in Detroit on November 19, 1931; the film was released throughout America two days later, giving Michigan the exclusivity.

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Detroit newspapers at the time touted the film with flashy teasers:
1) “A creature – half man, half fiend – a soulless wretch with a mechanical brain – knowing every human sensation except the love of a woman”
2) “Created in diabolical cunning by a mad scientist”
3) “I gave him life but he wanted love”
4) “If you have a weak heart and cannot stand excitement, we advise you NOT to see this production”
5) “No one seated during final reel!”
6) “To see it is to wear a badge of courage!”

Et cetera and so on.

The favorable Detroit reviews in the next days’ newspapers spread from state to state, garnering even more public excitement for the film. Frankenstein became a huge success and Boris Karloff’s portrayal of the monster became the standard for the Frankenstein Monster to this day.

Its overwhelming success and impact on popular culture prompted the U.S. Library of Congress to preserve it in the National Film Registry.

Although the Frankenstein creature became the most famous of monsters, he was not the first: Universal Pictures had released Bela Lugosi’s Dracula earlier that year, on Valentine’s Day, 1931.

Following those two films, Universal kept crankin’ ‘em out: Bride of Frankenstein, Son of Frankenstein, Ghost of Frankenstein, House of Frankenstein, Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, Dracula’s Daughter, Son of Dracula, House of Dracula, Werewolf of London, The Wolf Man, She-Wolf of London, The Mummy, The Mummy’s Hand, The Mummy’s Tomb, The Mummy’s Ghost, The Mummy’s Curse, Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy, The Invisible Man, The Invisible Man Returns, The Invisible Man’s Revenge, The Invisible Woman, Invisible Agent, Abbott & Costello Meet the Invisible Man, Creature From the Black Lagoon, Revenge of the Creature (Clint Eastwood’s first movie!), The Creature Walks Among Us, and Phantom of the Opera.

The Universal Monsters are the most collected and loved of all movie monsters.....and it all kicked off in 1931 with Dracula and then Frankenstein, which made its world premiere in Detroit, Michigan.....and thanks to the Detroit newspapers’ solid reviews, helped it become a worldwide sensation.