Tuesday, October 24 at 7:30 PM — Music Box Theatre — 3733 N. Southport Ave
Tickets: $13 double feature admission at the door, or purchase in advance
DOCTOR X
Directed by Michael Curtiz • 1932
From the illustrious career of Michael Curtiz, the Hungarian-American film director renowned for titles such as Mildred Pierce, White Christmas, and Casablanca, comes a gripping pre-Code horror mystery. The first horror film shot in color and starring the first-ever scream queen, Fay Wray, Doctor X follows reporter Lee Taylor (Lee Tracy) on the beat with the Daily World News as he attempts to unmask the face behind the gruesome Moon Killer murders plaguing New York City with every full moon. The police call on Dr. Xavier (Lionel Atwill), seeking his medical expertise on the deceased victims, but they soon begin to suspect that members of the medical academy team may be guilty of the Moon Killer murders themselves. Not a surprising suspicion considering the medical team is composed of oddballs such as Dr. Wells, a student of cannibalism with a missing hand; Dr. Haines, who is keeping a heart alive in a jar with electrolysis; and finally, Dr. Rowitz, who is busy connecting the pull of the moon to the behavior of man. Doctor X was one of the final films to be shot in the two-color Technicolor process, which produces an iconic palette of creamy oranges and vibrant sea greens. A black-and-white version was also shot, to the chagrin of Technicolor, and was shown in smaller cities. For many years, the Technicolor version was thought to be lost, but it was found in Jack Warner’s personal collection after his death in 1978. Obligatory viewing for any horror aficionado and especially for anyone with an affinity for the moon. Restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation in association with Warner Bros. Entertainment. Restoration funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation. (TV)
76 min • Warner Bros. • 35mm from UCLA Film & Television Archive
☆Screens as a double feature with…
THE MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM
Directed by Michael Curtiz • 1933Hot off the heels of Doctor X, Warner Bros. asked Curtiz to make another horror film: an eerie two-color Technicolor mystery set in a wax museum. When people begin mysteriously disappearing from the streets of New York City immediately after a master sculptor, Igor (Lionel Atwill), opens his new museum, Florence (played by the brassy Glenda Farrell), a sharp-witted reporter eager to prove her worth, is hot on the case. Her roommate Charlotte (Fay Wray) soon becomes a dangerous obsession to Igor. The identical resemblance between Charlotte and his lost Marie Antoinette sculpture drives him mad, as he hopes to claim her as a model … or his next victim. Like its sister film, Doctor X, The Mystery of the Wax Museum was thought to be lost, but it too was found in ex-studio head Jack Warner’s collection. Complete with bodies hanging from windows, monsters creeping in the morgue, wax figurines engulfed in flames, grotesque imagery, and salacious humor, this movie was among Warner Bros.’ top 5 grossing films of 1933 and is considered a unique pre-Code classic today. The Mystery of the Wax Museum was one of the last films to be shot with the two-color Technicolor process, but its unique visual influence made a lingering impact that spawned multiple remakes, including the polarized 3D remake House of Wax starring Vincent Price. Restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation in association with Warner Bros. Entertainment. Restoration funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation. (TV)
77 min • Warner Bros. • 35mm from UCLA Film & Television Archive
Co-presented by Music Box of Horrors
NEXT UP: Home Movie Day on October 28 from 11am – 3pm at the Chicago History Museum
