I know that neither Bela Lugosi nor John Carradine ever wore fangs when playing Count Dracula or any other vampires. I believe that Max Schreck wore fangs or some type of menacing teeth in “Nosferatu” in the silent German film. Christopher Lee wore fangs as the infamous Count in the Hammer series of films. Does anybody know what the first American film was to feature vampires actually wearing menacing fangs? Who was the actor or actress? Finally, why did the old Universal Films or other Hollywood studios NOT give their performers fangs to wear when playing vampires?
Fangs weren’t a part of the theatrical tradition thyat went from Hamilto9n Deane’s script to John Balderston’s revision to Broadway and eventually to Hollywood. Raymond Huntley didn’t wear fangs, not Bela Lugosi after him on stage, so why would they in the movies? Nosferatu was a separate strand that came from German expressionistic cinenma, and Max Schreck’s interpretation had a lot of idiosyncrasies, including those rat-like incisors (NOT the canines, which most vampires have as fands – Nosferatu’s were his front two teeth.)
Lon Chaney Jr. didn’t have fangs as Son of Dracula, nor did Bela Lusi in his other vampire film incarnations. Lon Chaney Sr. had nothing but pointed teeth in London After Midnight. – no fangs.
You’d think that someone would’ve had vampire fangs earlier, seeing as how Bram Stoker’s book harps on the “two wounds”, but AFAIK the first movie fangs were in the Hammer film Horror of Dracula (called simply “Dracula” in the UK).
So the Wolfman had fangs before Dracula? Wow, I never even noticed the lack of fangs.
@Cal Meacham: AFAIK? I don’t understand.
As Far As** I** Know
Nope, those were his real teeth.
Thinking about it, I recall that neither Gloria Holden in Dracula’s Daughter (Universal, 1936) nor vanyone in Carl Dreyer’s Vampyr (1932) sported fangs.
This poster for (I think) the play, though, portrays a fanged creature (which never appears, though):
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