GEORGE ZUCCO

In the pantheon of horror icons, suave but sinister George Zucco could never claim to have reached the heights of a Boris Karloff or Vincent Price. Yet in terms of overall career, he may have been in more big budget Hollywood epics than both of them put together. The prolific actor appeared in films of all types, but predominantly in historical epics and horror films ranging from A to Z in quality. But much like every other horror movie star, it was the horror films that he is remembered for by a wide margin.

He had much in common with fellow English icons Boris Karloff and Lionel Atwill, both of whom he co-starred with frequently. They all worked the theater circuit before moving on to silent pictures and finally talkies. Karloff broke through to major stardom, though he never escaped the “monster movie” stigma. Atwill almost made it, but was tripped up by scandal. As for Zucco, he never said “no” to any prospective movie part and much like Bela Lugosi, wound up in Poverty Row clunkers. Yet those movies remain beloved by many and Zucco should not be tarred and feathered for working in them.

He cut an intense, dignified profile with a smouldering gaze, hawkish nose and impeccable British accent. Directors and casting personnel found him to be perfect as an educated, sinister villain and this formed the majority of his film work. Arguably his greatest villainous performance was as Sherlock Holmes’ mortal enemy Professor Moriarity in “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”, a role he seemed born to play. Ironically,  the only rival for the title of “best Moriarity” would be Lionel Atwill, whose career paralleled Zucco’s in many ways.

Let’s take a closer look at the work of this rather overlooked master of the macabre…

Zucco was born in Manchester, England in 1886, the son of a Greek merchant and an English mother who was a successful dressmaker. George was an only child and his family was comfortably well off. Zucco was bit by the acting bug at an early age and was soon off to Canada to join a touring theater company in 1908. This followed the same path as fellow horror maven Boris Karloff, who also toured the Canadian wilds. Zucco met his wife Frances there and they stayed married for the rest of his life.

He also honed his craft on the American stage and began to make a name for himself on the vaudeville circuit. Just as it seemed George was ready to break through to bigger roles, World War I broke out and like many of his countrymen, he returned to enlist in the army. Zucco distinguished himself in combat and reached the rank of lieutenant. During action, he was shot in the right hand and wound up with two of his fingers paralyzed. He never recovered full use of his hand and for the rest of his career, special care was taken to conceal this disability.

With the war over, he returned to England and hit the London theater circuit with a vengeance, becoming one of the most talked about performers there. He started to take roles in silent film, but as was usually the case, the bright lights of Hollywood beckoned and Zucco started his American film career in 1931. At first, his parts were small, but he attracted attention and seemed particularly adept at playing elegant but sinister characters as well as authority types like judges and doctors.

Eventually the villainous parts took over. In the movie “After The Thin Man”, he played a shady doctor and from there, his parts increased in both mysteries and historical films. 1939 turned out to be a huge year for Zucco as he sunk his teeth into some of his best roles. He appeared in the magnificent “Hunchback of Notre Dame” alongside Charles Laughton and Cedric Hardwicke as the sinister inquisitor who sneered “Let’s use torture on this stubborn wench”.  He was also in the remake of the old dark house classic “The Cat And The Canary” as a lawyer. But by far his biggest role was as Sherlock Holmes’ diabolical arch-nemesis Prof. Moriarity in “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”, long considered one of the best Holmes films. Zucco could not have been cast better as the intellectual fiend who pushes the great detective to his limits. 

As the 1940’s dawned, Zucco’s career took a strange turn. He was still able to appear in big budget Hollywood blockbusters like the ghostly comedy smash “Topper Returns” and the Bob Hope laugh-fest “My Favorite Blonde” but more and more he began appearing in lower budget horror thrillers. Much like John Carradine, Zucco rarely turned down a part no matter how bizarre it was and he took pride in being a “working actor”. He became particularly associated with Universal’s Mummy series, where he played the malevolent High Priest of Karnak Andoheb, who brought Kharis the Mummy to life with the brew of the nine tana leaves. He played the role in “The Mummy’s Hand” and “The Mummy’s Tomb”. Although it was technically a different High Priest, he might as well have been Andoheb in the last of the true Universal Mummy films, “The Mummy’s Ghost”.

Appearing in Universal horrors was one thing, but starring in Poverty Row horrors from the likes of the lowly PRC company could hardly have boosted his career, although it did provide quick cash. No matter how cheap or lurid the film, Zucco gave it everything he had and added a touch of class even to Z-grade films like “The Flying Serpent” and “Voodoo Man”. On the Universal lot, he was nicknamed “One Take Zucco” and was considered a reliable hand, although never a star on the level of Karloff or Lon Chaney Jr. He popped up in the beloved monster jamboree “House of Frankenstein” as the carnival master who carted Dracula’s skeleton around Europe.

If Universal didn’t let George get star billing, the likes of Monogram and PRC were only too happy to give him the top slot. These cheapies are the movies for which Zucco is best remembered and some of them were surprisingly meaty roles. “The Mad Monster”, a perennial pick in public domain DVD mega-packs, made Zucco one of the most sinister mad scientists of the 40’s, turning Glenn Strange’s halfwit handyman into a werewolf like beast who prowled the backlot swamps. A more interesting film was “Dr. Renault’s Secret”, a rare horror from 20th Century Fox. He plays a successor to Dr. Moreau, who turns an ape into a shambling, rather pathetic human being. Although Zucco is great, J. Carroll Naish steals the movie as the sympathetic ape-man hybrid. This is a B-movie well worth tracking down.

After again facing Basil Rathbone in “Sherlock Holmes In Washington”, this time as a Nazi spy, Zucco had what I consider one of his very best roles in the PRC cheapie “Dead Men Walk”. Along with “Strangler of the Swamp”, this is the best PRC horror by far. Zucco gets to play two roles and leans into both with gusto. Elwyn Clayton is a black magician and a purely evil man who has terrorized his hometown. His brother Lloyd, a saintly doctor and friend to all, was responsible for killing the fiend and ending his reign of terror. However, Elwyn returns from the grave as a vampire and initiates a diabolical plan to avenge himself on Lloyd. Zucco plays both brothers, but gives Elwyn a feeling of palpable decadence. Although obviously old-fashioned, this one has atmosphere and a rousing conclusion. It also features the last screen role of Dwight Frye, playing the warped hunchback assistant of Elwyn.