Mae Clark as Elizabeth
The clothes, sets, makeup, acting...are all dated now, and the plot, based on a stage play, has some glaring holes that don't completely work on the screen. But at heart, James Whale's adaptaion of Mary Shelley's novel remains the model for most of the horror films that have followed. The mad scientist with his lab full of crackling electricity, the peasant mob, the stylized cemetery - they've become instantly recognizable parts of the film. So has the monster, with his expressive hands, a face often filled with tortured confustion, and ungainly physical presence, he's one of horror's immortal figures. Newer tapes include the famous "missing" scene at the lake, though a controversial line of dialogue - "now I know what it feels like to be God!" is still distorted.
Biography for Mae Clarke
Date of birth
10 August 1907
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Date of death
29 April 1992
Woodland Hills, California, USA.
Birth name
Violet Mary Klotz
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Trivia
Immortal as the recipient of Cagney's classic grapefruit-in-the-face in 'The Public Enemy' (1931).
She was the model for Lorelei Lee in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes".
Interred at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood, California, USA, section C, lot #2424.
Biography from Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia: She'll always be remembered as the girl on the receiving end of James Cagney's grapefruit in The Public Enemy (1931), but Mae Clarke was more than just a target. The nightclub dancer turned actress shone as one of the bright lights of the early talkie era. Attractive but just short of beautiful, Clarke developed her own naturalistic acting style, eliciting raves from critics for her costarring performances in three other 1931 releases, Waterloo Bridge, Frankensteinand The Front Page. Bad luck and personal problems drove her out of the limelight, though, and by the mid 1930s she was playing leads in unimportant B pictures such as The House of a Thousand Candles and Wild Brian Kent (both 1936). She reteamed with Cagney in Great Guy (1936), and her onetime leading man Lew Ayres cast her in his only directorial effort, Hearts in Bondage (1936), but these opportunities failed to rekindle her career. A few years later she was doing bits, and she appeared only sporadically throughout the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Her last leading role came in the Republic serial King of the Rocket Men (1949).
Watermelon Man (1970)
Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) (uncredited) .... Woman in the Office
Big Hand for the Little Lady, A (1966) .... Mrs. Craig, Bank Customer
... aka Big Deal at Dodge City (1966) (UK)
"General Hospital" (1963) TV Series .... Marge (1963)
Ask Any Girl (1959) (uncredited) .... Woman on Train
Voice in the Mirror (1958) .... Mrs. Robbins
Desperados Are In Town, The (1956) .... Jane Kesh
Mohawk (1956) .... Minikah
Ride the High Iron (1956) .... Mrs. Vanders
Catered Affair, The (1956) (uncredited) .... Saleswoman
... aka Wedding Breakfast (1956) (UK)
Come Next Spring (1956) .... Myrtle
I Died a Thousand Times (1955) (uncredited)
Not as a Stranger (1955) .... Miss Odell
Women's Prison (1955) .... Matron Sanders
Wichita (1955) .... Mary McCoy
Magnificent Obsession (1954) .... Mrs. Miller
Confidentially Connie (1953) (uncredited)
Fearless Fagan (1952) (uncredited) .... Hospital Switchboard Operator
Skirts Ahoy! (1952) (uncredited) .... Miss LaValle
Because of You (1952) .... Miss Peach
Thunderbirds (1952) .... Mrs. Jones
Horizons West (1952) .... Mrs. Tarleton
Pat and Mike (1952) (uncredited) .... Woman Golfer
Singin' in the Rain (1952) (uncredited) .... Hairdresser
Love Is Better Than Ever (1952) .... Mrs. Ireland
... aka Light Fantastic, The (1952) (UK)
Unknown Man, The (1951) (uncredited) .... Stella's Friend
... aka Bradley Mason Story, The (1951) (USA)
... aka Thin Knife, The (1951) (USA)
Callaway Went Thataway (1951) (uncredited) .... Mother
... aka Star Said No, The (1951) (UK)
People Against O'Hara, The (1951) (uncredited) .... Receptionist
Three Guys Named Mike (1951) (uncredited) .... Convair Passenger
Lost Planet Airmen (1951) (as Mae Clark) .... Glenda Thomas
Great Caruso, The (1951) (uncredited) .... Woman
Royal Wedding (1951) (uncredited) .... First Telephone Operator
... aka Wedding Bells (1951) (UK)
Mr. Imperium (1951) (uncredited)
... aka You Belong to My Heart (1951) (UK)
Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone (1950) (unconfirmed)
Duchess of Idaho (1950) (uncredited) .... Betty the Flower Girl
Annie Get Your Gun (1950) (uncredited) .... Mrs. Adams
Yellow Cab Man, The (1950) (uncredited)
King of the Rocket Men (1949) .... Glenda Thomas
Streets of San Francisco (1949) .... Hazel Logan
Gun Runner (1949) .... Kate
Daredevils of the Clouds (1948) .... Kay Cameron
Kitty (1945) .... Molly
Here Come the Waves (1944) (uncredited) .... Ensign Kirk
And Now Tomorrow (1944) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
Lady from Chungking (1943) .... Lavara
Flying Tigers (1942) .... Verna Bales
Sailors on Leave (1941) .... Gwen
Women in War (1940) .... Gail Halliday
Hats Off (1937) .... Jo Allen
Outlaws of the Orient (1937) .... Joan
Trouble in Morocco (1937) .... Linda Lawrence
Great Guy (1936) .... Janet Henry
... aka Pluck of the Irish (1936) (UK)
Wild Brian Kent (1936) .... Betty Prentice
Hearts in Bondage (1936) .... Constance
House of a Thousand Candles, The (1936) .... Carol
Hitch Hike Lady (1936) .... Judith Martin
... aka Eventful Journey (1936) (UK)
Daring Young Man, The (1935) .... Martha Allen
Silk Hat Kid (1935) .... Laura Grant
Man with Two Faces, The (1934) .... Daphne Martin
This Side of Heaven (1934) .... Jane Turner
Let's Talk It Over (1934) .... Pat Rockland
Nana (1934) .... Satin
... aka Lady of the Boulevards (1934) (UK)
As the Devil Commands (1933)
Lady Killer (1933) .... Myra Gale
Turn Back the Clock (1933) .... Mary Gimlet/Wright
Going Hollywood (1933) (uncredited) .... Herself
Flaming Gold (1933) .... Claire Gordon
Penthouse (1933) .... Mimi Montagne
... aka Crooks in Clover (1933) (UK)
Fast Workers (1933) .... Mary
Parole Girl (1933) .... Sylvia Day
Final Edition (1932) .... Anne Woodman
... aka Determination (1932) (UK)
Talking Screen Snapshots (1932) (as Mae Clark)
Penguin Pool Murder (1932) .... Gwen Parker
... aka Penguin Pool Mystery, The (1932) (UK)
Breach of Promise (1932) .... Hattie Pugmire
Night World (1932) .... Ruth Taylor
Impatient Maiden (1932) .... Ruth Robbins
Three Wise Girls (1932) .... Gladys Kane
Good Bad Girl, The (1931) .... Marcia
Reckless Living (1931) .... Bee
Frankenstein (1931) .... Elizabeth
Waterloo Bridge (1931) .... Myra Deauville
Public Enemy, The (1931) .... Kitty
... aka Enemies of the Public (1931) (UK)
Front Page, The (1931) .... Molly Malloy
Men On Call (1930) .... Helen Gordon
Dancers, The (1930) .... Maxine
Fall Guy, The (1930) .... Bertha Quinlan
... aka Trust Your Wife (1930) (UK)
Nix on Dames (1929) .... Jackie Lee
Big Time (1929) .... Lily Clark