The Grinch

If you haven't yet read yesterday's blog and taken your guess at the name quiz therein, please scroll down to do that before reading this entry. Thank you.

The name Boris Karloff was intended to sound dramatic and perhaps a bit scary. It must've worked, because the name "Boris" has been used to represent evil ever since. From Boris Badenov to Boris Yeltsin, the name has been used to strike terror into the hearts of good people, even heroic Americans like the lovable Bobby Fischer.

OK, maybe Bobby Fischer isn't a good example. He's the Randy Quaid of the chess world, I suppose, so I withdraw the comment. But I stand by my assertion that Karloff and the others have succeeded in making "Boris" a name that no upstanding American would ever name their child. It's kinda like what that cartoon mouse did to ruin the name "Mickey".

Anyway, the point is that I feel it necessary to educate people about the misunderstood Mr. Karloff, just as I feel it's imperative to let the current generation of spineless punks know that my generation walked 27 miles to school, uphill, through 3 feet of snow every day, were paddled senseless by heartless and hideous Vice Principals, and learned how to communicate without needing emoticons. (Yes, this rant is probably a symptom of the EOC problem I mentioned a few posts back, but just go with it, OK? Thanks.)

Mr. Karloff was born in England in 1887, which means he was pretty darned old when he portrayed the Grinch in 1966. The good news is that even the youngest generations are aware of his outstanding performance in the Dr. Seuss classic, but the bad news is that very few of them have any knowledge of his rich legacy of film roles from the early years of cinema.

Most of Bad Boris's roles were in the horror genre, with the most famous one being in the original "Frankenstein". People who have never actually seen the film think that he plays a rampaging monster with no feelings or conscience (sorta like Russell Crowe or Lady Gaga). The common perception is that the monster goes berserk from the moment the lightning tickles his electrodes, but the truth is that Karloff plays the role with sympathetic intelligence, and for the majority of the movie has a childlike wonder about the amazing world he has awoken to find. It's only when the villagers mistake him for Hannibal Lecter that he goes all Ferrigno on them. After watching the film, it's hard to look at the monster in the same way; it changes the ideas you may have gotten from Halloween decorations -- Rather than attack him with pitchforks, it would probably make more sense to buy him a beer and recruit him for your rugby team.

But Karloff also played mummies, murderers, zombies, and all sorts of other sinister characters who lisped in a mellifluous British accent. As an actor, he probably had far more range than his filmography would indicate, but he seemed content to play to his sterotype...and did it for 55 years. (Here's a link to the trailer for one of Karloff's more comedic movies. If you watch the clip, pay close attention for the clarinet solo that would greatly influence Peter Frampton more than three decades later.)

Anyway, the fellow's real name was William Henry Pratt.

Here are the others:

A. Marion Michael Morrison = John Wayne
B. William Henry Pratt = Boris Karloff
C. Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. = John Denver
D. Gordan Matthew Thomas Sumner = Sting
E. Edson Arantes do Nascimento = Pelé
F. Archibald Alexander Leach = Cary Grant
G. Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. = Muhammad Ali
H. Norma Jean Baker = Boy George
I. Theodor S. Geisel = Dr. Seuss

So here's my question for you to ponder for the rest of the day: Why doesn't anyone name their boy "Cassius" anymore? (Or Marion, for that matter.) I'm also open to discussions of whether Mr. Pratt might've had an entirely different career had he stuck with his original name. And I'd be interested in knowing what alias you'd choose if you decided to become a monster movie actor. Let me know, and have a great day!

Sincerely,
Speed