THE REAL DRACULA (Full Documentary) - Bela Lugosi

#dracula #documentary #halloween
Follow the career of legendary film actor, Bela Lugosi, better known as Dracula, Hollywood's infamous vampire. Features footage from 20 of his biggest films - outtakes, clips, trailers, interviews with famous co-stars, family and friends, rare photos.
An 80-minute documentary featuring the legendary horror film actor, Bela Lugosi, the man who portrayed Dracula, Hollywood's most famous vampire. Features footage from 20 of Lugosi's biggest films - outtakes, clips, trailers, interviews with Hollywood co-stars, family and friends, rare photos from his childhood in Hungary, and career on Broadway through the Hollywood era. The only documentary authorized by the Lugosi family estate. Hosted by Forrest J Ackerman, the founder of science fiction fandom and a world-famous expert on science fiction, horror, and fantasy films.
An 80-minute documentary on the life of one of Hollywood's most neglected horror icons, Bela Lugosi. Hosted by fear fan extraordinaire, Forrest J Ackerman featuring clips and interviews with family and Hollywood legends John Carradine, Ralph Bellamy, Carroll Borland and B-movie producer Alex Gordon.
IMDB: www.imdb.com/title/tt15553842/

[@T.W.H.B2798]

Bela lugosi is my favorite actor You can’t have Dracula without Lugosi!

[@billharden7127]

👍

[@louannchipman1749]

Bela Lugosi was a beautiful man and had unbelievable talent. Just absolutely the best! His presence was incredible onscreen!

[@thomasfleischer83]

Bela will NEVER be forgotten!!!

[@ricktaylor3748]

99 outta 100 people couldn't tell you who Bella Lugosi is.

[@DR-mq1vn]

@@ricktaylor3748 And that's very sad too.

[@ricktaylor3748]

@@DR-mq1vn Do you know who Frank Langella is ?

[@markotat2332]

@@ricktaylor3748 that because Bela vas a 30's star...i found out about him fom @grimmlifecollective ,a youtube chanel that i love..and when i google it i found out that Bela was born in Lugoj,Romania,a place near my town...and i was fascinated.(i was born in 87)..now i dream that someday i will do a video about his life in Lugoj and his journey to America!!!

[@gp.]

Wrong, rickt.. 1,000,000 out of 1,000,000 people will NEVER know whom ricktaylor is !@@ricktaylor3748

[@prometheusunbound7628]

Forgotten by whom? The only people who could possibly forget Bela Lugosi are those who have never heard of him. And yes, I know that doesn't make sense. That's my point.

[@pipewelda]

Ugh! Well at least you got the whole whom thing right! Lol.

[@Dr170]

Well, there are those with coconut-induced amnesia, they are the only ones with a decent excuse

[@shawngarratt2887]

The first count Dracula ! How can anyone forget him ?

[@HitchcockBrunette]

He’s never forgotten to me ❤

[@peterolbrisch8970]

That makes perfect sense.

[@maggieb369]

He seems like he was.very kind person. His son clearly loved him very much.

[@robertszvetics210]

Bela Jr is a good man just like his old man was.

[@1959blantz]

Bela Lugosi was a gift given to us all for generations, and the greatest talent that the world will never see again.

[@SirSmoldham]

As someone who worked on this documentary I am so glad to finally see it here... even happier to see my name in the credits. Now if only I could contact the filmmakers and see if they still have behind the scenes photos. The experience was a dream for a real horror geek like me.

[@allenw5255]

Nice work. Thank you

[@frankchilds9848]

I thank everyone who put this together. Bela Lugosi had a presence and a power, the likes of which I honestly doubt the world will see again. I mean this with my heart. Never before...never again!

[@jacquelinejanz8466]

I know someone with more charisma than this.

[@GoneGone816]

@@jacquelinejanz8466 Id implore you to introduce us. I’ll believe it when I see it.

[@karenhummel49]

He was born to play Dracula!

[@ib4954]

@@jacquelinejanz8466 I’ll believe it when I see it!

[@marjorieduclos]

@@jacquelinejanz8466 yeah right.... 🤦‍♀️

[@markmadonia2867]

There are so many that have passed that can't be replaced Bela Lugosi is one of them!

[@chriskroll4166]

Never saw this documentary before and I have seen many. The pictures of him with his son when he was a teenager are priceless. He was a real actor. 🙋

[@kathymetzger5862]

Bela Lugosi is the best Dracula ever

[@Master_Blackthorne]

It's a matter of record that Bela Lugosi detested Hollywood's film industry. Not for the parts it gave him or for the insulting salary they paid him, but for the system itself that chewed up actors and then spat them out.

[@shirleytyler-szkolny6981]

So very true! The only other actor I can think of that was treated as badly as Lugosi was, ironically, another Hungarian: Peter Lorre.

[@annalisavajda252]

Well I think society in general is that way not just the showbusiness industry. In Hungary he wasn't stigmatized for his Hungarian accent but in America he was just an immigrant look how Nikola Tesla was abused and left penniless to waste away in a hotel too his ideas stolen by Edison and his reputation ruined. Lugosi played a predator but the real ones are not always who you expect them to be. Narcissists are only concerned with image not reality.

[@morganssmashingpearls3329]

@@shirleytyler-szkolny6981Many actresses, including big names, were also chewed up and abused and in some cases: raped and forced into abortions and drug use. Its cruelty was even more so for women. Lugosi is my favorite male actor…has been since I was 8. But Hollywood’s cruelty was exceedingly crueler to many a young ingénue.

[@juanitolopez9731]

I discovered Bela Lugosi in 1990, when Spanish TV screened a series of his Universal classics, in late night sessions. The first, of course, was Dracula. For a long time I thought he had been big in the 30s, then began losing steam through the 40s , and died, a pauper and long forgotten, in 1956. But it was not so. This documentary has taught me a lot more about Lugosi: that he was still very popular in the 40s and working continuously -even when the films were bad-, he kept doing stage work and even got some success in England, he also did TV, and although most of his films are easily forgotten, he worked till the very end, after having successfully beaten his drug addiction. But the damage to his system was already done. Also, this documentary gave me a deeper insight into the legend of the man. He was a very nice chap in real life, very educated, very quiet, very homely, who preferred his domestic life to the parties in Hollywood, studied his scripts seriously, no matter how weak the movie might be. There is the myth that Lugosi was never able to speak English properly and had to learn all his lines phonetically. After having seen him here speaking English to reporters who interviewed him throughout his career, fluently and at ease, without making grammatical errors, I see that much of what was written about him was rubbish. Also, that he died totally penniless and raving mad. Rubbish. Lugosi definitely marked an era in the history of cinema. And although he did not succeed in the way Boris Karloff did, he did quite well, considering the circumstances around his drug addiction. He persevered and kept finding work, good or bad, but always working. He is more famous now than he was in his lifetime. There are fan clubs all over the world. His legacy perdures. He would be surprised and then delighted. He must be having a good laugh out there. R.I.P. Bela. You will never be forgotten.

[@robertszvetics210]

I JUST BROUGHT THIS DVD A GREAT DOCUMENTARY ON MR.LUGOSI WHO WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.

[@bborgan7611]

I Love Bela Lugosi movies as a kid and as an adult! Super cool!

[@marlenekoditek5960]

Rest in peace Bela we miss and will always remember you!!

[@ArizonaJoeHines]

One of the important things about Dracula is that it was the first American film to feature the outright supernatural, without blowing it off as something more commonplace.

[@jkirtleyheacting]

Wonderful documentary and well deserved. Some incredibly rare interviews included. Thank you for this x

[@timbaumann9046]

I hope that Bela was loved around the world while he was still alive. There are millions of us around the world that still do!

[@joaoguimaraes4993]

Bela lugosi....will never be forgetten........period....the best dracula ever .....even better than Christopher Lee....period.....the accent....the beaviour......the dramactical acting....the best....no doubt.....

[@mylovesongs2429]

He is also the best vampire in movie history!

[@rabahboudrouma2041]

Of cours WE don't forget him IS Dracula ensuite chandu the magicien master of sombies of cours extra he was manificiant

[@richardsoderkvist6383]

Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff are the kings of the horror movies like Elvis and the Beattles are the greatest in rock'n'roll. And Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris are the greatest in the martial arts.

[@steveturner609]

But don’t forget the Hammer Horror Duo of Peter Cushing & Christopher Lee!!

[@harrylangdon491]

I was watching TV the night of August 15, 1956, when the news announcer said Mr. Lugosi had died. This was accompanied by a photo of him showing him terribly ravaged. I was 15 years old and knew him well from Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

[@Oakleaf700]

I didn't realise that Béla Lugosi became addicted to morphine {For pain} and then methadone that he obtained in England, he would not have known how savagely physically addictive the latter was , until it was too late.

[@ericrobson4291]

Lugosi was still alive when you were fifteen amazing keep rolling ×

[@ericcastillo1332]

Thank you for sharing the history with us❤

[@jamescullen2448]

As a child I had a plan, wrap my pillow around my neck , if Dracula bit me I could shout for my father and he could come and beat him up, it helped me sleep after my father let me watch the films , love him for that , miss you dad , 🇬🇧🤝

[@GoneGone816]

Awww! That’s cute! I’m sorry to hear about your dad. He had great taste in movies!

[@jamescullen2448]

@@GoneGone816 thank you 😊🇬🇧🤝

[@richardmcleod1930]

A shame the "Ed Wood" movie did not follow the real facts of Ed Wood's life, and most importantly that of Bela Lugosi. That's Hollywood!

[@morganssmashingpearls3329]

The fortunate thing however is that the excellence of the film and the twenty of Landau sent people to the rabbit hole that is cinema history and gave Lugosi to more than what was organically reached. However you get here, the prize is learning about him.

[@ericcastillo1332]

As a little boy the classic horror monstersl have been a part of my life! Mr Lugosi has always been one of them, thank you for this excellent documentary it brings back memories❤❤

[@cherchezlavache5183]

That was GREAT! I love Bela Lugosi! 👍🏻👍🏻🥂

[@DR-mq1vn]

I cannot imagine anyone else playing Dracula! He is perfect and was born for the part!

[@robertgibler4656]

In the annals of all of those very talented actors who have played the part of the Undead Count of Transylvania, To me there is Only "One actor" who can be known as Count Dracula, not only because of his birth nationality, His dedication to the character of Bram Stokers Dracula, his charisma, his physical appearance, his hypnotic stare, and yes his Hungarian accent scared the heck out of me when i was a child. His screen name was Bela Lugosi, Count Dracula. And equally as impressive was his part playing IGOR, in a Frankenstein movie. May he rest in peace

[@sclerismockrey8506]

It's so wonderful to see and hear Uncle Forry, especially in his element here being so very much himself. Forrest J Ackerman shall not die!

[@alecwilliams7111]

Thanks for running this biography of Lugosi. I have long thought that he was a great and underestimated actor. A look at the long list of films he did should prove this beyond a doubt--even the bad ones. It's interesting that Forrest J. Ackerman hosted this tribute to Lugosi. Many of my generation learned about the great horror films and their great actors from Ackerman's FAMOUS MOSTERS OF FILMLAND. Ackerman was a very good choice for host.

[@barnabassabbatini8389]

First time I've seen the full version. Thanks

[@5809AUJG]

So happy to find this! I'm grateful to all those who contributed to bring it together, to the wonderful Uncle Forry Ackerman for taking part in it, and to Mr Lugosi...for his great talent and presence. His like will never, ever come again. But, then, how could it? He was the great Bela Lugosi. What else need be said?

[@tinkabell1400]

I could never forget you Mr Lugosi I absolutely adore u as I'm sure many others do too gone but never forgotten always forever in our hearts ❤😢😭🤧😿💔

[@patrickbush9526]

Growing up in the 50s Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney were every kids Idol. Any of you remember the monster models? Remember the monster bubble gum cards? Happy Halloween everybody

[@irishmike3514]

Yes, the Aurora Company Universal Monster models!! I had them all!!......great memories!!

[@jeffolsen4983]

Me too.

[@patrickbush9526]

Aurora company yes that's it Mike I had forgot the name I had them all to👍👋

[@patrickbush9526]

Right on Jeff 👍👋

[@irishmike3514]

@@patrickbush9526 I had read that when they went out of business they had sold the molds to a Chinese firm, but they were all lost in transit when the ship sank. What a shame! I believe there are some knock-off models kits out there.

[@hugolaguna5669]

I am Grateful for this Documentary... I am Learning English and also am a Huge Fan of Bella's Work.... He was such a Gifted Actor.... And will be a Legend Forever in out Hearts

[@morganssmashingpearls3329]

I think The Black Cat is a very underrated film. Lugosi was brilliant.

[@walterfechter8080]

Bela Lugosi is my copilot

[@roadrunner381]

I really enjoyed this well done documentary of a great actor, i as a young child in the 60s remember be scared to death watching these movies, you just dont forget Bela Lugosi!🌟

[@rashaunjones1027]

He lead a colorful life.

[@jamescullen2448]

Yes loved the morfeen

[@rashaunjones1027]

@@jamescullen2448 ,he did at that

[@marcco44]

yes the man was ROYALTY, no question

[@patrickguidice3786]

The Phantom Creeps episode from Mystery Science Theater 3000 is Hilarious 😄

[@jeffreysnow2640]

This was very well made !!!!

[@jacquelinejanz8466]

We didn’t know that Dracula was a true story Albeit cleaned up a great deal.

[@themysteriousdomainmoviepalace]

Really good! Thank you!

[@RichardEKranz]

Excellent! Thanks for the upload.

[@oliverbrownlow5615]

I enjoyed this documentary, but I can't believe it made no mention of *Return of the Vampire* (1943), which is one of Lugosi's best films. I was also dismayed to see that some of the clips were presented in the wrong aspect ratio.

[@halsd5857]

What a classy man pure will always be the best and only dracula. Too bad the cemetary is just a simple stone in the ground but i hope to be able to pay my respects. Soo much respect for him wish i could have met him what an honor that would be

[@scottdelong1]

Great comment re Ed Wood. "He had the drive and passion... the only things he lacked were taste and talent."

[@abbdabs67]

enjoyed this extended edition i have the original vhs

[@EB1878]

I loved this documentary about Bela Lugosi. ❤ I've seen the 1931 Dracula movie and absolutely love it. There simply won't be another Bela, that's for sure. Other Dracula films to follow through the decades were equally good I thought. However, there's something about Bela's performance that's just captivating. The Dracula role (even though haunted and typecast him), seemed perfectly suited for him from the get-go. I have yet to see Bela's other movies and I'm interested in finding a DVD copy of Plan 9 from Outer Space eventually along with his other films. 😊

[@darryl3422]

Bela's story from movie star to working for Ed Wood is sad he deserved better

[@lhasaroadrat9374]

Best Halloween post so far!!

[@peskylisa]

I would have liked to have seen Karloff's daughter Sarah meet Bela Lugosi Jr. ( Daughter of Frankenstein meets Son of Dracula)

[@lastrada52]

At the funeral of Bela Lugosi, it was alleged that actor Peter Lorre whispered to Vincent Price -- "Do you think we should run a stake through his heart...just to be sure."

[@TheRickie41]

I’m grateful the relation between Lugosi and Wood has been cleaned of the known prejudices in this documentary.

[@raftfan]

Fine documentary on the life and career of one of my favorite actors, and ultimately one of the most misused. One error, however: In BLACK FRIDAY Boris and Bela were not rival gangsters. Originally, Bela was to play Dr. Sovac and Boris the professor-turned-gangster. Some casting switches placed Karloff as Sovac, Stanley Ridges as Kingsley/Red Cannon and Lugosi was given the smaller role as the gangster Eric Marnay.

[@jjphoenix4055]

Never forgotten, the title of this doc (which is great on the rest) is totally misleading. BELA LUGOSI has never been forgotten by movie goers and he was and forever will be one of the BIGGEST stars in Hollywood. No matter how many other actors play Dracula, there is only one REAL Dracula, and that is BELA LUGOSI.

[@YesItsMeGuys68]

This was outstanding ! Bravo

[@pewsterbaby]

Looks like someone took Lugosi, The Forgotten King (1985 46 min.) and professionally added almost as much. Nice job.

[@dawnklug6986]

Bela Lugosi passed only 25 days before I was born. Was a big fan of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine in the 1960/70's. My Mom threw out ALL my saved magazines when I went into the Navy................they're collector items these days...........who knew.

[@dennislalka7965]

John Garfield was a great actor!

[@josebenito15]

Wonderful Bela Lugosi. His English accent wss so peculiar and sometimes so difficult to understand but He was definitely.. The Count Dracula. Great Documentary 🎉

[@deedeetee17]

Dolores now pretending to care about Ed Wood makes me sick

[@user-sq4jz9up6g]

Karloff was king Lugosi spent the left of his life trying to relive Dracula finally hitting rock bottom.with Ed Wood 😮

[@PlayNiceFolks]

86 year old man in the business still unnerved to walk down his own long lived halls, after watching White Zombie again. I guess I'll go check that out.

[@asarshahriar1215]

You are definitely the best of the best My most favorite May you be in favor with Osiris

[@morganssmashingpearls3329]

Lugosi oozed elegance.

[@RetiredSchoolCook]

😃Thank you 👍Oct . 21 , 2023

[@sunchildgaia]

He was amazing!

[@kath5201]

Forgotten?? Not likely. He IS Dracula.

[@marcdelente2456]

Bela Lugosi est un monument du 7ème arts Il était aussi a l'aise sur les planches quand qu' acteur de cinéma fantastique mais il pouvait tout interprété. Certains disent qu' il aurait dû travailler l anglais mais moi je dit qu' il était excellent avec ce timbre de voi et cette accent hongrois. Bela lugosi est éternel et intemporel pour des siecles. Merci infiniment pour ce documentaire fascinant sur le roi des acteurs de l épouvante.

[@williamdaniel3405]

Christopher Lee in The Horror of Dracula was the first one I saw... Crockett, Texas

[@bonnacon1610]

Would love to know more about what looks like cat auditions or publicity for The Black Cat at 24:21.

[@chriswright2250]

Gene Simmons from KISS designed his Makeup based on vampires. Huge fan mlm

[@RobertJonesWightpaint]

Coup de grace, not "gras" - really doesn't mean quite the same thing....

[@naedrentsek895]

No matter what role he played he will always be Dracula to me. I remember watching Chiller Theater as a kid and he scared the daylights out of me

[@oluhamilton2121]

BAY-la......!

[@rogerrendzak8055]

Why would they, have comedians walk around on the set, of 'Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein' to make the atmosphere, upbeat??? You'd figure they wanted to keep it the opposite, since it was, a 'dark' comedy.

[@jeffolsen4983]

38:30. THEE Manly Hall?? Of course. Weirder and weirder.

[@TeleCaster66]

That's what I was thinking but I think it's not Manly P Hall but a man with the same name because I don't think Manly P Hall was old enough then. I could be wrong though.

[@jasminnemcdonald94A]

Dude! He's a vampire for real.

[@robertwilliams3527]

Ayeeee

[@catmccabe400]

❤️

[@marks.8823]

🌟🌟🌟🌟🎥

[@BARON.SAMEDI.]

I wish I could turn back time, to make him a delicious gulyás / pörkölt... Isten nyugasztaljon Lugosi úr 🙏

[@alyssajones4368]

Sucks that Bela Lugosi was typecast the majority of his career. Really wished the studios gave him a chance to portray more serious acting roles.

[@DR-mq1vn]

The younger Bela Lugosi (with the American accent) is Bela Lugosi, Jr. (the Jr. was left out on the screen).

[@KevinJohnson-hy4oc]

In my opinion, there were only three other actors who did true justice to the portrayal of Dracula: John Carradine, Christopher Lee, and Frank Langella. Although they all brought certain great qualities to their unique interpretations, Lee had a certain annoying corniness to his portrayal, Carradine played the Count like too much of a gentleman, and Langella was more romantic than scary. Lugosi, however, brought ALL the great qualities of those other actors to the roll, plus his inimitable sheer ghoulish appeal. Interestingly, this documentary was originally released back in the late 80's in a shorter version (about an hour long) on a VHS tape. This is the first time I ever saw this longer version, and it's definitely better, but I wonder why they never released it on home video, too?

[@nataliep.9047]

Is this full length? There are a lot of choppy cuts in it.

[@PlayNiceFolks]

I feel like type casting has lessened a bit in more recent years. Anyone else have either specific thoughts or a feeling on the matter?

[@Thurston86]

Karloff?.........Sidekick?!? FAH QUE!!!

[@smokyondagrass2353]

I kinda get why, but i wish this doc, expanded more on what Bela did in the Hungarian soviet republic. Like i know he fored the actors union there but I'd like to know more since his experience as a revolutionary socialist influenced his politics in the U.S.

[@johnbeechy]

15:30 // myop Bela might not want have Played Mike Myers (Halloween, Kills,and, Ends)/aka the Shape, for that character has NO Lines. and never shows Its face. thanks for the upload. stay safe during these Post Halloween times. God Bless

[@ghostrideronthetrack]

My fucking idol

[@johnshields6852]

Lagosi lobbied for the role, they offered to many popular actors at the time, they didn't want to do creature films, was considered below them, they didn't want lagosi because of his heavy accent,lol, they finally caved and because they knew he wanted the role they used that as leverage to pay him lower wages than the other actors, just shows you, sometimes happenstance is the key.

[@fredcechota3416]

I couldn't have said it any better

[@amylong4763]

Terry Castle?

[@eduardpascal7229]

Shame! Transilvania never was part of Hungary but part of Habsburgic Empire. It was an independent Principate with a Parliament (Dieta) at Cluj, the capital of Transylvania. In 1918 population of Transylvania (70% Romanians) voted union with Kindom of Romania. So, Lugoj Town never was part of Hungary!!! Lugoj Town îs located in Transylvania.

[@AzuraTarot]

I guess it's easier to say he was Hungarian than to state he was born to an Hungarian minority living in Transilvania, just as most people will call all Transilvanian Saxons Germans, but yes. Lugoj was never in Hungary.

[@juanmarquez1679]

👽

[@lalkayy.9541]

If Bela Lugosi is The Forgotten King of Horror , Then Boris Karloff is The Unforgotten King of Horror .

[@jamescullen2448]

Who is 🤪🤪🇬🇧

[@GoneGone816]

Boris Karloff who? 🤨

[@scombs6543]

I really don't mind Karloff, but I like Lugosi much better. He was a better actor and you could tell he loved his job. He could take the most mediocre, bare bone scripts and make them sound like they were written by Shakespeare. A true legend.

[@steveturner609]

@@scombs6543 - A better actor than Karloff?? I don’t think so, Boris Karloff was a wonderful actor, to be fair they were both amazing!!

[@MrCountrycuz]

He never scared me and his acting really did not impress me.

[@WrongStanceProductions]

He is far from forgotten so I don’t get this title