SPECIAL EXHIBIT AT THE NATIONAL FILM ARCHIVE OF JAPAN: 'History in Posters Part 4: Horror Films'!

The National Film Archive of Japan. Photo by Brett Homenick.

 Earlier today (Wednesday, December 14), I visited the National Film Archive of Japan and took in its special exhibit, "History in Posters Part 4: Horror Films." The gallery featured posters and other memorabilia (shooting scripts, promotional pamphlets, etc.) from horror films from all over the world. The horror movies went as far back as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) and covered the much more recent J-horror films of the late 1990s and beyond. Shooting scripts for Japanese classics like The Invisible Man (1949) and Portrait of Hell (1969) were on display, as were assorted posters and press sheets for a variety of other great titles. I wish I could have photographed it all, but photography was limited to a specific corner of the gallery. Anyhow, here's just a taste of what I saw. Enjoy!

CARLA LAEMMLE, 1909-2014: The Universal Studios Actress Passes Away But Leaves Behind a Tremendous Legacy

An autograph I obtained from Ms. Laemmle in 2009. 

The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed the passing of actress Carla Laemmle, whose career dates back to the silent era. She was 104. Having appeared in Lon Chaney's The Phantom of the Opera (1925) and Bela Lugosi's Dracula (1931), her status as a horror film icon has been cemented for many decades. As if that weren't enough, her uncle was Carl Laemmle, the founder of Universal Studios.

Despite the fact that she was more than a century old, she still regularly appeared at autograph signings, happy to meet and mingle with her fans. Over the years, I had the honor of meeting her twice.

Yours truly with Carla Laemmle at the Hollywood Show in Burbank, July 2010.

Rest in peace, Ms. Laemmle.

Happy birthday, Carla Laemmle!

Brett meets Carla Laemmle at Monsterpalooza in May 2009.

October 20, 2009, marks the 100th birthday of film icon Carla Laemmle, who appeared in The Phantom of the Opera (1925!) as the prima ballerina and in the original Dracula as the passenger in the coach who utters the film's first line of dialogue.

We here at Sidelong Glances of a Pigeon Kicker (okay, it's just me, but still) would like to wish Ms. Laemmle a very happy 100th birthday ... with many more to come!