Who could forget Colin Clive's "It's Alive! It's Alive!" as he melted
to the floor mumbling the same over and over in ecstasy after his
success at animating the Monster in the first sound version of
Frankenstein (1931). Film history -
horror film history - but part of a short history for actor Colin Clive -
he died at 37 years of age. The son of a British army colonel on
assignment in France at the time of Colin's birth, Clive the younger
might have been expected to follow an army career-his ancestor was
Baron Robert Clive, founder of the British Indian Empire. But he became
interested in theater instead. His acting talents progressed through
the 1920s to sufficient degree to replace Laurence Olivier who was
starring in the R. C Sherriff play "Journey's End" in London. The
director was up-and-coming James Whale, who had also been working his
way up in London stage and film work as a budding scene designer and
director. Among his stage and entertainment acquaintances in London was
Elsa Lanchester - the future bride of
Frankenstein. When Olivier moved on to other stage work, the play moved
to the Savoy Theater in London with Clive in the lead in 1928.
Whale was waiting for the opportunity to move onto Broadway and
Hollywood films. The success of "Journey's End" gave Whale his break.
Broadway called for the play with him as both director and scene
designer. It opened in March of 1929 but with
Colin Keith-Johnston in the lead.
Nevertheless, Clive came to New York as well to await developments.
Halfway through 1930, the play had ended, and Whale was contracted by
Paramount as a dialog director. Things continued to unfold quickly.
Whale was very soon called on to direct what would be the first
British/American co-produced sound film, a movie version of the popular
Journey's End (1930). Whale got
Clive back as the lead-the laconic, alcoholic Capt. Stanhope. And Clive
showed on screen what came out in his stage performances - a measured
intensity to his character, bolstered by his unique cracked baritone
voice - seemingly always on the edge of irritation. Clive's first
picture then led to opportunities in both British and American films.
But he got his first play on Broadway "Overture" in late 1930 which
ended in January of 1931. Then it was back to London where he was
prophetically cast with Lanchester in
The Stronger Sex (1931).
As they say, what came next was film history. Whale was contracted by
Universal where Dracula (1931) had just
been a huge hit and the studio was looking for a quick follow up.
Shelley's Frankenstein was optioned as the next 'horror' movie with
Whale directing. Whale wanted Clive as Dr. Henry Frankenstein, and it
all came together. Clive played the tortured legitimate doctor driven
to macabre surgery and near insanity with over-the-top theatrics that
would type him for the remainder of his short career.
The next few years he played both B leading and A supporting roles. Two
apt examples were playing brooding but romantic Edward Rochester in an
early Jane Eyre (1934) and playing a
British officer in
Kampf um Indien (1935) in which
Ronald Colman - not he - played
his illustrious ancestor. Clive returned to Broadway for two plays in
1933 and 1934 and one more in the 1935-36 season. Then it was back to
Universal for the "Bride" sequel of Frankenstein (1935) in which his
Dr. Henry was somewhat more subdued. This was mostly to do with a
broken leg suffered from a horseback riding accident. He is seen doing
a lot of sitting or lying down because of it. Dour and sour seemed to
be his trademark, bolstered that much more with the remainder of his
films in which he was usually disturbed supporting characters.
His final two films were in early 1937 with the better known
...und ewig siegt die Liebe (1937) - awkward type-casting him as the world's most sour grapes ex-husband,
Bruce Vail, who engineers a sure collision of his new steamship with
any available iceberg in foggy weather to hopefully drown his ex-wife
Jean Arthur and her romantic true
love Charles Boyer. But the
sinking ship is stabilized and the lovers are saved to live happily
ever after. Ironically, but befitting such a deed in Hollywood ethics,
Vail shoots himself.
Ironically, Clive, suffering from tuberculosis, furthered along by
chronic alcoholism, died not long after in late June of 1937.
