Daily Dialogue — September 22, 2019

Neil: What are they?
‘Murder’ Legendre: For you, my friend, they are angels of death.

— White Zombie (1932), story Garnett Weston, dialogue by Garnett Weston

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Zombies.

Trivia: According to friends of Bela Lugosi, the actor always regretted that he had taken the role of “Murder” Legendre for only $800 while the film was quite successful at the box office for the Halperin brothers. Speculation on the exact amount the actor was paid generally ranges from $400 to $900 after Lugosi turned down a percentage of the film in favor of a flat salary. An associate of the actor claimed $5000 was deposited into his account. Lugosi became bitter about his decision and always felt underpaid whatever the amount ultimately was. In later years when the subject of the unexpected box office surprise was broached, he would scratch his palm and ask where the money was.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Produced just five years after the introduction of ‘talkies,’ White Zombie has lengthy stretches with zero dialogue. The final sequence here is a good example.