George Waggner

Horror director and producer for Universal.

The Wolf Man (1941) -- In 1935, Universal released Werewolf of London (which is not related to this one--different story, different characters), but it was The Wolf Man that became popular. In it, Larry Talbot is a big lumbering dummy who spies on girls with telescopes, tries to steal women from their fiancés, and carries around a cane that everyone suspects is a murder weapon. He's not that bright as written, and as played by Lon Chaney Jr., he comes across as a big dolt, especially when paired with the brilliant acting of Claude Raines as his father. Lon Chaney and the odder story elements aside, this is a pretty good horror story that helps create the legend of the werewolf in ways that we think about it today. It's nice and short, so it doesn't take any more time than it needs to. (See Roy William Neill for the sequel, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man.)