Photo courtesy of Bob Burns

Glenn Strange

(aka Glen "Peewee" Strange, Glen Strange, Peewee Strange)
August 16, 1899 - September 20, 1973
Born in Weed, New Mexico

See Internet Movie Database Filmography

A Lot of Favorite Memories of Glenn Strange

• Adding leathery authenticity to literally hundreds of A- and B-western movies, TV shows and serials in an entertainment career spanning four decades!
  
  
• Providing John Wayne's singing voice (!) in the 1935 horse opera Westward Ho. (An accomplished singer, songwriter, fiddler and guitarist, Glenn was a member of a popular cowboy band called "The Arizona Wranglers" early in his career.)
  
  
• Nearly killing Buster Crabbe as the clawed, monstrous "Gocko" in the thrilling conclusion of a chapter of the great Universal serial Flash Gordon. This was just one of the small parts Glenn played in this and numerous other cliffhangers — his first monster role?
  
  
• As vengeful scientist George Zucco's human guinea pig "Petro," turned from a harmless, Lenny-like simpleton into a ravening, murderous wolfman in The Mad Monster.
  
  
• As "Andy," sinister innkeeper George Zucco's goofy, rain-soaked assistant who doesn't know his own strength and is plenty spooked by what's going on inside The Black Raven, despite the fine guest register including Charles Middleton, Wanda McKay, Byron Foulger and I. Stanford Jolley.
  
  
• As "Steve," mad doctor J. Carrol Naish's hulking henchman in The Monster Maker.
  
  
• Taking over the legendary role previously played by Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi — the "Frankenstein Monster" — in the first of the three final films in Universal's series, House of Frankenstein (1944). With strong support from makeup artist Jack Pierce, Glenn's craggy-faced, gargantuan creature has great visual impact, despite its lack of subtlety. In this film the Monster is thawed from a glacial wall in an ice cavern, and drags mad doctor Boris Karloff down with him in the boggy climax.
  
  
• As the "Frankenstein Monster" again in House of Dracula (1945). In this one Frankie is rescued from a pile of freezing mud in another cavern, and meets his doom (only temporary, of course) in a laboratory fire.
  
  
• Finding his voice ("Yes, Master!") and showing off his comic skills in a final professional turn as the "Frankenstein Monster" in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948). No continuity here: the Monster is shipped to an American House of Horrors promoter in a coffin, but falls prey to Count Dracula and two bumbling freight handlers, finally taking a long walk on a short, blazing pier at the climax.
  
  
• As "Maylor," one of the three hapless cowhands who attempt to quit John Wayne's trail drive (Tom Tyler from The Mummy's Hand and Paul Fierro from The Creature Walks Among Us are the other two) in Howard Hawks' classic western version of "Mutiny on the Bounty," Red River (1948). In short order, "there's quitters to be buried" — but earlier, when the drive first moved out, Glenn got a nice closeup among all the other hollering cowboys in the famous "Yee Hah scene." This great action film features a dream cast including the Duke, Montgomery Clift, Walter Brennan, Joanne Dru, John Ireland, and a veritable Who's Who of classic western players.
  
  
• As "Atlas the Monster" in the Bowery Boys horror spoof Master Minds — Glenn's hairy makeup by the great Jack Pierce is hirsutably horrific, but the real treat is Glenn's monster and Huntz Hall exchanging personalities: Hall plays his heavily made-up role menacingly, and Glenn does a perfect, very funny job of mimicking Hall's prissy "Sach" mannerisms!
  
  
• As "Butch Cavendish," the outlaw gang leader who ambushes and kills all the other rangers, unintentionally creating The Lone Ranger in the earliest episodes of the long-running TV series starring Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels (Tonto).
  
  
• As "Sam Noonan", bartender at Miss Kitty's Long Branch Saloon for many seasons of TV's classic western series Gunsmoke. Sam's parts were normally small but often poignant, and his dignity, strength and rock-solid presence contributed greatly to the "lived-in" authenticity of the show. Once in a while Glenn even got to haul out his fiddle and entertain!
  
  
• As the "Frankenstein Monster" one last time, wearing a Don Post mask and fighting Don Glut's "The Spirit" and Bob Burns' Superman in Don's short amateur film The Adventures of the Spirit (1963). See Don Glut's Amateur Movies for a photo and a QuickTime clip!
  
  
• As a powerful monster movie icon gracing the covers and photo features of Forrest J Ackerman's wonder-full "Famous Monsters of Filmland" and many other monsterzines, and co-opted for the imagery used on scads of model kits, figurines, action toys, ring binders, jigsaw puzzles, and all sorts of other monstrous ephemera to the present day — still inspiring to all Monster Boomers who come in contact with it!

Last revised May 9 2021 by George "E-gor" Chastain.

Maintained by George "E-gor" Chastain (e-mail: egorschamber@gmail.com)