Did you know Frankenstein’s monster survived a Sask cyclone?
By Joan Janzen
Did you know the actor who portrayed Frankeinstein’s monster in the 1931 movie survived the Regina cyclone in 1912? His name was William Pratt, but he later changed his stage name to Boris Karloff. In 1958 the actor was a mystery guest on the CBC quiz show ‘Front Page Challenge’ which ran until 1995.
The actor who portrayed Frankeinstein’s Monster survived the Regina cyclone in 1912. His name was William Pratt, better known by his stage name Boris Karloff. PHOTO HISTORIC SASKATCHEWAN
The Canada’s History organization wrote an article about the actor’s journey to Saskatchewan which began in England. The aspiring actor was the youngest in a family of nine. After collecting money a deceased relative had left him, he flipped a coin to determine his destination. Heads - Canada, tails - Australia. It was heads so he headed to Canada in 1909.
His journey began working on a farm outside of Hamilton, Ont. Eventually he headed west to Banff, then Vancouver. While working for a survey company in the bush, he applied and joined a Kamloops-based theatrical group using the name Boris Karloff.
The travelling group was performing in Regina during the hot summer of 1912. Fortunately for them, they were enjoying a leisurely day at Wascana Lake on the afternoon the Great Cyclone ripped through Regina, which destroyed lives and the Players’ theatre.
The actor shared his story many years later, in 1958 on Front Page Challenge. He and his fellow actors were paid 25 cents an hour from a relief fund to set up soup stands and tents for Regina’s displaced citizens.
Pratt returned to doing manual labour wherever he found work. While working on the railroad he applied for a job with a theatre group in Prince Albert.
The Harry St. Clair Players ended up in North Dakota for a year. Pratt’s luck changed for the better in the States where he worked with touring companies and ended up in Hollywood in 1917. Fourteen years later, at the age of 43, he got the part of Frankenstein’s monster.
In 1968 he won a Grammy award for Best Recording for Children, as the narrator of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.