March 5, 1943: The film Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man premieres. This is believed to be the first monster vs. monster film. One website I saw called it "The Original Monster Mash." Perhaps it was a metaphor for Nazi Germany vs. the Soviet Union.
Lon Chaney Jr. plays the Wolf Man, as had his father before him. But it is Bela Lugosi, better known as Count Dracula, rather than role-originator Boris Karloff, who plays the Frankenstein Monster.
Remember: "Frankenstein" is the creator, not the creation. Dr. Frankenstein himself is said to be already dead by the time the film begins, and does not appear, even in flashback.
In 1944, a sequel was made, House of Frankenstein, with Karloff as a different mad scientist, Dr. Gustav Niemann, trying to copy Dr. Frankenstein's experiments; Glenn Strange as the monster he creates; and John Carradine as Count Dracula. The following year saw the release of House of Dracula, again with Carradine as the Count, Strange as the Niemann version of the Frankenstein Monster, and Chaney Jr. steps in as the Wolf Man.
The comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello made a series of monster-comedy movies: Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein in 1948, Africa Screams and Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff in 1949, Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man in 1951, Jack and the Beanstalk in 1952, Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd in 1952, Abbott and Costello Go to Mars and Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 1953, and Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy in 1955.
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March 5, 1943 was a Friday. Baseball was in Spring Training. Football was out of season. The NBA hadn't been founded yet. And no games were scheduled in the NHL. So there were no scores on this historic day.
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