An American Wolf Man in London

 

   This is kind of a double "What If". What if An American Werewolf in London was made in the 1940s and what if the Universal monster series went a different direction. Since this is the time of Sherlock Holmes in Washington, The Falcon in San Francisco and The Saint in London, I figure the movie would be called The Wolf Man in London.

The original Mummy movie had Boris Karloff as Imhotep but the 1940 sequel had Tom Tyler as the mummy Kharis. The main characters were Steve Banning and Babe Hanson, played by Dick Foran and Wallace Ford, searching for the lost tomb of Princess Ananka. The sequel to that film, The Mummy's Tomb, took place 30 years later (1970?). I imagined the Jack and David characters from An American Werewolf in London being Steve and babe from The Mummy's Hand. Lon Chaney Jr. would have a small part as Larry Talbot passing the curse to Steve. Since Universal horror movies reused actors in different roles, Claude Rains, who played Larry Talbot's father, would play Inspector Villiers. Similar to how Patric Knowles played a main part in The Wolf Man but a totally different main character in the sequel, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man.

Following is how I think the movie would have gone (it helps if you have seen The Wolf Man from 1941, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man from 1943, The Mummy's Hand from 1940 and An American Werewolf in London from 1981):

An instrumental version of "Blue Moon" plays over opening credits.

Steve Banning and Babe Jenson walking down a country road.

Babe: "Next time you get us lost somewhere, how about Palm Beach...or Honolulu, not the cold and damp Welsh countryside" He pulls a little rubber toy of a girl from his jacket. "You'd like that wouldn't you, Boopsie?"

They see a tavern and go into it. Mary Gordon is the tavern maid. Harry Stubbs, Billy Bevan and Harry Cording as the bar patrons all stop stopping at stare at the visitors in the doorway. Dwight Frye stops mid-throw of a dart.

Steve: "May we sit by the fire to get warm?"

Tavern maid: "You'll have to order something."

They hang their coats by the fire and order. Everyone is still staring. Finally, to break the tension, Mary Gordon tells the young barmaid to sing. She sings "Blue Moon" and everyone relaxes. During the song Babe notices a star drawn on the wall.

Babe: "What's that?"

Steve: "It's a pentacle. It's used to ward off evil spirits."

Babe: "C'mon. Don't tell me they believe in all that mumbo jumbo."

Steve: "There is rhyme passed down through the generations around here 'Even a man who is pure at heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the moon is full and bright'. Some still believe in those old legends."

Babe calls out to someone at another table "My buddy says that "pentangle" is suppose ward of evil. Does it work?"

Everything stops again. The dart Dwight Frye threw misses.

Frye: "I have never missed that board before."

Babe: "Sorry."

The man he had called out to says "You should go." 

Mary Gordon grabs their coats and tells them "Stay on the road, keep clear of the moors and beware the moon"

The two men leave. 

M. Gordon: "We shouldn't have let them leave."

Harry Cording: "The monster's bloodline was severed when Larry Talbot died three years ago"

Camera shows full moon in the sky. The opening scene of Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man with the graverobbers inadvertentingly releasing Larry Talbot from his tomb.

Steve and Babe are walking down the road when it starts raining.

Babe: "Hey, Steve."

Steve: "I know. The weather is probably very nice at Honolulu right now."

Babe starts singing "Aloha 'Oe" when they hear a howl. They look up at the full moon. In unison, they say "Beware the moon." 

Steve: "And keep clear of the moors." 

They look around at their surroundings.

Babe: "Oops."

Close-up of Lon Chaney as the Wolf Man peering from behind a tree.  

Steve and Babe hear another howl and look around scared. All they can see is fog.

Babe: "Where is that coming from?"

Steve: "We need to get out of here."

They both run in different directions. Steve looks back to see Babe disappear in the fog.

Steve: "You're going the wrong way!"

He starts to run in Babe's direction. Babe hears growling.

Babe: "You're just a dog, right? Nice doggy."

The Wolf Man leaps out of the fog. Babe turns to run but is too late. The Wolf Man pounces on him and brings him down. Steve hears Babe scream and runs his direction. He gets to his friend on the ground with the beast on him.

Steve yells: "Babe!" 

The creature turns and goes towards Steve. Swings his claws and strikes Steve down. A shot rings out and the beast falls to the ground. We see the dart player holding a smoking gun. Steve, lying on the ground, turns his head to see the monster on the ground near him change back into Larry Talbot as he passes out.

Two nurses are standing by a hospital bed with Steve in it. One nurse, Alex Price, leans over him. He stirs. Without opening his eyes says "Babe?"

Nurse 2: "What did he call you?"

Dr. Hirsch comes in "Any change in our patient?"

Nurse Price: "He is still unconscious but he did say one word... 'Babe'"

Dr. Hirsch checks Steve's pulse. "Babe Hanson was his friend that was killed."

Nurse Price: "What happened to them?"

Dr. Hirsch: "The police report said they were attacked by an escaped lunatic."

He looks in Steve's eyes. Steve comes to and asks where he is.

Dr. Hirsch: "You're in a hospital in London."

Steve: "Where's Babe?"

Dr. Hirsh: "Try to prepare yourself. Your friend is dead."

Steve: "What? He's dead?" He takes a moment. "How long have I been here?"

Dr. Hirsch: "You've been unconscious since you were transferred from Cardiff three weeks ago. You have some cuts that are healing well but you'll have some scars for a while. That lunatic that attacked you must have been quite a fierce fellow."

Steve: "It wasn't a lunatic. It was some kind of animal, like a large wolf."

Later Inspector Villiers and Sgt. McManus of Scotland Yard talk to Steve. He reiterates that he and Babe were not attacked by a man. Villiers says they have the autopsy of the man that attacked them and the statements of two witnesses that saw the attack. McManus is willing to believe Steve's story.

Villiers: "So you think they were attacked by a large animal and the people of East Proctor have conspired to keep it a secret? Forgive me Mr. Banning if I consider your testimony as coming from someone who has gone through a terrible shock. As far as Scotland Yard is concerned the case is closed and we will trouble you no further. Good day." They leave. Steve tells Hirsch that he has had nightmares.

Steve is sleeping. POV shot of Talbot lying in the moors, dead. Close up on face. His eyes open.

Talbot: "You're next."

Steve wakes up in a fright. Alex is by the bed. He tells her he had a nightmare. She assures him and opens the curtains. The Wolf Man jumps through the window, grabs Alex and bites her on the neck. Steve bolts up again from that nightmare.

At breakfast Steve sees Babe in his room.

Babe: "Toss me a piece of toast, will ya."

Steve: "They told me you were dead."

He tosses the toast, which goes right through his friend.

Babe: "Oh yeah. I'm a ghost."

Steve: "This is a dream, right?"

Babe: "I came to tell you something. On the moors, we were attacked by a werewolf. Since I died, I'm a ghost but you... you will become a werewolf next full moon."

Steve yells for a nurse. Babe disappears as Alex comes into room.

Steve: "I'm a werewolf."

Alex: "A werewolf? Are you alright now?"

Steve: "I don't know. I'll tell you next full moon."

Alex: "You're going to be discharged tomorrow. Will you be all right?"

Steve: "Babe was just here and told me that I will change into a werewolf at the full moon. What do you think?"

Alex: "About you becoming a monster in 2 days or visits from dead friends?"

Steve: "I was dreaming again, wasn't I?"

Alex: "That seems the most likely answer."

Steve: "Of course, you're right."

Alex: "Do you have any place to stay in London?"

Steve says know and Alex mentions that there is an empty room next to hers at her boarding house and will ask the landlady if he can use it.

They get to know each other, she cooks him dinner and Steve goes to his room. He sees the ghost of Babe waiting him.

Babe: "You get to meet a pretty nurse and I get dead. I ask you, is that fair?"

Steve: "Why are you here?"

Babe: "I wanted to see you." He pulls out his Boopsie doll and bows it towards him, in high pitch voice "Hi, Steve."

Steve: "This is just a bad dream."

Babe: "Tomorrow is the full moon. You need to lock yourself up so you don't hurt anyone."

Steve: "This is crazy."

Babe: "I almost forgot, that star thing, the pentangle, will appear in your next victim's palm" 

Babe then disappears.

Dr. Hirsch goes to East Proctor and visits the pub. All the regulars are there. He mentions the attack on the moors and says he works at the hospital where Steve was brought. His patient was talking about werewolves. Dwight Frye leaves. The patrons are uncooperative and Hirsch leaves. On his way to his car he sees Frye. 

Frye: "We shouldn't have let them go out that night. That yank that lived. He's the one in danger. Others will be, too. It's almost full moon. He'll change. Only silver can stop him."

Harry Cording comes out. "That's enough!"

Frye presses something in Hirsch's hand and runs away. The doctor opens his hand to see a silver bullet.

Alex looks at Steve's wounds and mentions she is off to work and he can reach her at the hospital if he needs anything. Steve looks in the mirror, holds his hands up like claws and snarls. He shakes his head and laughs. He reads for a while and paces the room. As the sun goes down, he turns on the radio. A swing version of "Blue Moon" plays. The moon comes out and he transforms into the Wolf Man. 

A couple is sitting on a park bench under a lamp. He asks her to snuggle closer and she calls him a wolf. They hear a howl. They are attacked by the wolf man. 

 At the hospital Dr. Hirsch talks to Nurse Price about his visit to East Proctor. He thinks the village suffers from a mass neurosis that may have influenced Steve. He could be in danger of hurting himself or others.

Next day Steve wakes up in a wolf cage in the zoo, his clothes are tattered. 

Hirsch picks up the morning paper to read about the attacks.

Alex sees Steve get back and asks about damaged clothes. He doesn't remember what happened last night. Alex gets a taxi to take Steve to see Dr. Hirsch. The taxi driver mentions the murders. Steve is holding Alex' hand and turns it over to see a pentacle in her palm. At the stop light Steve jumps out of the cab and runs to a policeman.

Steve: "Lock me up." The cop looks confused. "I killed those people last night."

The cop tells him to move along. Steve wanders around wondering what to do when he sees Babe in front of a movie theatre, beckoning him. He buys a ticket and goes in. The Woody Woodpecker cartoon "Pantry Panic" is playing. He looks at screen and sees Woody sitting across from a spectral figure smoking a cigar. He spots Babe and sits next to him. 

Babe: "Now do you believe?"

Steve: "I don't know what to believe."

Babe introduces Steve to Harry and Judith, the ghosts of the couple from the park. He reiterates that Steve has to be locked up.

Steve: "Isn't there anything else I can do?"

Harry suggests that if he was killed that would end the curse. Neither Babe nor Steve like the idea.

On the screen a cat and Woody are trying to kill each other.

At nightfall Steve is downtown and changes attacking people in the crowd. Police are called. Complete bedlam ensues. Hirsch tells Alex there are reports of a wild dog rampaging in Piccadilly Circus.

Alex: "Steve!"

They rush to the scene. The police have Steve as the Wolf Man cornered in an alley. Alex calls out to him. He charges. The policemen's bullets don't stop him. Then one shot rings out and the monster drops. Close-up of a smoking revolver and pan to Dr. Hirsch holding it. Alex runs he monster and cries as he changes back into Steve Banning.