Updated 9/30/2009 with more films available on DVD, plus a new Now Showing section!
biography
Born in Chile to English parents on August 17, 1918, beautiful Evelyn Ankers found fame in the 1940s as Universal's reigning scream queen. Upon her parents' relocation to England in the 1920s, Ankers began harboring a desire to act. By the time she completed her studies in school in the mid 1930s, Ankers was landing small roles in British film productions, including Fire Over England (1937; with Raymond Massey) and Bells of St. Mary's (1937). Even in these small parts, Ankers beauty and talent shined through, so much that she soon was cast in starring roles in the low budget crime dramas The Villiers Diamond (1938) and The Claydon Treasure Mystery (1938). With these early successes, the young actress crossed the Atlantic and headed for Hollywood, where she signed with Universal in 1940. The studio cast her in the highly successful comedy-horror release Hold That Ghost (1941; with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello) and the classic horror film The Wolf Man (1941; with Lon Chaney Jr.), thus beginning Ankers' association with Universal's popular horror franchises. In 1942, Ankers married handsome B-movie lead Richard Denning. While he went off to war, Ankers' signature blood-curdling scream heightened the tension in such horror flicks as The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942; with Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi), The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944; with Jon Hall), and The Frozen Ghost (1945; with Lon Chaney Jr.).
Pretty 1940s pinups of Evelyn Ankers
After the war, Ankers' career began to dim as Universal's monster movies went out of favor with audiences. She left the studio in 1945 and freelanced at PRC, Republic, and Columbia mainly in mysteries and dramas. She also acted with husband Richard Denning in the 20th Century Fox release Black Beauty (1946). By 1950, Ankers had settled into married life and motherhood and walked away from her film career.
the films of evelyn ankers
Burma Convoy (1941)
From the low-budget Universal adventure Burma Convoy. LEFT: With Keye Luke, Turhan Bey, and C. Montague Shaw. RIGHT: Turhan Bey romances Evelyn Ankers
With Lon Chaney Jr. as Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man, in Universal's classic The Wolf Man
The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)
In Universal's entertaining The Ghost of Frankenstein, Evelyn Ankers gets carried around so much that she should have come with a handle. LEFT: Ankers recoils from Lon Chaney Jr. as Frankenstein's monster. RIGHT: With Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi as Ygor
North to the Klondike (1942)
With Lon Chaney Jr. and Dorothy Granger in Universal's adventure North to the Klondike
Pierre of the Plains (1942)
Ankers was loaned out to MGM for the drama Pierre of the Plains. Pictured are Ruth Hussey, John Carroll, Ankers, and Bruce Cabot
Captive Wild Woman (1943)
LEFT: Mad scientist John Carradine turns an eye to Evelyn Ankers and decides to transform gorilla Ray 'Crash' Corrigan into beautiful Acquanetta in Universal's campy horror flick Captive Wild Woman. RIGHT: Milburn Stone protects Evelyn Ankers
The Mad Ghoul (1943)
From the fun Universal science fiction/horror film The Mad Ghoul with Evelyn Ankers
Son of Dracula (1943)
From Universal's Son of Dracula with Robert Paige, Frank Craven, and Louise Allbritton
The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944)
Ankers and Alan Curtis are terrified of The Invisible Man's Revenge
The Pearl of Death (1944)
Ankers starred alongside Nigel Bruce and Basil Rathbone in the Sherlock Holmes mystery The Pearl of Death, released by Universal
Weird Woman (1944)
Ankers with frequent co-star Lon Chaney Jr. in Weird Woman, part of Universal's Inner Sanctum series of films
The Frozen Ghost (1945)
Ankers is hypnotized by Lon Chaney Jr. in Universal's The Frozen Ghost
later years
After bowing out of films in 1950, while raising her daughter Ankers worked sporadically in the then-new medium of television, finally retiring from acting in the late 1950s. She and Richard Denning moved to Hawaii in the 1960s, and the couple enjoyed a marriage that lasted until her death on August 29, 1985, at the age of 67.
Inner Sanctum Mysteries: The Complete Movie Collection [DVD] DVD Lon Chaney, Jr. starred in these six horror yarns made for Universal and based on the popular "Inner Sanctum" suspense radio program. Chaney plays a respected neurologist who can't remember if he's responsible for his unfaithful wife's murder, in "Calling Dr. Death" (1943). Next, based on Fritz Leiber's "Conjure Wife," "Weird Woman" (1944) stars Anne Gwynne as the island-raised new wife of professor Chaney, who comes to believe his bride is using voodoo to get rid of his enemies. Blinded by acid thrown by jealous model Acquanetta, artist Chaney's only chance at seeing again is a transplant...but does he resort to murder to gain "Dead Man's Eyes" (1944)? A stage hypnotist (Chaney) is accused of killing an audience member and takes a job in a wax museum, in "The Frozen Ghost" (1945). Chemist Chaney returns from South America looking for revenge on boss J. Carrol Naish, in "Strange Confession" (1945). And, Chaney is a murder suspect again, accused of smothering his victims with the "Pillow of Death" (1945). 6 1/3 hrs. total on two discs. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH), French. The Wolf Man: The Legacy Collection [DVD] DVD Once in a full moon comes a howlingly good two-disc set like this. Lon Chaney, Jr. is cursed man-beast Larry Talbot in "The Wolf Man" (1941), with Claude Rains, Evelyn Ankers and Bela Lugosi. Next, Henry Hull is the rather urbane "Werewolf of London" (1935), Universal's first lycanthrope thriller; Chaney returns to battle Lugosi's Frankenstein Monster in "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" (1943); and future TV mom June Lockhart fears she's inherited the mark of the beast in "She-Wolf of London" (1946). 4 3/4 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: French, Spanish; documentary; audio commentary on "The Wolf Man." Universal Horror: Classic Movie Archive [DVD] DVD Greedy relatives wait for their wealthy aunt to die so they can collect the inheritance, in "The Black Cat" (1941). One of them murders her, but that's only the start of the killing of heirs and the old lady's many cats--who must die before the money is released. Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi star. A group of people travels to "Horror Island" (1941) in search of hidden treasure, but wind up getting picked off one at a time by a mysterious cloaked figure. With Dick Foran, Peggy Moran. Lon Chaney, Jr. makes his horror film debut as the "Man Made Monster" (1941), a sideshow freak who becomes a guinea pig for mad scientist Lionel Atwill's plot to build a race of supermen. A man whose legs were amputated and replaced by prosthetics stalks the doctors he blames for his handicap, in "Night Monster" (1942). Ralph Morgan, Lugosi, Atwill star. And, "Captive Wild Woman" (1943) finds doc John Carradine injecting an orangutan with a dying woman's blood, transforming it into a beautiful she-creature that turns into a murderous anthropoid when her jealous streak is aroused. Acquanetta co-stars. 5 1/2 hrs. total on two discs. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH), French; theatrical trailers. The Best Of Bud Abbott And Lou Costello, Vol. 1 [DVD] DVD Abbott and Costello's screen debut finds them as detectives cracking an insurance scam in "One Night in the Tropics" (1940); boot camp becomes a course in basic comedy training in the team's first starring film, "Buck Privates" (1941); the boys set sail for seafaring silliness in the service comedy "In the Navy" (1941); there are high spirits when the pair get trapped in a haunted house in "Hold That Ghost!" (1941); take off for laughs with the duo as would-be pilots in "Keep 'Em Flying" (1941); "Ride 'Em Cowboy" (1942) has them as city slickers-turned-comical cowhands; Chicago bus drivers Bud and Lou take a really wrong turn in "Pardon My Sarong" (1942); and, in "Who Done It?" (1942), they're private eyes "helping" the police catch a killer. 11 hrs. on two discs. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: French, Spanish. Sherlock Holmes And The Voice Of Terror [DVD](1942) DVD In his first "modern" adventure, the great detective must find the secret Nazi conspirator who's responsible for a reign of espionage and destruction throughout England. Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Reginald Denny and Evelyn Ankers star. Based on Conan Doyle's "His Last Bow." 66 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English mono. The Sherlock Holmes Collection, Vol. 1 [DVD] DVD Four-disc set of Holmes mysteries starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce includes "Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon," "Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror," "Sherlock Holmes Faces Death," and "Sherlock Holmes in Washington." Standard; Soundtrack: English mono; audio commentary; photo gallery; poster gallery. Dracula: The Legacy Collection [DVD] DVD Toothy two-disc set of Universal chillers opens with director Tod Browning's "Dracula" (1931), with Bela Lugosi defining the title role of Bram Stoker's vampire lord; with Helen Chandler, Dwight Frye, Edward Van Sloan. Next, the Spanish-language version of "Dracula" (1931), shot simultaneously on the Universal sets and noted for its erotic style, stars Carlos Villarias and Lupita Tovar. Then, Gloria Holden is "Dracula's Daughter" (1936), trying to end her undead life and battling Van Sloan's Van Helsing; Count Alucard (spell it backwards) comes to America in the form of Lon Chaney, Jr. in "Son of Dracula" (1943) with Evelyn Ankers; and the Wolf Man and Frankenstein Monster are guests in the "House of Dracula" (1945), with Chaney and John Carradine. 6 3/4 hrs. The Pearl Of Death [DVD](1944) DVD What is the sinister secret behind a gruesome series of killings and the smashing of several busts of Beethoven? Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce) will find out, but first they must deal with the grotesque Creeper (Rondo Hatton). Miles Mander, Evelyn Ankers co-star. Based on Conan Doyle's "The Six Napoleons." 69 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English mono. The Invisible Man: The Legacy Collection [DVD] DVD It's apparent that you'll love this two-disc set! First, Claude Rains lends a sinister presence to "The Invisible Man" (1933). With Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan. Next, "The Invisible Man Returns" (1940) in the guise of Vincent Price as he attempts to clear his name. Nan Grey, Cedric Hardwicke co-star. Then, scientist John Barrymore turns Virginia Bruce into "The Invisible Woman" (1941), featuring Shemp Howard; and the "Invisible Agent" (1942) tries to stop a Nazi plot. Jon Hall, Peter Lorre star. Finally, it's "The Invisible Man's Revenge" (1944) when fugitive Hall terrorizes a rich couple. Evelyn Ankers, John Carradine, Leon Errol co-star. 6 1/2 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: French, Spanish; audio commentary. Flight To Nowhere [DVD](1946) DVD An odd assortment of plane passengers lands at a Death Valley hotel and smack into a dangerous plot involving a stolen map and secret uranium deposits in the South Pacific. Alan Curtis. 65 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions. Spoilers Of The North [DVD](1947) DVD After fleecing his girlfriend for money to open his cannery, conniving salmon fisherman Paul Kelly dumps her in favor of a gal whose Native American friends will illegally fish for him year-round. But when the woman's brother learns of Kelly's schemes, he sets out to expose him. Evelyn Ankers, Adrian Booth, James Millican, and Roy Barcroft co-star. 65 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions. Parole, Inc. [DVD](1948) DVD Dark crime story focuses on an FBI agent who takes a dangerous undercover assignment aimed at squelching a parole racket that rewards convicts who are loyal to mob bosses. Risking his life to stop the crooks, can he succeed in halting their operation before his ruse is discovered? Michael O'Shea, Evelyn Ankers, Turhan Bey, and Lyle Talbot star. 70 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions. Tarzan's Magic Fountain [DVD](1949) DVD Marking Lex Barker's debut as Edgar Rice Burroughs' loinclothed hero, this actioner finds Tarzan helping an aviatrix who emerges from a remote valley years after being declared lost, seemingly without having aged a day. The jungle king must stop some unscrupulous types from discovering the "fountain of youth" that kept her young. Brenda Joyce, Evelyn Ankers, and Albert Dekker co-star. 73 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Golden Age Theater, Vol. 4 [DVD] DVD Includes "Payment in Kind" with Howard Duff; Gloria Talbot as Pocahontas in "America's First Great Lady"; Charles Boyer and Natalie Wood in "The Wild Bunch"; and Edmond O'Brien, Joanne Woodward and Evelyn Ankers in "Dark Stranger." 100 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
evelyn ankers dvds available from amazon.com
out-of-print evelyn ankers vhs films available from amazon.com
filmography
The Texan Meets Calamity Jane (1950) with James Ellison and Grace Lee Whitney Tarzan's Magic Fountain (1949) with Lex Barker, Brenda Joyce, Albert Dekker, Charles Drake, and Alan Napier Parole, Inc. (1948) with Michael O'Shea, Turhan Bey, and Lyle Talbot The Lone Wolf in London (1947) with Gerald Mohr Eric Blore, and Alan Napier Last of the Redmen (1947) with Jon Hall, Michael O'Shea, Julie Bishop, and Buster Crabbe Spoilers of the North (1947) with Paul Kelly Flight to Nowhere (1946) with Alan Curtis, Jack Holt, and Jerome Cowan Black Beauty (1946) with Richard Denning and Mona Freeman Queen of Burlesque (1946) with Carleton Young and Craig Reynolds The French Key (1946) with Albert Dekker and Mike Mazurki The Fatal Witness (1945) with Richard Fraser The Frozen Ghost (1945) with Lon Chaney Jr., Elena Verdugo, and Milburn Stone Pardon My Rhythm (1944) with Gloria Jean, Patric Knowles, and Mel Tormé Bowery to Broadway (1944) with Maria Montez, Jack Oakie, Turhan Bey, Ann Blyth, Louise Allbritton, Rosemary DeCamp, Leo Carrillo, Andy Devine, and George Dolenz The Pearl of Death (1944) with Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, and Rondo Hatton The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944) with Jon Hall, Leon Errol, John Carradine, Alan Curtis, and Gale Sondergaard Jungle Woman (1944) with J. Carrol Naish, Milburn Stone, and Acquanetta Weird Woman (1944) with Lon Chaney Jr. and Anne Gwynne Ladies Courageous (1944) with Loretta Young, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Anne Gwynne, Phillip Terry, and Kane Richmond His Butler's Sister (1943) with Deanna Durbin and Franchot Tone The Mad Ghoul (1943) with David Bruce, George Zucco, Robert Armstrong, Turhan Bey, and Milburn Stone Son of Dracula (1943) with Lon Chaney Jr., Robert Paige, and Louise Allbritton You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith (1943) with Allan Jones, Billie Burke, and David Bruce Keep 'Em Slugging (1943) with Huntz Hall, Elyse Knox, Frank Albertson, Don Porter, Shemp Howard, and Milburn Stone Hers to Hold (1943) with Deanna Durbin and Joseph Cotten All by Myself (1943) with Rosemary Lane, Patric Knowles, Neil Hamilton, and Grant Mitchell Captive Wild Woman (1943) with John Carradine, Milburn Stone, Acquanetta, Martha Vickers, and Ray 'Crash' Corrigan The Great Impersonation (1942) with Ralph Bellamy Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942) with Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, and Reginald Denny Pierre of the Plains (1942) with John Carroll, Ruth Hussey, and Bruce Cabot Eagle Squadron (1942) with Robert Stack, Diana Barrymore, Jon Hall, Eddie Albert, Nigel Bruce, Leif Erickson, Alan Hale Jr., and Don Porter The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) with Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, Cedric Hardwicke, Ralph Bellamy, and Lionel Atwill North to the Klondike (1942) with Broderick Crawford, Andy Devine, and Lon Chaney Jr. The Wolf Man (1941) with Lon Chaney Jr., Claude Rains, Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles, Bela Lugosi, and Maria Ouspenskaya Burma Convoy (1941) with Charles Bickford, Frank Albertson, Cecil Kellaway, and Turhan Bey Hold That Ghost (1941) with Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Richard Carlson, Joan Davis, Mischa Auer, Shemp Howard, and the Andrews Sisters Hit the Road (1941) with Huntz Hall and Billy Halop Bachelor Daddy (1941) with Edward Everett Horton and Franklin Pangborn The Claydon Treasure Mystery (1938) Coming of Age (1938) Murder in the Family (1938) with Glynis Johns, Roddy McDowall, and Jessica Tandy Second Thoughts (1938) The Villiers Diamond (1938) Bells of St. Mary's (1937)
