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Martin Kosleck must have been one wildly charismatic charmer in his day, as his scrapbooks would soon reveal. He was a much sought after artist in New York, whose opening night exhibit program had a dedication by none other than the great Albert Einstein to attest to Martin’s talent. He was also married around this time to a wealthy socialite named Eleanora Von Mendelssohn; they apparently divorced in 1951. As fascinated as I was by all this, I did not ask too many questions on this first visit. There were examples of his artwork hanging on the walls of his bungalow, one of which he said was very much like the painting he gave Bette Davis, who he let me know was a close personal friend. He really did know all the important figures of his generation and why not – he could charm the snakes from the pit if he set his mind to it. Martin Kosleck had indeed led a charmed life, of that there was no doubt.

Martin did volunteer some information about his horror films at Universal by telling me just how much he loathed Lon Chaney Jr. “Chaney was a mean, roaring drunk, and we HATED each other on sight. He would refer to me as “That sawed off little Nazi cocksucker” to anyone who cared to listen. When we were filming THE MUMMY’S CURSE he would start drinking as soon as the camera’s stopped. At six in the morning all made up in his mummy suit, he would then ask if anyone would like an eye opener. It was absurd, as he only had one good eye to open in that make-up to begin with. The costume he wore for that was not made for a man to wear for very long at a time as it could get very hot and anyone in that costume was going to sweat like mad…well he made matters impossible by drinking in it, because it caused his whole body to smell like nothing you could imagine a human being smelling like, other than a mummy that had been dead for a few centuries… That I made more than one picture with that man is a miracle in itself”.

“However most of my time at Universal was fabulous, I was given a wonderful dressing room with my name on the door and more to the point I was treated with respect. My audition for HOUSE OF HORRORS was a simple scene with my cat. They found this sweet little stray cat that bonded with me instantly. I began this speech to the cat about not having any food to give it. I had the part by the time I finished. Universal had plans for me and I regret nothing I did there, I was very lucky”

Now I lived for moments like these, as I sat spellbound listening to Martin paint a vivid picture with that unmistakable voice of his, describing what it must have been like to work in Hollywood during and after the second world war.

When I asked about his friendship with Basil Rathbone he seemed to glow with admiration as he described the many kindnesses Rathbone had shown him during the films they made together. “Basil always treated me as an equal in every way. When I was up for the film THE MAD DOCTOR he would not allow the front office to audition me, telling them that my talent as an actor was there on the screen and my acting skills were beyond reproach! I mean such generosity as both an actor and a man… One thing that interfered with our friendship remaining as strong as it had become after that film was Basil’s wife Ouida. It seems that when the film was previewed she got it in her mind that my personal feelings for her husband were, shall we say, unnatural. In other words I made her feel jealous and she would not allow me to come to any of her parties after THE MAD DOCTOR was released. Basil was a very cosmopolitan man of the world and he knew of my preferences by then, in fact when we were making the Holmes film with your friend John Abbott, I was involved with a young man who was not really a very talented actor but through my influence he was given a small role in the film. Basil took the time to advise me to leave this man, as he was not good enough for me. Imagine what Ouida Rathbone would have said to that. Basil Rathbone was one of Hollywood’s greatest actors as well as one of my favorite people I have ever known in my life.”

Martin paused from his recollection and then explained “I don’t work anymore because of my health but even before my heart attack I was done with what this town had turned into…did you know that one of the last auditions I went on was for one page of lines in a cheap horror picture about a black vampire in Hollywood?” I was just sitting there with God knows what kind of expression on my face when I blurted out “You mean you had to audition for a scene in BLACULA? ‘Yes my friend that is exactly what I did and that was basically it for me in this town” I told him that I think the part he was up for went to Elisha Cook Jr., and after a moment he laughed at me, saying to Tony “I can’t believe this guy; he even knows who gets the parts when you lose out!” The long afternoon had started to turn into evening, so we began to say our goodbyes. I will never forget his candor and humor during this visit. I am sure that with his illness and the depression his medication must bring on, life was not so charming for a man who lived such a glamorous, exciting life. As his friend Bette Davis was fond of saying,“Growing old ain’t for sissies.” I wonder if Miss Davis realized the irony in that bon mot?

A few days later John Abbott rang to let me know that he finally spoke with Martin and he agreed to come over to John’s house for a little party for Rick and the memory of PURSUIT TO ALGIERS. This was going to be a definite time capsule, so I went through my stills and found one from the film to copy so Rick would have something to take back to Canada to commemorate the evening. John had called a few times wanting to know if I could find some photos of Rathbone that John could purchase as gifts for Rick before he had to return home. I know John was enjoying having Rick as a houseguest and was well on his way to missing him already.

The day before the party I got a rather odd call from our Mr. Kosleck, who wanted to know if John Abbott had a well-stocked bar and if I could somehow make sure there was enough Vodka for the evening, and it HAD to be Russian Vodka or he was not going to bother coming. Well we all know what it means when someone asks these kinds of questions: by the book “alcoholism.” Not that I hadn’t noticed that Martin had become one during his bouts with illness and depression. For the first time I began to worry, not for John, since I knew he could handle this sort of thing with ease, but our young Holmes fanatic Rick did not need to deal with such situations during what was meant to be a holiday. So attention must be paid….

John had pulled out all the stops for Rick’s tribute evening; he had gone all over Hollywood looking for little Sherlock mementos for Rick to take back to Canada. The house was simply glowing with candles and table settings laden with goodies of every kind. It all somehow reminded me of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, with John Abbott as the reformed Scrooge. This would mean our young Rick as Tiny Tim, no doubt.

John was resplendent in his red smoking jacket and looked every inch the lord of the manor. Rick was on cloud Nine the whole evening, which began as our Mr. Kosleck arrived at the front door of Abbott Manor with a definite boozy glow on, but charming as only a professional actor on display can be. He played the part of the veteran actor to the hilt. Of course John knew what was up from the start, and played the equally famous actor role to the max as well. It was an even match, at least for the time being.

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