When everyone thought Bela Lugosi was dead
- Ian Grogan
There are historical examples of Mandela Effect-type events recorded way before even the internet existed. Bela Lugosi, famous for his Dracula role, was actually not considered for his role in Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein because the studio thought he was dead.
Also, as his career sadly faded and no-one had heard of him for a few years before going into hospital, when he came out announcing he was to star in a new film, many people were surprised because they thought he was already dead.
Being alive isn't the same as being undead
Could this have been the inspiration behind the Bauhaus track?
He finally was buried in 1956 in his beloved Dracula cape, to rest finally in peace. Or was he?
Celebrity death hoxes predate the Mandela Effect
Bela Lugosi died of a heart attack in 1956 aged 73, after a career in movies which began in 1917. His first role as Draclue wasn't the 1931 one he's most famous for, he in fact played him earlier on Broadway in 1927. After the massive sucess he enjoyed with the move Dracula role, he found to his cost this was a double-edged sword, because he became typecast and couldn't get any regular roles. This continued until his career hit rock bottom with the legendary Plan 9 from Outer Space, which ironically has gained a cult following after being crowned "The worst film ever made".
He has a star on the Hollywood walk of fame and is buried in Culvery City, California. The rumor that he was buried in his Dracula cape it actually true, although he didn't request this himself but it was believed by his family to be what he would have wanted.
Fake news of celebrity deaths back in the 1950's wouldn't have had anything like the means to spread the way they do today, but they were present.
And one where such a character as Bela Lugosi actually returned? Listen to them, the children of the night...