Dear Ms. Karloff:
I guess this is the fan letter my mother forgot to mail in 1968. I was eight years old and even then a fan of your father’s. The letter was addressed to Universal Studios and who knows? Maybe it would have reached him…maybe.
In any case, I can’t really say anything that hasn’t already been well-said by the man who wrote the moving Tribute to your father. But I can add some info that you may or may not already know.
I was raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. In early summer 1912, a tornado (some people call it, wrongly, a cyclone) ripped through the city, demolishing several blocks and killing a number of people. A theatre company on tour during the catastrophe had its venue destroyed. A young actor in town at the time helped clean up after the storm…William Henry Pratt.
It’s well-known in Regina that your father had once been in town. A display of abstract art at a local gallery some years back gave a stylized depiction of our history, with a likeness of him included. In 1971, City Council talked about inviting him back for the city’s jubilee, but my late Aunt Nan, well-informed about horror movies thanks to me, told them that would be impossible, because Mr. Karloff had already died.
When I get back to Canada this summer, I’ll try to dig up more info from our archives and e-mail it to you, if you’re interested. Just to let you know that your site is fantastic and very moving for me.
Don Campbell
Fujisawa City, Japan