Bela Lugosi’s Coronado appearance

Dear Friends,

I am a film historian at The Queen’s University of Belfast, and I am currently doing some research on a live show that occurred on Nov. 19-20, 1947, at the Coronado Theatre in Rockford.

Bela Lugosi appeared in person in a traveling roadshow version of The Tell-Tale Heart. While in Rockford, he stayed at the Faust Hotel … where he, in fact, had to make a police report, as something was stolen from his room.

I am hoping to find some more information about the show (I’ve collected the Rockford newspaper clippings), hoping to find perhaps a photograph taken of him in Rockford or even someone who saw the show.

If you have any suggestions or thoughts, I would be most appreciative.

Thanks very much,

Gary D. Rhodes, Ph.D.
Film Studies
The Queen’s University
www.qub.ac.uk/film

From the Oct. 12-18, 2011, issue