Drums of Jeopardy

arts, books, performing, fiction · EN

Drums of Jeopardy is a captivating 1920 novel by Harold MacGrath that first captured readers imaginations through serialization in The Saturday Evening Post. The story not only transitioned to the Broadway stage in 1922 but also inspired two film adaptations, one in 1923 and another in 1931. Interestingly, this novel played a pivotal role in the evolution of actor Boris Karloffs career; he adopted his stage name from a character named Boris Karlov, a mad scientist featured in MacGraths tale. While the characters name was altered to Gregor Karlov in the 1923 film, the 1931 version restored it to Boris Karlov, just months before Karloff would become synonymous with the iconic role of Frankensteins monster. Ironically, although Karloff portrayed many mad scientists throughout his career, he never took on the role of Boris Karlov.