Good stuff, Fred....I just saw "The man who laughs" the other day. I had forgotten how hideous the guy was! They don't show his face 'till damn near the end of the film, but it's well worth the wait. That 1st 3/4 shot of him looking up.....what a sight!
That smile was reproduced in the '90's teen horror "Fright Night" on a girl. One of my kids freaked out and will never watch it again!
A word about Pierce: I'm trying to remember which actress said it....when it comes to me I will name her...but anyway she stated that he kept her waiting outside of his office, kind of like a Doctor. He was wearing that barbers smock he is always pictured in and would not make small talk. When he was done with her lightning bolt hairdo he just said "goodbye" and showed her the door.
In his bio, James Whale takes credit for the look of the Karloffstein. There are doodles of it still around today. Jack Pierce refuted it vehemently, claiming full credit. As the director it seems to me more his concern about the height of the monster, not the makeup man; ergo the big shoes, and head extension. Some say it was a collaboration between the 2 of them and Boris.
Whale wanted a Glenn Strange type actor, but when he met Boris in the commissary he had taken his bridge out of the right side of his mouth and had that "cadaverous" look. He liked it!But Karloff was only 5'10''....well, that's how the story goes....