Ottola Nesmith who appeared in countless films including an
uncredited role as Mrs. Bally in The Wolf Man (1941) and Invisible
Ghost (1941) was a horror film hostess. Nesmith had a running gag
of casting herself in the role of the heroine for each movie she presented on
her show. During her show that featured Frankenstein(1931) she told the audience that she was Mae Clarke and described herself as a "a washed up has-been."
When Mae Clarke saw the Frankenstein (1931) broadcast, she
was oblivious to the gag and thought that Nesmith was trying to impersonate
her. She sued and the lawsuit brought national attention. Frankenstein (1931) was screened for
the superior court jury on July 16, 1958, the only time that a Frankenstein
film has ever been shown in a court room. Clarke lost the lawsuit and Nesmith
continued with her gag of casting herself into the movie she presented.
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