I've seen 3 different Mandrake films.
The TV film in the late 70s had no style, Mandrake walked around in an open shirt like he stepped out of a disco, and Lothar wore a TUX. (What's wrong with this picture?) What surprised me-- years after-the-fact-- was that, unlike the then-current DR. STRANGE tv-movie, the MANDRAKE movie actually got his origin right! At the time, I had no idea he'd been taught REAL supernatural magic in the Himalayas. (Most of his magic involves hypnotism-- but, it only works the way it does, because it's powered b ACTUAL magic, so his stage schtick acts as a "cover" for what he's really doing. Amazing I never knew that the whole time I grew up reading the newspaper strip.)
Then there's the late-30s movie serial. On it's own, it's okay, but it has NEARLY-NOTHING to do with the character seein in the comics. Warren Hull (who was so damned good as The Spider and The Green Hornet) is not skinny enough, is clean-shaven, his girlfriend's blonde, he doesn't use hypnotism, and his sidekci is a HAWAIIAN guy named "Luh-THAR" (that's how it's pronounced). How do you get EVERYTHING wrong like that?
And then there's the UNSOLD TV PILOT from the early 50s. Man, I wish this had sold. They got EVERYTHING right. Mandrake was actually played by a real stage magician, he used hypnotism, his brunette girlfriend was Narda, and "LOW-thar" was played by Woody Strode.
Michael Clarke Duncan would have made a great Lothar.
