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The 1959 film "The Bat" was directed by Crane Wilbur, whose birth name was Erwin Crane Wilbur. Born in Athens, New York in 1886, the director/screenwriter began his career in acting in 1903 when he made his Broadway debut. Wilbur began appearing in movies in 1910, but did not make a name for himself as a cinema actor until 1914, when he played the male lead in "The Perils of Pauline", which was a very popular serial starring Pearl White. In the 1920s Wilbur went back to acting on stage and appeared in seven Broadway plays between 1920 and 1934. Wilbur also directed several silent pictures, but made his debut as director of a sound film in 1934 with "Tomorrow's Children", a film that was very controversial for its time. "Tomorrow's Children" exposed the fact that many people were sterilized against their will and without recourse to due process of law. The film was banned in the state of New York on the grounds that it was immoraland that it was an incitement to crime. The ban was legally challenged but was upheld in the courts and on an appeal as it was found to disseminate information about birth control, which was illegal at the time. Following the huge controversy that came from "Tomorrow's Children", Wilbur moved on to lead a productive career, especially in the mystery/thriller genres as both a director and a screenwriter. He died in 1973 due to complications following a stroke.
In "The Bat", Wilbur features two incredibly successful actors for their time, Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead, as the leading characters. Vincent Price began his studies at Yale University, and later moved to London, where he studied Art History and Fine Art at the Courtaud Institute. Price became interested in theater in the 1930s, and appeared professionally on stage in 1935. Price, who is best remembered for his roles in a series of low-budget horror films, made his film debut in 1938 in "Service de Luxe". He made his horror debut in the 1953 "House of Wax", and went on to have a number of low-budget successes with horror king, director Roger Corman. Price also acted in many of Corman's Edgar Allan Poe adaptations.
Having loved acting since her toddler years, Agnes Moorehead pursued acting on the side while she attended college, earning both a bachelor's and a master's degree. Moorehead's early career in acting was fairly unsteady, but she continued to audition for parts. She eventually began working on radio and was soon in high demand, often working on several programs in a single day. Moorehead met Orson Welles and by 1937 was a member of his Mercury Theatre Group, along with Joseph Cotton. She began appearing in Welles' radio programs and in 1939 Welles moved his group to Hollywood and starting working for RKO Studios. Moorehead made her film debut in Welles' 1941 classic, "Citizen Kane". Moorehead continued acting in films by Welles, and by the mid 1940s, she joined MGM after negotiating a $6,000 per week contract, which included the provision that she could also perform on radio. During the 40s and 50s Moorehead was one of the most in-demand actresses for radio dramas.
Throughout her career, Moorehead won one Emmy Award, two Golden Globes, and four Academy Awards. She could play many types of roles but often portrayed haughty, arrogant characters. In 1964 she accepted the role of "Endora", the role of the mother in the popular television show, "Bewitched". Though she is probably most remembered for her portrayal of Endora, she worked very hard to stray away from being remembered for that role, as she admitted in an interview that she did not want to be remembered for playing a witch. Moorehead died in 1974 of uterine cancer.
