The Hollywood Heritage Museum is holding a program on Carl Laemmle, Jr., who was behind the famous Universal Monsters. (photo courtesy of Hollywood Heritage)

Hollywood Heritage has announced the next installment in the Evening @ the Barn series with “The Man Behind the Monsters,” a program celebrating the legacy of film producer Carl Laemmle, Jr. on Wednesday, May 11, at 7:30 p.m.

The program features a panel discussion and multimedia presentation on Laemmle and the Universal Monster movies he shepherded at the studio in the 1930s. Known as “Junior,” he was put in charge of Universal Studios at age 21 and transformed the studio from 1929-36. He was personally responsible for launching one of the most recognizable and enduring cycles of films – the Universal Monsters. Julian David Stone, author of “It’s Alive!,” which tells the story of Junior’s quest to produce the original 1931 film classic “Frankenstein,” will give a presentation with rare photos, documents and film footage.

Carl Laemmle, Jr. was a second generation film mogul. His father, Carl Laemmle, founded Universal. Junior is often cited alongside David O. Selznick as examples of nepotism within film studios.

The younger Laemmle’s vision guided the monster series, which helped the studio through the early days of the Depression, and created a brand for Universal that remains intact today. With that, it is surprising that Junior is so little known. Following the forced 1936 sale of Universal to Standard Capital when the studio failed to meet a payment on a $750,000 loan, and despite the success of “Show Boat” in 1936, Junior resigned just as the studio began filming one of his last projects, “My Man Godfrey.” Although critics were not kind to Junior, his career was bookended by two major films, “All Quiet on the Western Front,” for which he won a best producer Oscar, and “Showboat.”

Laemmle family members and friends will join the panel discussion and share stories about Junior. They include Deb Blum, a documentary filmmaker whose film about Carl Laemmle, Sr.’s efforts to rescue Jews from his hometown in Germany during the Holocaust is in post-production; Antonia Carlotta, a great niece of Carl Laemmle, Sr. who operates a YouTube channel devoted to the Laemmle family legacy; Jeffrey Stern, who grew up knowing Junior and his sister Rosabelle; and Stanford Rubin, a friend of Junior and lawyer for the Laemmle Family Trust. The museum will have a special exhibit of memorabilia from the Julian Stone Collection on the life of Junior Laemmle and the beginnings of the Universal Monsters.

Tickets are $10 for Hollywood Heritage Museum members; $20 for non-members. The Hollywood Heritage Museum is located at 2100 N. Highland Ave. For information, visit hollywoodheritage.com.