Universal considered making a sequel to "Frankenstein" as early as its 1931 preview screenings, following which the film's original ending was changed to allow for Henry Frankenstein's survival. James Whale initially refused to direct "Bride", believing he had "squeezed the idea dry" on the first film. Following the success of Whale's "The Invisible Man", producer Carl Laemmle, Jr. realized that Whale was the only possible director for "Bride"; Whale took advantage of the situation in persuading the studio to let him make "One More River". Whale believed the sequel would not top the original, so he decided instead to make it a memorable "hoot". According to a studio publicist, Whale and Universal's studio psychiatrist decided "the Monster would have the mental age of a ten-year-old boy and the emotional age of a lad of fifteen".