The Mummy (1932)

Director:

Karl Freund

Writers:

Nina Wilcox Putnam (from a story by) &
Richard Schayer (from a story by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

22 December 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

It comes to life!

Plot:

In 1921 a field expedition in Egypt discovers the mummy of ancient Egyptian prince Im-Ho-Tep, who was condemned and buried alive for sacrilege...

Plot Keywords:

Mummy | Buried Alive | Reincarnation | Monster | Sorcerer

Cast

Boris Karloff	...	Imhotep
Zita Johann	...	Helen Grosvenor
David Manners	...	Frank Whemple
Arthur Byron	...	Sir Joseph Whemple
Edward Van Sloan	...	Dr. Muller
Bramwell Fletcher	...	Ralph Norton
Noble Johnson	...	The Nubian
Kathryn Byron	...	Frau Muller
Leonard Mudie	...	Prof. Pearson
James Crane	...	The Pharaoh
Henry Victor	...	The Saxon Warrior (scenes deleted)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bill Elliott	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Leyland Hodgson	...	Gentleman #2 (uncredited)
Eddie Kane	...	Inspector's Assistant (uncredited)
Tony Marlow	...	Police Inspector (uncredited)
C. Montague Shaw	...	Gentleman #1 (uncredited)
Pat Somerset	...	Helen's Dancing Partner (uncredited)
Arthur Tovey	...	Nubian (uncredited)

Directed by
Karl Freund

Writing credits
Nina Wilcox Putnam		(from a story by) &
Richard Schayer		(from a story by)
John L. Balderston		(screenplay)

Produced by
Carl Laemmle Jr.	....	producer
Stanley Bergerman	....	associate producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
James Dietrich		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Charles J. Stumar		(camera) (as Charles Stumar)

Film Editing by
Milton Carruth		(film editor)

Art Direction by
Willy Pogany		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Vera West		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Jack P. Pierce	....	makeup designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Joe Lapis	....	sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
John P. Fulton	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Fred Archer	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Jerome Ash	....	camera (uncredited)
James Drought	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Martin Glouner	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Ray Jones	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department
James Dietrich	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Carl Laemmle	....	presents
Carl Laemmle	....	president: Universal Pictures Corp.

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1932) (USA) (theatrical)
• Croeze en Bosman (1933) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (1934) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Realart Pictures (1951) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (19??) (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Screen Gems (1957) (USA) (TV)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2010) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Video (1999) (Canada) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2004) (Canada) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Arabic | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1935) | Finland:K-11 (2004) | Spain:T | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #2709-R: 23 September 1936 for re-release) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Brazil:12 | Netherlands:18 (original rating) (1933) | Australia:PG | Germany:12 | UK:15 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Mojave Desert, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The ring Boris Karloff uses has been in the possession of Forrest J Ackerman for many decades (he wears it).

Goofs:

Continuity: In the flashback scenes of Imhotep being mummified, his legs are bandaged together. They are still bound together in long shots of the mummy in his sarcophagus (which was a dummy). But when he comes to life, his legs are bandaged separately, allowing him to walk.

Quotes:

Ralph Norton:He went for a little walk! You should have seen his face!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Replaceable You (#23.4)" (2011)

Soundtrack:

Lento

The greatest Mummy movie ever made. Full of atmosphere and suspense.

I love the classic horror movies of the 1930s. They were made when the talkies were still novel and film makers were experimenting with storytelling approaches, often taking inspirations from German Expressionism (indeed 'The Mummy's director Karl Freund, who later directed another 1930s classic 'Mad Love', originally worked as a cinematographer on Fritz Lang's science fiction classic 'Metropolis' and several movies by F.W. Murnau). And it was before the Hayes Code kicked in and took a lot of the fun and thrills out of horror movies (just look at how safe and uninteresting horror became in the 1940s with a few notable exceptions e.g. the movies produced by Val Lewton). The film obviously owes a lot to 'Dracula' and Edward Van Sloan and David Manners from that film reappear here in similar roles. Karloff is brilliant as Imhotep a.k.a The Mummy, and stage actress Zita Johann is wonderful too, very striking with exotic good looks. Too bad she became very quickly disillusioned with Hollywood as she should have been a major screen star. Karloff and Johann are fantastic on screen together, and make 'The Mummy' impossible to forget. I was quite surprised to discover that this movie wasn't enormously successful when originally released, but it has obviously captured the imagination of thousands of film fans since. It is easily the best Mummy movie ever made (though I also have a fondness for Hammer's "Blood From The Mummy's Tomb' made almost forty years later), and much more entertaining and intelligent than the awful remake starring Brendan Fraser et al. 'The Mummy' stands alongside 'Dracula', 'Frankenstein', 'Island Of Lost Souls', 'Freaks', 'The Invisible Man' and 'The Black Cat' as one of the best horror movies of the 1930s, an era that has had an enormous impact on horror ever since. Highly recommended!