Before I Hang (1940)

A physician on death row for a mercy killing is allowed to experiment on a serum using a criminals' blood, but secretly tests it on himself. He gets a pardon, but finds out he's become a Jekyll-&-Hyde.

Director:

Nick Grinde

Writers:

Robert Hardy Andrews (story), Karl Brown (story)

Stars:

Boris Karloff, Evelyn Keyes, Bruce Bennett

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Boris Karloff	...	Dr. John Garth
Evelyn Keyes	...	Martha Garth
Bruce Bennett	...	Dr. Paul Ames
Edward Van Sloan	...	Dr. Ralph Howard
Ben Taggart	...	Warden Thompson
Pedro de Cordoba	...	Victor Sondini
Wright Kramer	...	George Wharton
Bertram Marburgh	...	Stephen Barclay
Don Beddoe	...	Capt. McGraw
Robert Fiske	...	District Attorney
Kenneth MacDonald	...	Anson, Prison Guard
Frank Richards	...	Otto Kron - Convict

Storyline

A physician on death row for a mercy killing is allowed to experiment on a serum using a criminals' blood, but secretly tests it on himself. He gets a pardon, but finds out he's become a Jekyll-&-Hyde.

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Plot Keywords:

experiment | criminal blood | mercy killing | pardon | serum | 

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Taglines:

Beware! When Karloff stops the clock, your hour has come!

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Genres:

Crime | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

O Mago da Morte

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

62 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film Daily Year Book (1941) and American Film Institute Catalog of Feature Films 1931-1940 list the running time as 71 minutes; however, the original review in Variety, 2 October 1940, which followed the film's premiere in Lincoln, Nebraska on 26 September 1940, records it as 62 minutes, which corresponds to the time of the print from Sony shown on Turner Classic Movies in October 2008.

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Quotes

Dr. John Garth: Well, you want to go on living, don't you?
Victor Sondini: Why, I've had a very full life, I... After all, man's span of life is only supposed to be threescore and ten.
Dr. John Garth: Who made that rule? George, your old age is a disease, and I can cure it!

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Connections

Featured in The Lady with the Torch (1999)

User Reviews

A Good Columbia Picture

Of the Karloff Columbia Mad Doctor pictures, my very favorite is "The Man With Nine Lives" with "The Devil Commands" a close second followed by "The Man They Could Not Hang" (which was still quite good). Similarly, "Before I Hang" is a good "B" picture with some good scenes such as the experimentation with the model in order to mix the chemicals and serums correctly. Karloff's "Dr. Jekyll - Mr. Hyde" transformations seem to be very hair-raising indeed.

As usual, Karloff proves he was one of the best mad scientists of classic shudder cinema.

This neat little "B" came with a good supporting cast including Bruce Bennett and Evelyn Keyes.

Worthwhile watching with all of your "B" buddies.

7/10.