Black Friday (1940)

Dr. Sovac transplants the brain of a gangster into his professor friend's body to save his life, but there is a side effect that causes a dangerous split personality.

Director:

Arthur Lubin

Writers:

Curt Siodmak (screenplay), Eric Taylor (screenplay),

Stars:

Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Stanley Ridges

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Boris Karloff	...	Dr. Ernest Sovac
Bela Lugosi	...	Eric Marnay
Stanley Ridges	...	Prof. George Kingsley / Red Cannon
Anne Nagel	...	Sunny Rogers
Anne Gwynne	...	Jean Sovac
Virginia Brissac	...	Mrs. Margaret Kingsley
Edmund MacDonald	...	Frank Miller
Paul Fix	...	William Kane
Murray Alper	...	Bellhop
Jack Mulhall	...	Bartender
Joe King	...	Chief of Police
John Kelly	...	Taxi Driver
Robert Morgan	...	Hotel Associate

Storyline

When his friend Professor Kingsley is at deaths door, brain surgeon Dr. Sovac saves his life by means of an illegal operation that transplants part of injured gangster Red Cannon's brain. Unfortunately, the operation has a disastrous Jeckll and Hyde side effect and under certain conditions the persona of Cannon emerges. Sovac soon learns of the duel personality and of half a million dollars the gangster has hidden away. He attempts to find the money through the manipulation of his friend, an attempt that brings Kingsley closer to madness as he alternates between a meek professor of English and a brutal gangster out for murderous revenge on those who tried to kill him.

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Plot Keywords:

gangster | professor | friend | revenge | manipulation | 

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Taglines:

A Reign Of HORROR... a man-made monster on the loose!

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Crime

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 April 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Friday the Thirteenth

Box Office

Budget:

$125,750 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to contemporary publicity reports, Bela Lugosi was put under hypnosis by technical advisor Manley P. Hall to make his death scene more realistic and harrowing.

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Connections

Referenced in Cinemassacre's Monster Madness: Man They Couldn't Hang (2009)

User Reviews

KARLOFF TRANSPLANTS PART OF A BRAIN!

While a group of gangsters battle it out on a street, George Kingsley (Stanley Ridges), a college professor, is injured. George and a famous gangster, Red Cannon, are brought to a hospital. In an effort to save his friend Kingsley, Dr. Sovac (Boris Karloff) transplants part of Cannon's brain to Kingsley's. Kingsley survives the operation, but Cannon dies. There is a struggle to find the location of $500,000 that Cannon hid from his rival Marnay (Bela Lugosi). Sovac hypnotizes him, Kingsley is transformed into Red Cannon and starts killing everyone in sight. Lugosi in many ways stole the scenes from Karloff in this picture dispite the fact that Karloff had the leading role. This was Karloff's and Lugosi last film together with Universal. This is a must see film for all Karloff and Lugosi fans!