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

Long after Bela Lugosi's death, it was revealed that the "hypnosis" angle was a complete hoax, but Boris Karloff played along at the time of the film's release, stating that he was convinced that Lugosi had been hypnotized, because he had never seen his fellow co-star keep his back to the camera so long.

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Connections

Referenced in The Opera Ghost: A Phantom Unmasked (2000)

User Reviews

Karloff and Lugosi NOT together

Okay when I sat down to watch this film the other night it was with dread.All I had ever heard was how this wasn't a horror movie and it was a cheat because Lugosi & Karloff didn't have any scenes together.

Guess what?It was a darn fine movie.This falls more into a gangster/mad scientist type of genre but is a lot of fun just the same. Stanley Ridges actually steals the movie with his performance as the teacher/gangster.Karloff is his usual wonderful self.Lugosi does a great job in the allegedly thankless role of Varney the gangster.

Rather than go into the details of this little gem why don't you see if you can find a copy of it and watch it.