The Mummy's Hand (1940)

Director:

Christy Cabanne

Writers:

Griffin Jay (story)
Griffin Jay (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

20 September 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Horror

Tagline:

The tomb of a thousand terrors!

Plot:

An ancient mummy is revived to destroy those that would invade the 3,000 year old tomb of an Egyptian princess.

Plot Keywords:

Princess | Tomb | Mummy | High Priest | Magician

Cast

Dick Foran	...	Steve Banning
Peggy Moran	...	Marta Solvani
Wallace Ford	...	Babe Jenson
Eduardo Ciannelli	...	The High Priest (as Eduardo Cianelli)
George Zucco	...	Professor Andoheb
Cecil Kellaway	...	The Great Solvani (as Cecil Kelloway)
Charles Trowbridge	...	Dr. Petrie
Tom Tyler	...	Kharis
Sig Arno	...	The Beggar (as Siegfried Arno)
Eddie Foster	...	Egyptian Starting Fight
Harry Stubbs	...	Bartender
Michael Mark	...	Bazaar Owner
Mara Tartar	...	Girl Vendor
Leon Belasco	...	Ali
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
James Crane	...	King Amenophis (archive footage) (uncredited)
Jerry Frank	...	Egyptian Thug (uncredited)
Zita Johann	...	Princess Ananka (archive footage) (uncredited)
Boris Karloff	...	Kharis (archive footage) (uncredited)
Frank Lackteen	...	Temple Priest (uncredited)
Murdock MacQuarrie	...	Temple Priest (uncredited)
Ken Terrell	...	Egyptian Thug (uncredited)

Directed by
Christy Cabanne

Writing credits
Griffin Jay		(story)
Griffin Jay		(screenplay) &
Maxwell Shane		(screenplay)
John L. Balderston		1932 screenplay (uncredited)
Ben Pivar		treatment contributor (uncredited)
Nina Wilcox Putnam		1932 screen story (uncredited)
Richard Schayer		1932 screen story (uncredited)

Produced by
Ben Pivar	....	producer

Original Music by
Hans J. Salter		(uncredited)
Frank Skinner		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Elwood Bredell

Film Editing by
Philip Cahn

Art Direction by
Jack Otterson

Set Decoration by
Russell A. Gausman		(as R.A. Gausman)

Costume Design by
Vera West		(gowns)

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

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Vaughn Paul	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Ralph M. DeLacy	....	associate art director

Sound Department
Bernard B. Brown	....	sound supervisor
Charles Carroll	....	sound technician

Stunts
Ken Terrell	....	stunts (uncredited)

Music Department
Hans J. Salter	....	musical director (as H.J. Salter)

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1940) (USA) (theatrical)
• Screen Gems (1957) (USA) (TV)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1992) (USA) (VHS) (For MCA Home Video)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2004) (Canada) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2007) (Canada) (DVD)
• Universal Film S.A. (????) (France) (theatrical)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

67 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #6497)

Filming Locations:

Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Part of the original SHOCK THEATER package of 52 Universal titles released to television in 1957, followed a year later with SON OF SHOCK, which added 21 more features.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: They used Bactrian Camels (two humps) in the film as opposed to Dromedary or Arabian Camels (single hump) that are native to northern Africa.

Quotes:

Andoheb:Tana leaves!
The High Priest:Bring three of them. Three of the leaves will make enough fluid to keep Kharis's heart beating. Once each night, during the cycle of the full moon, you will dissolve three tana leaves and give the fluid to Kharis.
[a jackal howls]
The High Priest:Children of the night, they howl about the Hill of the Seven Jackals when Kharis must be fed. Should unbelievers seek to desecrate the tomb of Ananka, you will use nine leaves each night to give life and movement to Kharis. Thus you will enable him to bring vengeance on the heads of those who try to enter.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in 100 Years of Horror: Scream Queens (1996) (V)

Best in the "Kharis" series

MORD39 RATING: *** (of ****)

THE MUMMY'S HAND is my favorite mummy film and easily the best in the Universal "Kharis" saga.

Dick Foran, Wallace Ford, Cecil Kellaway, and Peggy Moran make a very pleasant group of amateur explorers as they search out the tomb of Princess Ananka in Egypt. What they stumble upon instead was the first (in a now played-out) deadly mistake: a living mummy.

Kharis is a bandaged monstrosity kept alive by a high priest (George Zucco in his most sinister role) and is a protector for his long-lost love. When Zucco feeds him a fluid brewed from nine tana leaves, Kharis is kept stalking and dealing death to those who dared enter his lair.

Tom Tyler is for my money the best choice to portray the mummy. He creeps and crumbles perfectly, even gaining effect from his dark, staring eyes in chilling close-ups.

Some fans complain about the intrusive comedy during the film, and while I too am unforgiving of such practices, in this case I think they help the festivities rather than detract from them. All in all, THE MUMMY'S HAND remains one of the better efforts from the 1940's and definitely the best of the Kharis pictures.