The Mummy's Hand (1940)

Director:

Christy Cabanne

Writers:

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

Release Date:

20 September 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | 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:

Tomb | Magician | Mummy | Princess | High Priest

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 (uncredited) (archive footage)
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)
Ben Pivar		(treatment contributor) uncredited
John L. Balderston		1932 screenplay (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:

To make the mummy appear more frightening, Tom Tyler's eyes (and the inside of his mouth) were blacked out frame-by-frame in almost all close-ups.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Despite what the movie says, at least two people (including the stage actress Margaret Culting) have learned to talk without a tongue. In fact, Ms. Culting is said to have had perfect diction.

Quotes:

Babe Jenson:Hey Steve, can a dame go crazy from being sawed in half too many times?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Cinemassacre's Monster Madness: Dracula vs. Frankenstein (#4.11)" (2010)

The Mummy's Hand (1940) ***

One of the best Universal horror films of the 40s and a worthy follow-up to the 1932 original, even if it wasn't directly related to it and actually spun a series of its own. While in essence no more than a B-film, it's solidly made on all fronts: the plot, unlike that of its sequels, is fresh and exciting and it boasts four likable protagonists, as well as a wonderful trio of 'villains' - Eduardo Ciannelli (appearing briefly as the dying High Priest), George Zucco (as his evil successor, in one of his finest performances) and Tom Tyler (as the maimed but relentless revenge-seeking Mummy, who's as good in the role as Boris Karloff had been earlier and Christopher Lee would be in the 1959 Hammer remake, of this one more than the original). The film's first half features a healthy dose of comic relief which I found in no way distracting, as it had proved to be in other horror films of the period; in fact, this element only helps accentuate the effectiveness of the latter sections of the film which offer more standard thrills, culminating in a superb climax - where Kharis has to literally crawl for his life-preserving tana fluid!