Among the Living (1941) User Reviews

AMONG THE LIVING (Stuart Heisler, 1941) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 7/10 · 4 October 2008]

I’d always been interested in this one – not least because it involves twins (and, thus, reminiscent of the Boris Karloff vehicle THE BLACK ROOM [1935]) – so that when I came across the film, even if I knew that the quality would be far from optimal, I leapt at the chance to acquire it. While not strictly horror, it involves several elements that are part and parcel of the genre – old dark house, family secret, madness, murder, mob fury, etc.

Despite, as I said, the fact that the video was rather fuzzy – so that the images generally lacked detail – I was nonetheless struck by the film’s cinematography and editing: these were particularly effective during a scene at a bar, where the mad brother (who had been secluded all his life but has now broken loose) is ridiculed by the customers, and the one following it where he chases a girl into an alley and kills her. The two central roles are played by Albert Dekker and he does very well by both, though the mad brother is obviously the showier character – which he invests with a remarkable vulnerability (when seeing the locals indulging in a particularly animated jitterbug routine, he naively asks his future victim who’s accompanying him at the time “What are they doing?”); incidentally, despite the narrative’s Gothic – or, more precisely, Southern – trappings, the setting is a contemporary one.

The supporting cast is a good one and includes: a young Susan Hayward (that is, before she became, the First Lady of Screen Melodrama) as the perky small-town girl who entrances the crazy Dekker – which she’s all-too-willing to play up to, but who promptly and fiercely turns against him when he’s eventually revealed to be the cause of the terror which has gripped the community!; Harry Carey in the ambivalent role of the town doctor who, having been complicit in the cover-up of the mad brother’s existence, fears the repercussions of this act if he were to intervene when – at the satisfactorily frenzied climax – the good Dekker is accused of his brother’s crimes!; and the troubled Frances Farmer who, however, is wasted in the colorless role of the innocent sibling’s wife (in a virtual prerequisite of genre heroines, the actress is also asked to scream – which she does unconvincingly! – in her one scene with the mad Dekker).

The film is a Paramount production and, therefore, currently owned by Universal; while the latter have served their horror back-catalogue reasonably well on DVD, the equivalent stuff from that other studio has been consistently (and bafflingly) neglected over the years – especially since this includes such highly-desirable titles as ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (1932), MURDERS IN THE ZOO (1933) and, now, AMONG THE LIVING itself...

Radon Family Values

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 25 May 2013]

Although Among The Living is a B film from Paramount it's a real nugget of gold among a lot of B dross. You will rarely see mob violence depicted as well as in this film. Two films that this stands comparison with in that regard are Fury and Night Of The Hunter.

It's also a great example of the mobility of careers. Frances Farmer whose career was heading down is in a relatively colorless part of the wife of one Albert Dekker. Susan Hayward plays the slutty daughter of a boardinghouse owner who gets involved with the other twin Dekker. She's got the far juicier role and makes the most of it.

Once upon a time a man had two twin sons both of whom grew up to be Albert Dekker. As is told by the town doctor Harry Carey, one was sent to a prep school, the other stayed at home. By all accounts dad was a tyrant at home and at work where he owned the mill that employed most of the town. The twin that stayed at home witnessed dad beating on mom and tried to stop it. Dad picked him and threw him against a wall injuring his brain.

Rather than risk exposure dad had his friend Harry Carey fake a death certificate and they kept the kid in a locked room. Now father is dead and the kid who has grown up to be Albert Dekker is a now quite unhinged and murders a family servant to escape.

And while out murders a woman that the town blames his brother for. Quite a dilemma for the sane Dekker and wife Farmer.

Hayward gives a good account of herself, but the film really belongs to Albert Dekker. This is quite possibly his career film, even more so than Dr. Cyclops. Especially playing the mad son, you really do feel for him knowing it's not his fault the way he is.

With a good does of both noir and Gothic horror, I highly recommend this film for fans of both genres. And definitely for fans of Susan Hayward as I am.

A Doppelganger Proto-Noir

[melvelvit-1 · 7/10 · 23 May 2009]

When it came to sex and violence, Paramount Pictures always had a perverse streak that went back to their 30s Pre-Code and horror films (THE STORY OF TEMPLE DRAKE, MURDER AT THE VANITIES, DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE, ISLAND OF LOST SOULDS, MURDERS IN THE ZOO, TERROR ABOARD, and MURDER BY THE CLOCK to name only a few) so it was only (un)natural that their groundbreaking adaptation of James M. Cain's DOUBLE INDEMNITY in 1944 would be instrumental in kicking off a cycle of dark films that would later come to be known as the Film Noir. But between the mid-30s and the mid-40s, the studio's unwholesome tendencies lay dormant for the most part with the exception of two 1941 films by Stuart Heisler that combined adult-themed scares with a "noir" sensibility. THE MONSTER AND THE GIRL (narrated by a prostitute coming out of the fog to tell her tale) mixed courtroom melodrama, murder, revenge, and the underworld with brain transplants and was the more outré of the two but the Southern Gothic AMONG THE LIVING's blend of murder and madness contained many visual elements that would soon appear in the burgeoning Film Noir. New Yorker John Raden (Albert Dekker) returns to the Southern mill town his father founded for the patriarch's funeral and long-buried family secrets soon threaten to rock his world. John learns from the family doctor (Harry Carey) that his twin, Paul (Albert Dekker), didn't die as a child but went insane (after their abusive father threw him against a wall for trying to protect his mother from another beating) and had been locked away in the cellar of the decaying family mansion for the past twenty-five years. Paul kills the old black servant that had been his keeper and, exhilarated by freedom, the child-like lunatic rents a room in town. He becomes involved with his landlady's gold-digging daughter (Susan Hayward) but another murder occurs and, with the townspeople in a grip of panic, mistaken identity erupts into vigilante violence...

Character actor Albert Dekker got a rare chance to show his versatility in a dual role and he's given good support by veterans Harry Carey and Maude Eburne but it's Susan Hayward's dimestore vixen who walks away with the picture. Whether she's wheedling money out of Paul for a new dress or egging on a mob to rip a man apart, Susan's vivacious beauty and potent sex appeal is positively radiant and she steals every scene she's in. On the other hand, troubled Frances Farmer plays John's wife and has little to do other than to look beautiful and scream, both of which she does in a very sedated way. Albert Dekker effectively delineates the doppelgangers and there's no confusing the sane, urbane New Yorker with the scruffy lunatic who's method of murder is quite eerie. He strangles his victims and then places their hands over their ears because he can still hear his long-dead mother screaming. The atmospherics are appropriately dark for a social problem horror movie and there are many tableaux that predict the coming Film Noir. After Paul escapes from the dilapidated plantation house during a violent thunderstorm, he wanders through streets of tenements and cheap rooming houses amid newsboys and legless vagrants selling puppies until he stumbles into a nightmarish bistro where b-girls, brawny brawlers, and some furious jitterbugging bring on another bout of murderous madness in a vivid montage of sights and sounds. Besides the child abuse, there's also some social commentary going on in that the townspeople are clamoring for John to re-open the mill and desperate enough to do anything to get their hands on the $5,000 reward for the killer, turning ugly at the end in a way reminiscent of Fritz Lang's FURY five years before. A young and handsome Rod Cameron has an unbilled bit as a bar patron.

One of a Kind

[dougdoepke · 16 December 2010]

Deranged twin brother escapes home confinement after father's death and tries to fit into a new life.

Wacky, highly original horror story. When the luscious Hayward (Millie) makes her entrance at the stairs' top, it's like an explosion of saucy sex appeal. There's enough lively personality there to light up the room. In fact, her gold-digging coquette manages to steal the film. And that's against tough competition from Dekker as the wide-eyed, strangely sympathetic mad strangler. Together, they're easily one of filmdom's genuine odd couples.

Frankly, the story at times makes little sense. But that's okay because it's the characters and Gothic atmosphere that distinguish the film. It's also one of the few films where the camera pans through a hellish mansion, only to focus finally on a guy in a straitjacket (Dekker as the mad Paul), of all things.

Catch that opening scene with the unemployed mill workers taunting the funeral rites for the mill owner. In fact, there's an odd class undercurrent to the screenplay as a whole. Considering that blacklisted leftist Lester Cole did both the story and the script, that's not surprising.

Moreover, the screenplay can be viewed as something of an allegory with mad brother Paul as the brutalized innocent, who would like to side with the workers (he prefers living with them), but has been too damaged by his mill owner father to be able to. In that sense, he suggests Dad's repressed (straitjacketed) humane side hidden away from public view, but finally released by Dad's death into a world his now childlike nature can't comprehend. More tragically, he can only relieve a woman's scream of pain by strangling her, the memory of his abused mother and his attempt to help still fresh in his mind. Dekker's affecting performance with its unexpected degree of pathos underscores, I believe, something of this way of looking at things.

Director Heisler certainly has a flair for exciting crowd scenes. That clip joint with its frenetic swing dancers is a marvel of editing and atmosphere, a really memorable scene. And those teeming street crowds add both color and more atmosphere. The movie's commanding visuals owe a lot to the underrated Heisler. Too bad, however, the talented Frances Farmer is largely wasted in a brief, conventional role.

Anyway, in my little book, the movie's a one-of-a-kind that rises above the ordinary B- feature or horror film, and should not be missed.

"I guess you want me, don't you, Andy?"

[ackstasis · 6/10 · 26 June 2009]

'Among the Living (1941)' sits in the middle-ground between film noir and horror. The horror elements are obvious: the use of twins, representing the duality of man, recalls a more literal take on the themes of Stevenson's "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde." But even the "evil" twin himself is not a monster, as he is often described. Like Frankenstein's Creature, he is merely a social outcast, corrupted by the abuse of the true monsters, and who ultimately finds it impossible to assimilate into society. Like a frightened animal, Paul Raden struggles to understand the violent, cynical world in which he's been thrust, and the injustices knowingly done to him, combined with the years of abuse he endured at the hands of a dominating father, lead him to murder out of sheer terror. In many ways, Paul resembles the character of Lennie in Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men," a simpleton with a brutish strength that he can't reconcile with his own child-like desires.

Though one would stop short of calling this a film noir, there are certainly traces of the necessary elements. Most prominent is the theme of hidden family secrets, of a shameful past coming back to haunt wrongdoers, as in 'The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946).' The corruptive influence of power is also referenced – as in the latter film, the primary sinner of 'Among the Living' (Raden, Sr., who is dead by the film's beginning) resides in a town that bears his name. The viewer can draw two conclusions: either that only through committing sin can a man attain power, or that from power itself is borne the desire to perpetrate crime, for he now has the means to conceal his misconduct. The latter is certainly true for the otherwise-respectable Dr. Saunders (Harry Carey), who – just once – compromised his professional integrity, and, twenty-five years later, finds that this one transgression has blackened his soul and destroyed his future.

John Raden (Albert Dekker) is the film's hapless protagonist, an honest guy who unwillingly stumbles upon his family's dirty secret. Via a succession of ill-fated coincidences, implying the forces of Fate that would later pervade the film noir movement, John finds himself on trial for murder, thrust protestingly into an ad hoc mob trial that recalls Peter Lorre's judgement in 'M (1931).' Dekker is excellent in the dual- roles of John and Paul Raden, with the "bad" half always distinguishable, not just by his grizzled beard and raggedy clothing, but by the way he carries himself: slouched shoulders, arms held awkwardly, innocent and perplexed eyes upturned at the eccentricities of this unfamiliar society. Susan Hayward plays Millie, a minor femme fatale. She's an angel when you first see her, but the way she knowingly toys with Paul's naivete is quite repulsive, and her nastiness during the courtroom trial is similarly brutal. Notably, director Stuart Heisler would progress onto full-blown noir the following year with the Hammett adaptation 'The Glass Key (1942).'

The sins of the father pass onto the son.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 10 August 2015]

Where does insanity start? It truly varies from patient to patient, but in many cases, it's obviously child abuse, and that is the theme here as one of two twin brothers ends up in a straight jacket in the family mansion's attic because of abuse he went through at the hands of his evil father. Years later, the old man has died, and now he's out on the street where havoc, death and destruction are sure to follow. Albert Dekker, who the year before played the equally menacing Dr. Cyclops, plays two sides of the coin; The sane brother who managed to escape his father's wrath and the brain damaged twin who only ended up in a straight jacket because he defended his mother against an equally brutal attack by his father.

Moving into a boarding house run by spunky Maude Eburne, he fells in love with her daughter (a young Susan Hayward) but after a visit with his brother (whom he viciously attacks in front of sister-in-law Frances Farmer) goes on a rampage, stalking and brutally killing a young blonde he saw in a tavern. The insane brother shows gentility and total sanity when he's with Hayward, but that's most likely going to snap at any moment, especially when Hayward decides she's going to find the mysterious killer on the loose and asks him for his help. Harry Carey is excellent as the family doctor who knows the truth about the troubled family's past and tries to help the insane brother to no avail.

Hayward is her typical tough cookie, claiming "For $5000, I'm not afraid of anything, including death", but unfortunately, Farmer (who around this time was dealing with serious mental issues herself) is totally wasted. Her small role does give the indication, however, how great she would have been in the same types of roles which were given to newcomers such as Veronica Lake, Lauren Bacall and Lizabeth Scott with her husky voice and seemingly tough demeanor. The tension builds up as does the pressure with Dekker in getting caught in his own trap, and this makes for a very exciting conclusion. An early example of film noir which mixes in elements of horror, Dekker's insane brother could be described as a live version of Frankenstein's monster as his gentility and madness are mixed to provide him with a very hair-raising performance. This is a forgotten sleeper which very much deserves to be re-discovered.

Perhaps the inspiration from a "Treehouse of Horror" episode of "The Simpsons".

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 25 December 2016]

The plot to "Among the Living" is silly and impossible to believe. However, it does appear to be the inspiration for an episode of "The Simpsons"--the one where Bart discovers that he has an identical 'evil' twin who's been locked in the attic for many years! Homer and Marge feed Hugo fish heads and have kept his existence a secret for years! Who would have thought a film would have dared have such a bizarro plot?!

When the film begins, the family patriarch dies and his son John (Albert Dekker) arrives for the funeral. Little does John know that his identical brother, Paul (also Dekker), is STILL alive and did not die as a small child. The family doctor (Harry Carey) divulges the family secret to John...Paul is still alive and insane and has been kept hidden in a secret room in the family mansion! Coincidentally, at this same time, Paul kills his keeper and escapes! Now two identical looking guys are running about town...and one is on occasion unpredictable and homicidal. So it's up to the Doctor and John to try to find Paul...however the heartless Doctor soon tries to stop John from contacting the police by threatening to destroy him! However, Paul is not intend with only killing his keeper...and the bodies start piling up in town. And, soon John is assumed to be the crazed killer by mistake!

As I mentioned above, the plot for this one is just insane...so you really have to suspend disbelief in order to watch this one. Despite this, I did enjoy Dekker's performance as he played both characters, particularly Paul, quite well. Goofy and still very watchable.

A Pulpish Take On HIGH SIERRA

[boblipton · 6/10 · 26 November 2021]

Twenty years ago, the town's founder discovered one of his two twin sons was insane. He had doctor Harry Carey fake a death certificate, had an old servant at the house to care for him, then moved the other son and himself into the town's best hotel. Now he has died, the town mill has closed down until the sane son, played by Albert Dekker, decides to reopen it. The other son, also played by Dekker, kills the old servant, and flees into town.

In many ways, this movie is reminiscent of HIGH SIERRA; Susan Hayward, who plays the love interest to the insane son, even gives a performance reminiscent of Ida Lupino in the other movie. It's a very watchable movie, with Dekker quite convincing as the two men, particularly the naive insane brother. It doesn't live up to its competitor, because it elevates the pulpish and melodramatic aspects of the plots, and doesn't make use of the introspective elements that the other movie emphasize. At 67 minutes, it lacks the time to do so. With Frances Farmer, Gordon Jones, and Maude Eburne.

For five thousand dollars, I'm not afraid of anything, not even death!

[hitchcockthelegend · 8/10 · 8 November 2013]

Among the Living is directed by Stuart Heisler and written by Garrett Fort and Lester Cole. It stars Albert Dekker, Susan Hayward, Harry Carey and Frances Farmer. Music is by Gerard Carbonara and cinematography by Theodor Sparkuhl.

Dekker plays identical twins, John and Paul Raden. Paul was believed to have died when he was just 10 years old, in reality he had been traumatised and went insane and was locked up in a secret room at the Raden Mansion. When John returns for his father's funeral, he learns of Paul's existence, more so when Paul escapes and is out and about in Radentown...

1941 saw the release of Citizen Kane, The Maltese Falcon, High Sierra and I Wake Up Screaming. Films that mark an important point in the progression of what would become known as film noir, both thematically and as a visual style. Elsewhere there were some horror movies which would stand the test of time as classic productions, films such as The Wolf Man and The Black Cat are still massively popular today. Down in the lesser known file is Among the Living, a picture that blends both horror and noir for considerable rewards.

It's a slice of Southern Gothic which nods appreciatively to classic horror conventions from the previous decade (eg: the Frankenstein connection is hard to ignore but handled skillfully), and it even has social commentary bursting forth from its seams, but it's with the photographic style where it becomes a must see for film noir enthusiasts.

Heisler (latterly The Glass Key/Storm Warning) and Sparkuhl (also The Glass Key) shoot the picture by way of German Expressionism, where certain scenes and photographic compositions anticipate the noir style before it became the norm. From the feverish and frantic exuberance of a club scene, to a chase scene through menacing shadowed streets that end with murder, there are classy slices of noir before we even get to the crushing finale where Radentown is gripped by its own greed and insanity problems.

Dekker is terrific, managing to give each twin their own identity without relying on costuming for the viewers to tell the difference. His man child portrayal of Paul is heartfelt and perfectly troubling, yet always tasteful. Hayward is socko gorgeous as a vampish nymph who latches onto Paul to feather her own nest, while Farmer provides the sort of solid support she was capable of before her own personal problems would derail her potential career.

The psychological aspects of the pic are simplistic, of course, while viewing it now it's impossible to not get a sense of it being cliché heavy as regards the "twins" axis of plotting, but this is well paced, very well acted and beautifully photographed. If you can track down a decent print of it, then it's a must see for anyone interested in the influences and subsequent trajectory of film noir. 8/10

the one about the twins, one normal and one nuts

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 25 August 2017]

Albert Dekker stars in a dual role in "Among the Living" from 1941, which also stars Susan Hayward and Francis Farmer.

Dekker plays John and Paul Raden, part of an important family - in fact, the town is called Radentown. Paul supposedly died when he was 10 years old. However, he was discovered to be mentally unstable and was locked in a secret room in the Raden Mansion.

When John Raden and his wife (Farmer) return for the Raden patriarch's funeral, they learn that Paul is alive.

Paul escapes after killing his caretaker and takes off into town, renting a room, where he meets the landlady's daughter (Hayward). Childlike and unschooled in social graces, Paul gives her money and tells her to buy a new dress. She's no idiot and takes him for a real ride.

After a night in a club, a woman is found murdered, and the hunt for the killer is on.

Decent film with noir touches and a dash of horror, and an excellent performance by Dekker who gives an individuality to both twins. Susan Hayward really pops - frankly, I prefer her earlier films, when she was fresh and sexy, as opposed to the harder characters she played later. Here she's a real scene-stealer.

I have a quibble with what happened toward the end - I really didn't understand the lynch mob mentality. It seemed over the top.

Albert Dekker was a prominent stage actor who died a strange death. During his career, he turned in some very good film, television, and Broadway performances. This was a good showcase for him.

All in all, pretty good.

Fairly primitive doppelganger thriller, interesting for early Susan Hayward

[bmacv · 5/10 · 4 December 2001]

Just what sort of movie is Among the Living? It's not that easy to determine. This short (67 minute) 1941 offering is part thirties gothic and part early noir; in any case it's fairly primitive but it has its moments. Albert Dekker (his screen debut) plays twin brothers, one of whom, presumed dead for a quarter-century, is an infantile psychotic. He's been sequestered away in the decrepit family pile all these years but manages to escape, taking up residence in a rooming house owned by the young Susan Hayward's mother. When it looks like the gibbering idiot has money to burn, Hayward sets her hat for him. The most interesting facet of the film is watching Susan Hayward play her speciality, an on-screen hellion, particularly since Frances Farmer, gets wasted as the proper and dutiful wife of the "good" Albert Dekker. Much mayhem ensues, revolving around the confusion between the brothers (the existence of one of whom, remember, has been a deep dark secret). Toward the end, the film develops an ugly energy as the townspeople coalesce into a lynch mob, but, beware: this is not Fritz Lang's Fury. By modern standards, Among the Living has become a curio.

Fascinating

[jjnxn-1 · 8/10 · 21 February 2013]

Sharp, tightly paced low budget film is hard to categorize. There are definitely noirish tendencies but it's not a full blown film noir, there are also elements of horror contained within but neither is a horror movie. Even as a hybrid of different genres it is very involving and uses it short running time to full effect, actually so effective that it received quite a lot of critical attention in its day for a lower budget release and helped move its leading lady's career forward.

Speaking of the leading lady the film is also a study of two stars in flight. Susan Hayward whose full fledged stardom was still a few years away was still definitely on her way up, Frances Farmer, whose part is small, was most definitely on the descent. At one time considered an actress with the brightest of futures this was her second to last picture before descending into a decades long hell of mental illness and involuntary confinement.

The real standout though is Albert Dekker in a dual role of very different twin brothers. An excellent character actor who met a grisly end he rarely had the opportunity of the leading role but he takes his chance here and makes the most of it. His body language and vocal inflections makes the two characters recognizably different men and their struggles relatable. Not readily available and hard to find its definitely worth the effort to seek out.

Fun but campy thriller!

[HotToastyRag · 6/10 · 29 October 2017]

Among the Living opens on a funeral. The patriarch to a wealthy family has died, and the man's son, Albert Dekker, returns home to pay his respects after twenty-five years away. Harry Carey, the family doctor, and Ernest Whitman, the family servant, are glad to see him but wary of his return to town. Twenty-five years ago, Albert's twin brother died, and ever since, Harry and Ernest have been keeping a terrible secret from the family and the town. . .

There's a lot more to the plot, and if you look this movie up on IMDb, you'll read much more than I'm telling you. However, I think it's more exciting sometimes to watch a movie without knowing too much about it. There are lots of surprises in this thriller, and it's great to watch around Halloween. Yes, it's a little dated, and Susan Hayward's acting is atrocious, but if you like the campy black-and-white scary flicks from the olden days, turn off all the lights and huddle close to your popcorn!

A Drama Of Errors.

[rmax304823 · 5/10 · 19 May 2013]

A more or less routine programmer enlivened by a sparky performance from a cute, young, flirtatious, materialistic, and cheerfully candid Susan Hayward.

Albert Dekker plays twins, the sons of a wealthy mill owner in a Southern town. The story has their identities getting mixed up, madness, a murder, the wrong twin blamed, and so forth. Such mix ups aren't rare in the theater or movies. Except for the fact that it's a dramatic thriller, it might have inspired by Shakespeare's first play, "The Comedy of Errors", or from Plautus, from whom Old Bill ripped it off in the first place. But in fact the origins of the idea of mixed identities and twins is probably lost in the mists of the Mousterian Age.

Where was I? Oh, yes. Okay. So we have this double Dekker, a Zweidekker, if you like. John Raden -- that's the SANE Dekker -- has been sent off to school at about the same time the other Dekker, Paul, has begun to show signs of what passes for insanity in this B feature. His eyes are open wide and he wears an idiotic smile. He speaks in a high voice and is ingenuous in the way an innocent child is. He's without art or guile. Except when he hears women scream. Then he turns into a raving maniac and has an unfortunate tendency to strangle people during a vesuvian outburst.

He strangles his old African-American guardian, Pompeii, who has been taking care of him in the old, wrecked family mansion. That's the mad Dekker I'm referring to. He's been kept secretly in a locked room upstairs, sometimes wearing a straight jacket. The friendly old town doctor, Harry Carey, signed a false death certificate for Paul in an attempt to save the wealthy family any embarrassment. So the whole town mistakenly thinks Paul is dead, just as the world of pop music would think in 1968.

John returns to the town, intending to re-open the mill, which had closed during the depression. Frances Farmer, who looks striking, has practically nothing to do as his wife. Sane John and beautiful Frances put up in a hotel rather than return to the dilapidated mansion which folks now believe to be haunted. We don't see much of them for the remainder of the film.

The story follows the goggle-eyed Paul. After strangling Pompeii and stealing a horde of cash, he wanders the streets of the town, which is all new to him because he's been locked up for two decades. And it's certain he's never been allowed to look at anyone as sexy and forthcoming as Susan Hayward, the daughter of the boarding house keeper where Paul rents a room. Her character is chipper and she brings some life into what is otherwise a rather somber and not very interesting narrative. I might observe that it's a little odd to hear these Southerners -- Hayward, Dekker, and Harry Carey -- in conversations. Two are from Brooklyn and one from the Bronx.

I don't think I'll gave away the end, though I guess we can mention that it involves a frenzied pursuit of the innocent Dekker by a lynch mob. There are multiple implausibilities towards the end and one big hole. John can't prove that he's not Paul. Nobody believes him, since they think Paul is dead, right? But Frances Farmer, John's wife, is right there, looking fretful but standing silently among the mob members. She could save his bacon with a few words, but then we wouldn't have the villagers with their torches and pitchforks shouting and hooting as they chase the innocent Dekker through the studio woods.

The Parent Trap

[AaronIgay · 6/10 · 21 October 2013]

Long before 'The Parent Trap' we get some great split-screen special effects of Albert Dekker playing twins in this 1941 early Noir. But, it seems Dekker did such a great job of playing two starring roles in this film, that he spent most of the rest of his long career playing bit parts. He wasn't really that bad . . . or that good. Not the greatest film ever but worth a watch just for the wild vigilante mob that becomes the star of the show and is reminiscent of 'Frankenstein.' Plus how can you go wrong with a sweet innocent lead heroine named Mollie Pickens and several scenes with a newsboy walking down the street shouting, "Extra, Extra . . ." to help move the plot along?

Interesting Debuts - Among the Living

[arthur_tafero · 6/10 · 19 April 2024]

There were two primary debuts in this film. One was for an actress that would go on to many other successes in film, Susan Hayward. Unfortunately, the other was for the ill-fated Albert Dekker, who had an unmistakably German name, which did not go over very well with movie-goers during WW2.

Despite a decent performance, Dekker was condemned to B movies for the rest of his career. The story about twin brothers separated for 25 years because one was deemed crazy is a bit farfetched, but watchable. The second part of the film moves much faster than the beginning. Interesting debuts, but disparate, unfortunate results for one.

Minor early Noir with the Charismatic Dekker and the Gorgeous Susan Hayward in her first meaningful role so far!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 26 March 2023]

After watched in my wander years Dr. Cyclops with the Albert Dekker whereof I never forgot that mad scientist, since then Dekker I always look the work of this actor with acuity, Dekker had a minor status as leading actor, however he got the strength to pass to character deeply at my point of view, in this early small Noir he plays a double character exposing friendliness and also rage when is required.

The story begins in a private burial of a powerful man owner of the entire small town which he raises a big Mill whence everyone earning your bread to supply their home and family, at first glance such man wasn't properly reverenced by the people whatsoever, at burial his son John Raden (Albert Dekker) attends with his wife Elaine Raden (Francis Farmer) also the local Dr. Ben Saunders (Harry Carey) and the Minister (William Stack), something bleak is hidden due the unexpected presence of the black servant Pompey (Ernest Whitman) at once Dr. Ben demands he goes back to the house to keep their duties.

In the burial the Minister recalls to John Raden that his twin brother was buried there and so on is the lonely remanent of the Raden's family, nevertheless Pompey returning at old house unties an insane man named Paul, yes he still living in the basement, actually Dr. Ben and the deceased Mr. Raden forged his death at tender age and sent John to study far away to keep safe of his mentally ill brother, all this is reported by John Raden for the own Dr. Ben after he escaped from the cellar after dying his keeper Pompey, Dr. Ben asking for John what they must do about, the faltering John replays that won't call the police, they must find out Paul firstly and try help him some way.

Meanwhile the astounded Paul is in town mixing with the general people for first time ever, he find a place to stay, there he meet the daughter's owner Millie Pickens (Susan Hayward) a gorgeous girl, greedy and scheming, Paul decides walk around and finds yourself at dancing bar, where he meets a spice blonde girl Peggy Nolan (Jean Phillips) after a fine beginning them ends up in a murder in a alley, henceforth his brother offers a reward for its capture.

This small Noir has the highlights at the first meaningful role for Susan Hayward so far, as in the role of Peggy she delivers all she can, with charming, sexy and conniving, in other hand Albert Dekker shines twice, due he has to play two opposite characters, his doppelganger mad brother has split personality when faced and a kindness when treat with warmth!!

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First watch: 2023 / Source: DVD / How many: 1 / Rating: 7.5.

A Gothic little tale set in modern times...

[AlsExGal · 9/10 · 7 July 2013]

... 1941 that is. It boasts fine photography and a great score. It's part horror tale, part noir. John Raden returns for the funeral of Maxim Raden, his father and owner of all of the mills around town. It's obvious from the remarks of the average citizens outside the cemetery gates that their collective sentiment is good riddance.

Dr. Ben Saunders (Harry Carey) then reveals to John a terrible secret he's been keeping - that 25 years ago he forged a death certificate for John's identical twin brother Paul. Paul had become mentally disturbed and Maxim moved into a hotel in town and kept the insane Paul locked up in a room at Radin mansion with kindly and loyal servant Pompey as his keeper. Paul became disturbed probably due to a head injury received when his father threw him across the room when Paul came to his mother's rescue during one of the beatings Maxim was giving her. What did Dr. Saunders get in return? Maxim Radin endowed his clinic, but with Paul recently turning more violent, both Saunders' psychological and actual burden have become heavier and heavier. John, sent away to school before any of this happened, had no knowledge of any of this up until now.

Well, Paul kills Pompey, escapes his room, and finds some money at his father's grave. (It was unclear to me what money was doing there.) With this money and his misleading mostly gentle child-like demeanor he manages to rent a room in a rooming house and attract the attentions of the landlady's daughter (Susan Hayward as Millie Pickens). Millie teaches Paul to blend in - helps him find new clothes, gets him to shave - and now the town has an unpredictable homicidal maniac in its midst who only acts homicidal when the urge to kill strikes him but doesn't look the least bit out of place. Meanwhile, John Raden cannot convince Saunders to call the police because he doesn't want to lose the clinic he's worked so hard for. Of course the fact that the townspeople think Paul is dead and Paul and John are identical twins will eventually figure into this plot, but I'll let you watch and see how.

Albert Dekker does a great job of playing the dual role of sophisticated good guy John and child-like insane Paul, but it is Susan Hayward as Millie who steals the show. You can never quite tell if she really likes Paul because he's different - not pawing her all of the time - or if she's just after the gifts he can give her after she sees the wad of cash he keeps in his pockets. It's a great early role for her. Harry Carey gets to do more than he usually does late in his career, which were roles that usually entailed playing the wise old good guy. Here he is quite gray and not until the end are you sure just which side of his character will win. For those of you looking for a glimpse of Frances Farmer at work, that's all you'll get - a glimpse. She is barely noticeable as the wife of John Raden.

As for the atmosphere - it's perfect with thunderstorms, poorly lit rooms, cemeteries at night, and Paul's victims all found left with a terrified expression and their hands over their ears. Highly recommended for fans of old style horror. It's a shame this one isn't better known.

Dark and Greasy Southern Swamp Cookin'

[SFTeamNoir · 4/10 · 21 July 2020]

A lunatic evil twin escapes to terrorize a small Southern Gothic town and get smitten with a young and saucy Susan Hayward. And that's the good news! A campy, good twin-bad twin, swamp melodrama.

At Last a Role Susan Hayward Could Really Sink Her Teeth Into!!!!

[kidboots · 10/10 · 7 February 2012]

Stuart Heisler had been a film editor for over 24 years with one directorial credit before Paramount let him direct a low budget entry "The Biscuit Eater" (1940) - it became the sleeper of the year with the National Board of Review naming it among it's top ten movies. Although he was later thrust into directing "A" movies, none of them found the critical praise that came his way with the release of the masterful psychological thriller "Among the Living". Susan Hayward, poised on the brink of stardom had had mainly nondescript roles, only her part as malevolent Hester in "Adam Had Four Sons" gave any indication of her explosive talent. Now, given the role of the sluttish Milly Pickens, Susan was given something she could really get her teeth into.

After the death of his father, Maxim Raden, hated owner of the lately closed Radentown Mills, John (Albert Dekker) is told that his twin brother, whom he thought dead, is still alive. Paul is a hopeless lunatic kept straight jacketed in a secret room at Radenhouse. Many years before, in trying to defend his mother against his father's brutality, he was dashed against a wall and his only lasting memory is that of his mother's scream. When John and Saunders (Harry Carey), who has kept the secret for 25 years in exchange for a share of Maxim's estate, go to Radenhouse they find Paul has escaped after killing Pompey, his keeper. He wanted to see for himself that his father was not buried near his mother and what he finds sends him on a murderous rampage.

He finds himself at a rooming house where his gentlemanly ways find favour with Ma Pickins (Maude Eburne) and her sluttish daughter Millie (Hayward). His clothes may be shabby but he is "refined"!!! "If I had a wad of folding dough like that I'd go right out and buy an outfit that would knock this neighbourhood cockeyed"!!! So says Millie when she sees Paul's cash!! but before he take Millie dancing he makes the acquaintance of a "B" girl (Jean Phillips, who bears a strong resemblance to Ginger Rogers). In a surreal sequence he wanders into the swinging "Riverbottom Cafe" where the laughter, music and jitterbugging all combine to send Paul into a frenzy. When the blonde floozy not only rejects him but laughs in his face (after he says he wishes Millie was there instead of her) - it leads to a terrifying chase, she running faster and faster, Paul gaining on her until, down a darkened alley all you hear is a piercing scream.

Next day, when out with Millie, who is discreetly taking him for all she can get, news comes over the radio that John Raden is offering $5,000 reward for capture of the murderer. "Yahoo, $5,000!!! I could get a fur coat for that - all for little Millie"!! The town is whipped into a frenzy of mob rule and Millie convinces Paul to go with her to Radenhouse, she is convinced the murderer will be hiding out there and no one will suspect!! But they do and the mob go there too and Millie, excited to a fever pitch, misidentifies the innocent John, turning against Paul as easily as she had turned on to him!!!

Albert Dekker really rose to the challenge of playing twins. His Paul was a mastery of understatement and he avoided the leers, ogles and grimaces that actors usually bought out when portraying madness. You felt only pity for him and what he had gone through and also for the fact that the doctor, his so-called friend, had only kept the secret for his own selfish reasons. Frances Farmer, initially one of the most beautiful of starlets, had gone through some severe emotional and alcohol problems. By the time of "Among the Living" she could barely function and later said her mental state was such that she hardly knew what she was doing. Fortunately she didn't need to do much, her portrayal of John's wife only required that she look frightened and scream at different times. Also seen in the cafe and "kangeroo court" scene was Dorothy Sebastian, bewitching beauty of the silents.

Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

[lugonian · 8/10 · 17 January 2019]

AMONG THE LIVING (Paramount, 1941), directed by Stuart Heisler, is not a horror film in a sense of living dead characters of "Dracula" or "The Mummy," but an original story by Brian Marlowe and Lester Cole revolving around twin brothers, one good and the other criminally insane. Starring Albert Dekker in one of his rare leading roles following his top-star title role as DOCTOR CYCLOPS (Paramount, 1940), AMONG THE LIVING was actually the studio's follow-up attempt of giving Dekker double exposure with the opportunity playing two basic characters in one basic melodrama.

The story, set in the Southern mining town of Raden, begins in atmospheric tradition, at the cemetery gathering of the burial of industrialist, Maxim Raden. In attendance are Raden's son, John (Albert Dekker) and his wife, Elaine (Frances Farmer), from New York, along with Raden's family physician and best friend of 35 years, Doctor Ben Saunders (Harry Carey). As much as John's twin brother, Paul, had died when the brothers were ten-years- old, it is soon discovered that Paul (Albert Dekker) is very much alive. Having spent years in an insane asylum from which he has escaped, he is now kept in the cellar of the decapitated Raden estate confined in a strait jacket by the family caretaker, Pompey (Ernest Whitman) until the funeral is over. Soon after, Paul is released from confinement by Pompey, whom he later kills. As Paul walks aimlessly towards the nearby town, John learns the truth about his brother and how Saunders falsified Paul's death certificate, substituting a dead child in place of Paul buried next to their deceased mother, Lucy. Fearing of being sent back to the asylum, Paul hides himself in a boardinghouse managed by landlady, Mrs. Pickens (Maude Eburne). Her daughter, Millie (Susan Hayward), takes an interest in "Mr. Paul," especially after giving her money to buy a new dress. Her involvement with the new boarder stirs up jealously from her boyfriend, Ben Oakley (Gordon Jones - Mike the cop on television's "The Abbott and Costello Show" in the 1950s). After Paul locates his brother staying with his wife at the Raden Hotel, he is soon frightened away, ending up at the River Bottom Cafe. While there, Paul makes the acquaintance with sassy blonde, Peggy Nolan (Jean Phillips), whom he likes but loses. Because she made a fool out of him, Paul follows her home and kills her. To prevent any more killings, John is advised to place a $5,000 reward for his brother's capture. The reward forms a vigilante group of greedy townspeople, especially that of Millie, still unaware of Mr. Paul's identity.

Also in the cast include: Frank M. Thomas (Sheriff Andrew Ramsey); Rod Cameron (Bill); and Clarence Muse (The Cafe Waiter). Dorothy Sebastian, a secondary actress having worked opposite such top-stars as Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during the silent film era 1920s, appears briefly as a cafe patron surrounded by jitterbug dancers.

In spite of its second feature presentation of 68 minutes, AMONG THE LIVING is an exceptional "B" product. Albert Dekker, noted for secondary roles, gives one of his finer lead performances. In typical fashion, the good brother is ordinary while his mentally unbalanced other in unshaven face gathers the most attention. Gothic style photography and eerie underscoring offers AMONG THE LIVING added points of interest. While Frances Farmer showed great promise for her dual roles in COME AND GET IT (Samuel Goldwyn, 1936), she's virtually wasted here with nothing challenging except for facial gestures and a scream. The young and upcoming, Susan Hayward, appearing 25 minutes into the story, gets the best attention here as the flirtatious landlady's daughter who's "not afraid of anything, not even death!"

Unseen regularly on commercial television since the 1970s (notably New York City's WNEW, Channel 5, where it was last shown in 1978), AMONG THE LIVING, which has never been distributed to video cassette nor broadcast on cable television, has become available on DVD. Regardless, AMONG THE LIVING remains one of those truly obscure movies that deserves rediscovery. Even if this being just another twin versus twin theme, the performances by Albert Dekker, Susan Hayward, and sinister atmosphere rise above routine material (***)

Haunted house/horror film noir with quirky plot

[adrianovasconcelos · 8/10 · 4 December 2021]

Stuart Heisler is one of the best B picture directors I know. Most of his films post high quality cinematography and acting despite budgetary and other limitations, and AMONG THE LIVING is no exception.

Albert Dekker plays the twin Raden brothers with considerable verve, alternating the calm and good sense of John with the mad and murderous Paul. Lovely Frances Farmer plays John's loyal wife, Susan Hayward the selfish and sluttish lass who sees an opportunity to skin Paul, who somehow has a great deal of money on him, even though he has been held captive for over 25 years in the basement of his house. What makes it even odder is that we first see him in a straight jacket, and then he just freely hands out lettuce, seemingly without any idea as to its worth.

Harry Carey also delivers a stunning performance, although his metamorphosis from forging death certificates and other illegalities to upstanding citizen admitting his guilt and showing readiness to pay his debt to society at the end is anything but easy to buy.

Quirky script, great chase sequence, wonderful crowd reactions and crazy behavior all combine to render this a gem of a B picture.

Don't miss it! 8/10.

Terrific and terrifying little chiller

[searchanddestroy-1 · 31 January 2024]

Only by reading the topic, I felt excited, and also forgot that it was directed by Stuart Heisler, who also gave us THE MONSTER AND THE GIRL, the same year or the year before.... Two features that don't predict the following movies from this director. And another surprise is the production studio: Paramount pictures.... I would have expected Universal or PRC; no other major - or not - studios were specialized in this kind of plots. That said, Susan Hayward was not expected in a horror film, despite her early years of career. Concerning Albert Dekker, I am not surprised. His role is amazing, he was the perfect actor for such a character. A real must see gem, early Stuart Heisler flick.