The Boogie Man Will Get You (1942)

A young divorcee tries to convert a historic house into a hotel despite its oddball inhabitants and dead bodies in the cellar.

Director:

Lew Landers

Writers:

Hal Fimberg (story), Robert B. Hunt (story),

Stars:

Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Max 'Slapsie Maxie' Rosenbloom

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Boris Karloff	...	Prof. Nathaniel Billings
Peter Lorre	...	Dr. Arthur Lorencz
Max 'Slapsie Maxie' Rosenbloom	...	Maxie, the Powder Puff Salesman (as Maxie Rosenbloom)
Larry Parks	...	Bill Layden
Jeff Donnell	...	Winnie Slade (as Miss Jeff Donnell)

Storyline

Winnie Slade, a young divorcee, buys an old historic house from nutty Professor Billings, who lives there with his daffy housekeeper and bizarre neighbors, in order to convert it into a hotel. She allows them to continue to live on the property - unaware that the Professor continues to experiment unsuccessfully on traveling salesmen, the bodies of whom have filled the cellar. They are joined by a variety of eccentric characters including a quack doctor who doubles as the town's sheriff, Winnie's frenetic ex-husband, an oddball choreographer, a punchdrunk traveling salesman, and a lunatic escapee from the Italian army.

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Plot Keywords:

hotel | divorcee | cellar | lunatic | italian | 

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Taglines:

From HORROR To HOWLS...FROM MAYHEM TO MERRIMENT! (original poster)

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 June 1944 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Het gekken kasteel

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

66 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the second of four film teamings of Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre, all of them comedies. Others were You'll Find Out, The Raven and The Comedy of Terrors.

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Goofs

Jeff Donnell's Winnie slips and calls Peter Lorre "Professor Lorre", not Lorenz, and it remains in the film.

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Quotes

Bill Leyden: They murdered him! Just like they murdered the other one!
Prof. Nathaniel Billings: Please! Please! The word is, "martyrized."

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Connections

References Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

User Reviews

The Boogie Man Will Get You (1942) **1/2

Horror King Boris Karloff seems to be having a good time here spoofing his own mad doctor image in this light-hearted black comedy which was probably inspired by ARSENIC AND OLD LACE. As a kindly (but naive) old inventor, the wacky Karloff wants to "aid the war effort" by creating his own homegrown superman. Boris teams up in this one with the offbeat Peter Lorre as another "scientist" and "jack of all trades" to bop unsuspecting subjects over the head for usage in their daffy experiments. One of their dimwitted victims is even Max "Slapsie Maxie" Rosenbloom. Karloff and Lorre make a good comical duo in the first of a few films where they'd eventually share the spotlight together, and there are some light chuckles to be had in this good natured, if uneven, diversion.