The Ape Man (1943)

Director:

William Beaudine

Writers:

Karl Brown (story)
Barney A. Sarecky (screenplay)

Release Date:

5 March 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

No one is safe from the cruel desires of this inhuman fiend!

Plot:

Conducting weird scientific experiments, crazed Dr. James Brewster, aided by his colleague Dr. Randall...

Plot Keywords:

Ape Man | Reporter | Simian Fiction | Mutant | Mad Scientist

Cast

Bela Lugosi	...	Dr. James Brewster
Louise Currie	...	Billie Mason
Wallace Ford	...	Jeff Carter
Henry Hall	...	Dr. George Randall
Minerva Urecal	...	Agatha Brewster
Emil Van Horn	...	The Ape
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	Captain (as J. Farrel MacDonald)
Wheeler Oakman	...	Brady
Ralph Littlefield	...	Zippo
Jack Mulhall	...	Reporter
Charles Jordan	...	O'Toole

Also Known As:

Lock Your Doors (UK)
The Gorilla Strikes (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

64 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG (video rating) (1998) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #9063)

Company:

Banner Productions

Trivia:

Shot in 19 days.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When reporter Jeff Carter and photographer Billie Mason leave the newspaper office and get into his car to go to Dr. Brewster's house for the first time, Billie calls him Mr. Brisbane.

Quotes:

Agatha Brewster: Most spirits are honest, gentle and kind, and only want to bring happiness to humans. But a few are evil and, having been wicked in life, are wicked in death, and only haunt the scenes of desperate crimes, reveling in murder.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Svengoolie: The Ape Man (#1.103)" (1997)

nice 40's b-movie

Decade of 40! It's the most suitable time for a horror b-movie , isn't it ? But how could this be successful ? Let's try the simple one – shot way! William Beuadine and Bela Lugosi , the lord of horror owns the first role. Well , Bela Lugosi acts a very bad scientist (a role that we've so many times , we loved it , we got used it in , but we never borrowed of it) Dr. James Brewster , who transforms Emil Van Horn (`Sleepy Lagoon') to Ape. Police Captain O' Brien is the role of the classical J. Farrell Mac Donald (who played in 294 movies . Of them we remember especially the `Trail Of Shadows' , F.W. Murnau's `Sunrise' , `Four Devils' , `Dangerous Female' , `Sporting Blood' and the `Phantom Killer') attends to catch Dr. James Brewster . Lugosi and Farrell Mac Donald surrounded of a wonderful cast , ideal for a b-movie , just like this one . Buise Currie (`Here Comes The Boogie Men') , Wallace Ford (Tod Browning's `Freaks' , `The Mummy's Hand' , `The Mummy's Tomb' , Alfred Hitchcock's `Spellbound') , Henry Hall (`The Ape') , Minerva Urecal (who was played again the first role with Bela Lugosi at the films `The Corpse Vanishes' and `Ghost On The Loose') , the classical Wheeler Oakman (who was played in 195 movies , from whom we chose the `Ghosts On The Loose' with Bela) , Jack Mulhall (who has not only played in 314 movies but is also the producer of Madame Spy) , Charles Jordan (Cat People) , Charlie Hall (who made some short roles in movies with Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel). The offhand script that Karl Brawn (Phantom Killer) wrote with Barney D. Sarecky (The Phantom Killer) is exalted by the master of b-movies , William Beaudine . If you're not fans of this kind , you will have a good time , but if you are fans of b-movies , you shouldn't miss the `Ape Man'