Return of the Ape Man (1944)

While on an Arctic expedition, two scientists find the frozen body of a prehistoric caveman. They bring him home to their laboratory, but decide that in order to fully utilize (and control)... See full summary »

Director:

Phil Rosen

Writer:

Robert Charles (original screenplay)

Stars:

Bela Lugosi, John Carradine, George Zucco

Cast

Cast overview:
Bela Lugosi	...	Prof. Dexter
John Carradine	...	Prof. Gilmore
George Zucco	...	Ape Man
Frank Moran	...	Ape Man
Teala Loring	...	Anne (as Judith Gibson)
Tod Andrews	...	Steve (as Michael Ames)
Mary Currier	...	Mrs. Gilmore
Eddy Chandler	...	Sergeant (as Ed Chandler)
Ernie Adams	...	Tramp

Storyline

While on an Arctic expedition, two scientists find the frozen body of a prehistoric caveman. They bring him home to their laboratory, but decide that in order to fully utilize (and control) him, they must transplant a more developed brain into the caveman.

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Plot Keywords:

caveman | frozen body | laboratory | scientist | cell | 

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Taglines:

YOU'LL BE FROZEN TO YOUR SEAT IN TERROR!

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Genres:

Horror | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 July 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Volta do Homem Gorila

Company Credits

Production Co:

Banner Productions, Monogram Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

68 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Most of the "Arctic expedition" footage is taken from a 1926 Pathe two-reeler, Alaskan Adventures.

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Connections

Featured in Creature Features: Return of the Ape Man/The Undying Monster (1971)

User Reviews

Cheesy mad scientist tale redeemed somewhat by Lugosi

RETURN OF THE APE MAN was one of nine films Bela Lugosi appeared for the Poverty Row studio Monogram between 1941 and 1944. In this film, he plays mad scientist Professor Dexter who with the help of his colleague Professor John Gilmore (John Carradine) revives a prehistoric man (Frank Moran) from an ice block. Dexter schemes to kill a modern person to use part of his brain in the newly thawed brute. Thus, the savage ape man will not only become manageable, but he'll have the speech and intelligence to describe his prehistoric life. Why not a WHOLE brain? Because Dexter believes that if he removes all of his subject's old brain, the ape man won't have any knowledge of his former life.

This synopsis suggests the film's silliness. The plot is more coherent than in most of Lugosi's other Monogram films, but it still has its share of inexplicabilities and inconsistencies. Monogram's typically poor production values further enhance the film's cheesiness. The sets are sparse and threadbare. An Arctic sequence where the scientists find the ape man is especially phony looking; one expects the curtain to come down when it ends. The music, consisting of randomly selected stock scores, is dull and often inappropriate, such as a marching band tune during action sequences.

Still, one can derive legitimate pleasure from Bela Lugosi's performance. Ever the trouper, he acts as if he's in one of his Shakespeare productions in his native Hungary and the film is all the better because of it. Lugosi emotes his standard mad scientist part with passion and conviction. He delivers such lines as "Some people's brains would never be missed" in his sonorous Hungarian accented voice with an air of sinister elegance. Such a unique delivery elevates his dialogue from stale cliches to arcane parlance. Lugosi fans should savor RETURN OF THE APE MAN.

It's a letdown for John Carradine's fans, however. As Dexter's sane and ethical partner, he just goes through the motions. His performance is so listless that one perversely roots for Lugosi's far more vibrant character when the scientists argue.

Overall, RETURN OF THE APE MAN exemplifies the situation of an outstanding performer (in this case, Lugosi) rising above his unpromising material.