When Dr. Savaard's experiment in cryonics is interrupted by the short-sighted authorities, his volunteer dies, and he is condemned to death. He vows vengeance if he can survive his own hanging.
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Title: The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Boris Karloff | ... | Dr. Henryk Savaard | |
| Lorna Gray | ... | Janet Savaard | |
| Robert Wilcox | ... | 'Scoop' Foley | |
| Roger Pryor | ... | District Attorney Drake | |
| Don Beddoe | ... | Police Lt. Shane | |
| Ann Doran | ... | Betty Crawford | |
 |
Joe De Stefani | ... | Dr. Stoddard |
| Charles Trowbridge | ... | Judge Bowman | |
| Byron Foulger | ... | Lang | |
| Dick Curtis | ... | Jury Foreman Clifford Kearney | |
| James Craig | ... | Juror Watkins | |
| John Tyrrell | ... | Juror Sutton | |
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Plot Summary
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Add Synopsis
Storyline
Mad Scientist, Dr. Henryk Savaard, is obsessed with bringing the dead back to life. The police are alerted of Savaard's activities by his assistant's girlfriend. Savaard is arrested, convicted and sentenced to hang. He vows revenge on the judge, jury and district attorney. After the hanging, his assistant claims Savaard's body and uses Savaard's technique on it. Savaard is brought back to life. Now he can seek sweet revenge on his prosecutors. Written by Kelly
Taglines:
Boris Karloff, the "Frankenstein" Monster, the man whose name telegraphs weird, fascinating chills gives you the biggest of all his roles...as a doctor turned demon, burning with fierce hatred of humanity! See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
17 August 1939 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Celui qui a tué la mort See more »Company Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Shooting lasted from June 27-July 12, 1939, released Aug. 17. See more »Goofs
When the judge dies, the remaining guests discover the electrified grill because the detective's gun, in a holster on his belt, hits the grill. Later, when the detective pulls his gun, he pulls it from his jacket. See more »Quotes
Dr. Henryk Savaard: You who have condemned me, I know your kind. Your forbears poisoned Socrates, burned Joan of Arc, hanged, tortured all those whose offense was to bring light into darkness. For you to condemn me in my work is a crime so shameful that the judgement of history will be against you for all the years to come!See more »
Boris Karloff plays a scientist who discovers a way to prolong people's lives. To try it out, he has to kill someone. When his plan is discovered, they arrest him, convict him and execute him. But, as the title identifies, it doesn't end there. To be certain, he invites the jurors to his house and explains how one person will perish every fifteen minutes. Then, it starts happening.
"The Man They Could Not Hang" is outlandish, definitely, but it's kind of a neat movie. The ending was sort of a cop-out, but most of the movie was pretty fun. Karloff's eerie stare is enough to carry a movie all by itself.