The Man They Could Not Hang

19391939
UnratedUnrated
1h 4m

Boris Karloff and Lorna Gray in The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)

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Crime Horror Sci-Fi

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 hangi... Read allWhen 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.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.

Director
- Nick Grinde
Writers
- Karl Brown(screenplay)
- Leslie T. White(story)
- George Wallace Sayre(story)
Stars

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See more at IMDbPro

Videos1

Karloff at Columbia

Karloff at Columbia

Boris Karloff and Lorna Gray in The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)

Boris Karloff, Lorna Gray, and Robert Wilcox in The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)

Lorna Gray in The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)

Boris Karloff and Byron Foulger in The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)

Boris Karloff, Stanley Brown, Ann Doran, and Byron Foulger in The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)

Boris Karloff and Byron Foulger in The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)

Boris Karloff, Joe De Stefani, and Robert Wilcox in The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)

Boris Karloff, Dick Curtis, Joe De Stefani, Ann Doran, Roger Pryor, Cyril Thornton, and Charles Trowbridge in The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)

Boris Karloff, James Craig, Dick Curtis, Joe De Stefani, Lorna Gray, Frank Jaquet, Roger Pryor, Charles Trowbridge, John Tyrrell, and Robert Wilcox in The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)

Boris Karloff and Lorna Gray in The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)

The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)

Boris Karloff, Joe De Stefani, Lorna Gray, and Robert Wilcox in The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)

Director
- Nick Grinde
Writers
- Karl Brown(screenplay)
- Leslie T. White(story)
- George Wallace Sayre(story)
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

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Mad scientist Dr. Henryk Savaard is obsessed with bringing the dead back to life. The police are alerted to Savaard's activities, however, and Savaard is arrested, convicted, and sentenced to hang. He vows revenge on the judge, jury, and district attorney. After the hanging, his assistant claims the corpse and uses Savaard's technique to bring the doctor back to life. Now the mad scientist can seek sweet revenge on his perceived "enemies". —Kelly/RMS

psychotronic film monster movie murder house trapped in a house death row 57 more

Taglines
- TRANSFORMED BY THE HANGMAN'S NOOSE...from a doctor serving humanity into a demon filled with hate...and terrorizing blood-lust!
Genres
Certificate
- Unrated
Parents guide
- Add content advisory

Trivia
A photo of Boris Karloff as character Dr. Henryk Savaard was used 2 years later as background image for a lobby card for The Devil Commands (1941).

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.

Quotes
Dr. Henryk Savaard: Think of it! The Edison or Pasteur of tomorrow need not die merely because his heart is worn out. We'll give him a new heart taken perhaps from the body of a young man who's been killed in a automobile accident. And our great genius is awakened to another sixty years of useful life! You ask me if that's a benefit to mankind? I answer it's the gift of eternal life! But whether man's wise enough or old enouh to receive such a gift, I don't know. I don't know!

Connections
Featured in Aweful Movies with Deadly Earnest: The Man They Could Not Hang (1972)

Top review

6/10

Always remember I offered you life and you gave me death!

Dr. Henryk Savaard (Boris Karloff) and his assistant are performing an experiment on reviving recently deceased people through use of an artificial heart. Unfortunately, the assistant's girlfriend is scared and runs to the police. They arrive before Savaard can complete the experiment and the assistant dies. Savaard is convicted and executed for murder. However, another assistant uses the artificial heart to bring him back to life. But the good doctor is batspit crazy and out for blood. So he starts killing off those he holds responsible for his death one by one. The first of several movies Karloff made for Columbia where he played a mad scientist type out for revenge. It's formulaic but it works. Karloff carries the movie as always.

helpful•5

1

utgard14
Jan 19, 2014

Release date
- August 17, 1939 (United States)
Country of origin
- United States
Language
- English
Also known as
- La horca fatal
Production company
- Columbia Pictures
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Runtime
1 hour 4 minutes
Color
- Black and White
Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1

Boris Karloff and Lorna Gray in The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)

Top Gap

By what name was The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) officially released in Canada in English?

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