King of the Zombies (1941)

On a spooky island, three stranded travelers find an evil doctor working with foreign spies and in control of zombies.

Director:

Jean Yarbrough

Writer:

Edmond Kelso (screenplay)

Stars:

Dick Purcell, Joan Woodbury, Mantan Moreland

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Dick Purcell	...	James McCarthy
Joan Woodbury	...	Barbara Winslow
Mantan Moreland	...	Jeff
Henry Victor	...	Dr. Miklos Sangre
John Archer	...	Bill Summers
Patricia Stacey	...	Alyce Sangre
Guy Usher	...	Adm. Wainwright
Marguerite Whitten	...	Samantha
Leigh Whipper	...	Momba
Madame Sul-Te-Wan	...	Tahama
James Davis	...	Lazarus (as Jimmy Davis)
Laurence Criner	...	Dr. Couillie (as Lawrence Criner)

Storyline

During World War 2, a small plane off the south coast of America is low on fuel and blown off course by a storm. Guided by a faint radio signal, they crashland on an island. The passenger, his manservant and the pilot take refuge in a mansion owned by a doctor. The easily-spooked manservant soon becomes convinced the mansion is haunted by zombies and ghosts. Exploring, the 3 find a voodoo ritual in the cellar, where the doctor is trying to acquire war intelligence by transferring personalities into his zombies. But the interruption causes the zombies to turn on their creator.

---

Plot Keywords:

airplane | pilot | island | fear | woman in jeopardy | 

---

Taglines:

Don't miss this shock-crammed punch-packed double thriller-chiller terror program!

---

Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Horror

---

Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

First telecast in New York on 28 April 1949 on WCBS (Channel 2).

---

Goofs

When Dr. Sangre is showing Bill and Mac their quarters, the boom mic shadow is often visible on the wall with the entry door.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
James McCarthy: Hello? McCarthy calling. McCarthy calling. Hello?
Bill Summers: Any luck, Mac?
James McCarthy: Nah, I can't even scare up a news broadcast.
Bill Summers: Where do you think we are?
James McCarthy: Search me. We lost the beam hours ago. Probably somewhere between Cuba nad Puerto Rico.
Jeff: Is it that bad?
James McCarthy: It ain't good.
Jeff: Uh-oh. I knowed I wasn't cut out to be no blackbird.

---

Connections

Featured in Vampira and Me (2012)

User Reviews

Mantan Moreland is a hoot

This little gem of a movie is actually better than it should be considering it is a Monogram picture with a low budget and unfortunate racial stereotypes which were typical for the early 1940's.

Mantan Moreland is the star of this picture. He was a great comedic actor who was stereotyped into playing the dimwitted servant in most of his movies, but he really shines in this picture. I laughed out loud when he tells his boss that he had been "zombiefied". Every scene he is in he steals. This picture was billed as a horror movie, but it is actually a comedy. There is nothing remotely scary about the plot, which involves a German doctor who has taken over an island and is turning the natives into zombies while trying to get classified secrets from a captured American admiral through the use of hypnosis. I really enjoyed this movie despite the cheap sets, silly plot and racial stereotypes. If you want a good laugh on a Saturday afternoon, then pop some popcorn and sit back and enjoy Mantan Moreland. He more than makes up for this movie's deficiencies.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 May 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

King of the Zombies

Company Credits

Production Co:

Monogram Pictures, Sterling Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

67 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1