The Lady and the Monster (1944)

A millionaire's brain is preserved after his death, and telepathically begins to take control of those around him.

Director:

George Sherman

Writers:

Dane Lussier (screenplay), Frederick Kohner (screenplay)

Stars:

Vera Ralston, Erich von Stroheim, Richard Arlen

Cast

Cast overview:
Vera Ralston	...	Janice Farrell (as Vera Hruba Ralston)
Richard Arlen	...	Dr. Patrick Cory
Erich von Stroheim	...	Prof. Franz Mueller
Helen Vinson	...	Chloe Donovan
Mary Nash	...	Mrs. Fame - the housekeeper
Sidney Blackmer	...	Eugene Fulton
Janet Martin	...	Cafe Singer
William Henry	...	Roger Collins (as Bill Henry)
Charles Cane	...	Mr. Grimes
Juanita Quigley	...	Mary Lou
Josephine Dillon	...	Mary Lou's Grandmother
Antonio Triana	...	Cafe Dancer
Lola Montes	...	Cafe Dancer

Storyline

A millionaire's brain is preserved after his death, and telepathically begins to take control of those around him.

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Plot Keywords:

psychotronic film | brain | doctor | narration | narrator | 

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Taglines:

A picture from out of this world!

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Star Vera Ralston was an ice-skating champion from Czechoslovakia who had made a few skating pictures for Republic. Studio chief Herbert J. Yates--who was also her boyfriend--decided she could be a star and put her into the lead in this film. Unfortunately, she spoke very little English and--according to longtime Republic director Joseph Kane--spoke all of her lines phonetically, without having any idea of what she was actually saying.

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Goofs

Having been convicted of murder, Roger Collins is confined in a federal penitentiary. But murder is not a federal offense; Collins should have been sent to a state prison instead.

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Quotes

Prof. Franz Mueller: Would it not be the achievement of all time to keep the brains of great thinkers, scientists, authors, statesmen, alive? To derive benefit from their wisdom and thinking power, even after their death - to make them literally immortal?

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Connections

Featured in Ferdie's Inferno: The Lady and the Monster (1965)

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Soundtracks

Yours (Quiereme Mucho)
Written by Augustin Rodriguez, Gonzalo Roig and Jack Sherr

User Reviews

Dull and overly talky

I don't get into the "science" of these types of films or even begin to question things that might not make sense, but I simply found the movie not very engaging. It had a pretty good start, but after about half an hour it began to drag. The "hero" wasn't very appealing, and the less said about the leading lady, the better. (According to some of the comments she wasn't simply a terribly wooden actress with zero ability to deliver her lines with any conviction whatsoever, she was a non-English-speaker and reciting her lines phonetically... this perhaps explains her performance, but not why anyone would hire her in the first place.) By contrast, Erich Von Stroheim was very entertaining and perfectly filled the bill for a driven, slightly-demented German-esque scientist.

The narration present throughout almost the entire film suggests to me that the screenwriters could have done a better job... to have a disembodied narrator explaining what's going on from start to finish is intrusive and didn't help me to engage with the picture. Exposition kills pacing, and a well-written script will eliminate the need for it.

I would say "don't bother" unless you like Von Stroheim and would enjoy watching him chew a little scenery. He was easily the best thing about the film and I likely wouldn't have finished it if it weren't for him.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 April 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Monster & Tiger Man

Filming Locations:

Republic Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min 67 min (1949 re-release)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1