Indestructible Man (1956)

Charles "The Butcher" Benton, a brutal death row inmate gets double-crossed by his crooked lawyer. He gets his chance for revenge when, after he's been executed, a bizarre experiment brings him back to life and more deadly than ever.

Director:

Jack Pollexfen

Writers:

Vy Russell (original screenplay), Sue Dwiggins (original screenplay) (as Sue Bradford)

Stars:

Lon Chaney Jr., Max Showalter, Marian Carr

Cast

Cast overview:
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Charles 'Butcher' Benton (as Lon Chaney)
Max Showalter	...	Police Lt. Dick Chasen (as Casey Adams)
Marian Carr	...	Eva Martin (as Marion Carr)
Ross Elliott	...	Paul Lowe
Stuart Randall	...	Police Capt. John Lauder
Ken Terrell	...	Joe Marcelli (as Kenneth Terrell)
Marjorie Stapp	...	Hysterical Young Woman
Robert Shayne	...	Prof. Bradshaw
Peggy Maley	...	Francine
Robert Foulk	...	Harry - Bar Owner
Reita Green	...	Carney's 'Bait' (as Rita Green)
Roy Engel	...	Desk Sergeant (as Roy Engle)
Madge Cleveland	...	Screaming Woman

Storyline

"Butcher" Benton goes to his death in the state prison, cursing the three men who double-crossed him following an armored-car hold-up; "Squeamy" Ellis, Joe Marcelli and Paul Lowe, his attorney and leader of the gang. He vows to return and kill them and dies without revealing the location of the stolen money. Detective Chasen is determined to keep working on the case until the stolen loot is recovered. Benton's body is taken to Professor Bradshaw and his assistant for experimentation, and they manage to restore him to life, making him practically indestructible in the process. He takes off after the three men, getting rid of everybody who stands in his way. He is impervious to police bullets. He kills Ellis and Marcelli, while Lowe seeks police protection. Benton takes to the sewers to recover the hidden loot and the police are powerless to stop him.

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Plot Keywords:

stolen money | double cross | super strength | loss of voice | facial disfigurement | 

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Taglines:

The Screen's 300,000 Volt SHOCKER!

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Genres:

Crime | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 March 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Würger von Sing-Sing

Filming Locations:

Follies Burlesque Theater aka Burbank Theater, 548 S. Main Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

C.G.K. Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Released on a double bill with Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956).

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Goofs

In one scene Lt John Lauder is addressing Lt "Dick" Chasen, whom he refers to as "Mike".

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Quotes

Paul Lowe, Attorney: Well that's it, Butcher. The evidence against you is so strong, the governor turned down your appeal.
Charles 'Butcher' Benton: You're a rotten liar, Lowe. You started rough. And now you're still trying to throw me curves.
Paul Lowe, Attorney: Look, I don't blame you for being edgy but get this straight. I didn't doublecross you. I never worked harder for a client.
Charles 'Butcher' Benton: You mean you never worked harder for a client to get him sentenced.
Paul Lowe, Attorney: You're a fool, Butcher. If you hadn't tried to doublecross Squeamy Ellis and Joe Marcelli, they wouldn't have ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

In the opening credit title, the word indestructible tilts upward to act as a suspension bridge between the pillars at the left and the pillars at the right.

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Connections

Referenced in Cinemassacre's Monster Madness: The Screaming Skull (2010)

User Reviews

It's Electrifying Fun!

First let me say that this is...without any hesitation....a bad film. It has choppy transitions, cheap sets(wait till you see the lab equipment), mediocre to horrible acting, and some of the most ridiculous plot developments to grace any film. Yet, this is one fun film to watch. Charles "Butcher" Benton is killed in the electric chair only to be sold to scientists who bring him back to life. No scientific explanation is really given for this feat, but Lon Chaney comes back to life and with a vengeance. See, he wants to kill the three guys that put him in prison, a sleazy lawyer and two small hoods. Chaney is definitely fun to watch, and except for a few lines early in the picture, is mute throughout. He is a mute killer who literally throws people all over and kills with no discrimination at all. Chaney has many close-ups of his face and the way his eyes move is hilarious! I laughed myself silly any time he got mad and started to throw people. The cast is pretty average to below average with a couple exceptions. Max Showalter does a good job as the cop hot on the trail of the Butcher and the lovely blonde playing Eva Martin is nice to look at and has some talent as well. Look for Joe Flynn...yes, Captain Binghamton himself in a small role as a scientist's assistant. Lots of fun!