Thu 5 Jul 2018
MAN WITH TWO LIVES. Monogram, 1942. Edward Norris, Marlo Dwyer, Eleanor Lawson, Frederick Burton, Addison Richards, Edward Keane, Hugh Sothern, Tom Seidel. Director: Phil Rosen.
The last time I began one of these online reviews by talking about the “no name” cast, I was quickly made fun of, for not recognizing any of players. So, having not yet learned my lesson, how many of the names above, not including Phil Rosen, have you heard of?
No matter. Low budget movie or not, there was only one of the members of the cast who didn’t seem to me to be up for the part he was playing. As for the movie itself, it begins in pure sci-fi mode, with a doctor seen surrounded by all kinds of electronic gadgets and bubbling test tubes set up in the lab he has put together in his back bedroom. After years of research, it turns out that he has brought a dead dog’s heart back to life.
Does it work on humans? He doesn’t know, but when the son of a friend is killed in an automobile accident, he is persuaded to try. By pure coincidence the attempt is made at the stroke of midnight, exactly the same time as when the switch is pulled on a notorious killer in the death house at a nearby state penitentiary.
The audience catches on far more quickly than the friends and relatives of the young man who is the subject of the experiment. He awakes having amnesia but soon begins to find himself drawn to the dead mob leader’s headquarters. Surprisingly quickly he becomes the new head of the gang.
Even worse, he spurns the girl he was engaged to marry to take up with knockout beauty who was the dead gangster’s moll. There is eventually some talk of the “transmigration of the soul” to explain all this scientifically, but even if it’s all hooey at the heart of it, this is a fun movie to watch.
This in spite of what definitely qualifies as a “dumb ending.” And no names in the cast or not.
July 5th, 2018 at 9:50 pm
Norris did pretty well in the girl department and had somewhat of a career at MGM, some pretty good films in secondary parts, and other studios. Addison Richards was also a big time pro, but the others are unknown to me. Who was the actor you thought not up to it?
July 5th, 2018 at 11:16 pm
I didn’t recognize Addison Richards’ name, but I certainly did his face. The actor I thought wasn’t quite up to par was Tom Seidel, who played Edward Norris’s brother. He made a lot of movies in the early 40s, but most of them uncredited.
July 6th, 2018 at 8:08 am
You’d have to watch a LOT of Monogram movies to know most of these names, and I’m not sure it’s worth it.
July 6th, 2018 at 9:44 pm
Not absolutely awful on a slow night in a forgiving mood, which is a fairly good review for many Monogram epics.
July 7th, 2018 at 7:30 am
David,you put it perfectly!
July 7th, 2018 at 8:50 am
Good old-fashioned fun watching these and discussing them. Kenne Duncan (Jess Fowler in this one) of course became a screen immortal on the dark side when he played Dr. Acula in Edward D. Wood’s NIGHT OF THE GHOULS. He also showed up in a lot of westerns, both in the movies and early TV.