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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)

Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17637 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Tue May 12, 2015 10:12 pm Post subject: Man-Made Monster (1941) |
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[Also released as: "The Atomic Monster"]
Lon Chaney, Jr., plays a circus performer called "Dynamo Dan the Electric Man", who can withstand charges of electricity -- in fact, they actually make him glow in the dark. Lionel Atwill is an evil scientist who experiments on Chaney, turning him into a white-faced zombie with a lethal electric touch.
Chaney is sent to prison, where he manages to survive the electric chair and then escape to rescue Anne Nagel from the crazed doctor.
Special effects by John P. Fulton endow the film with visual treats. Made the same year as Chaney's famous "The Wolf Man", which was much more successful. Chaney's role was originally written for Boris Karloff.
Directed by George Waggner. _________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Last edited by Bud Brewster on Fri Nov 11, 2022 11:25 am; edited 8 times in total |
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Pow Galactic Ambassador

Joined: 27 Sep 2014 Posts: 3739 Location: New York
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 10:28 am Post subject: |
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I remember this as both a scary film & tragic one considering the goodness of the Channey character.
Very sad. It also had a beautiful score at the end of the film. |
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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)

Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17637 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 12:04 pm Post subject: |
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I found out a little about the music for this movie. IMBD provided this info under the listing for Man-Made Monster.
Hans J. Salter -------- musical director (as H.J. Salter)
Charles Henderson -- composer: stock music (uncredited)
Charles Previn ------- orchestrator (uncredited)
Frank Skinner -------- composer: additional music (uncredited)
This three-minute clip from Youtube is a showcase for both the special effects and the dynamic music during Chaney's laboratory transformation.
Impressive.
__________________ _________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958) |
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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)

Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17637 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 12:38 pm Post subject: |
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Well, here's the official trailer, but the picture is pretty fuzzy, like watching something through glasses with Vaseline smeared on the lenses. Still, it's the only version I can find.
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__Man Made Monster (1941) Review - Cinema Slashes
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Last edited by Bud Brewster on Thu Mar 05, 2020 1:24 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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The Spike Astral Engineer
Joined: 23 Sep 2014 Posts: 266 Location: Birmingham. Great Britain.
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Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2020 7:45 pm Post subject: Dynamo Dan: The Electric Man. |
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Man Made Monster is directed by George Waggner and stars Lionel Atwill, Lon Chaney Jr & Anne Nagel. It's adapted from an original story titled "The Electric Man" which is co-written by H.J. Essex, Sid Schwartz & Len Golos. It is notable for being the first horror venture for Chaney Jr who would make his signature horror movie "The Wolf Man" the same year. Plot sees Chaney as "Big Dan" McCormick, the sole survivor of an electric train wreck. That all the other passengers were killed by electrocution fascinates the sci-fi boffins, particularly diabolic Dr. Paul Rigas (Atwill), who coerces Dan into a series of tests. The outcome of which will spell disaster as Dan absorbs huge levels of electricity and becomes immune to it. Soon Dan will become the unstoppable Electric Man.
Universal's "Man Made Monster" has no pretence what so ever, it is what it is, a short sharp shock shocker that plugs itself into the mains and lights up the screen for the 1 hour running time. Which in the case of the excellent Chaney Jr is actually the case, as he is transformed into a hulking, walking light bulb head that garners sympathy in the way that Universal's other man made monster did. The photography (Elwood Bredell) is moody and atmospheric, Hans J. Salter's musical score delightfully oozes familiar Universal values, while Waggner and his team, when one considers the short running time, do very good work on the characterisations - with Atwill given full license to be bonkers - real bonkers...
It's all very conventional in the grand scheme of Universal horror. Monster elicits sympathy, a foxy lady in the mix (Nagel), mad scientist, dashing hero type (Frank Albertson) and here we even have the intelligent pet. There's some smarts in the writing as the makers observe capital punishment and note man messing with things he probably shouldn't be. But really just don't go too deep with it and enjoy a solid little chiller that's boosted by John Fulton's first rate special effects. 7/10 _________________ The quality of mercy is not strnen. |
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