ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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Gloria Talbot and John Agar, together again for the first time!

Gloria is the daughter of the famous Dr. Jekyll, John Agar is her fiance. He's going crazy, and she's being blamed for a series of murders, but the murders are actually being committed by another doctor who is a werewolf!

Betcha didn't see that one comin', eh?

Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer (Beyond the Time Barrier, The Man from Planet X, etc.). Also starring Arthur Shields and John Dierkes.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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A fine trailer that's guaranteed to put you in the mood for this minor classic. And you can't go too wrong with Gloria Talbot.

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__________Daughter of Dr. Jekyll Trailer (1957)


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If you don't have time for the whole movie, here's a fine four minute clip that will whet your apetite.
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___Daughter of Dr. Jekyll - Nightmare Sequence


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[orzel-w]

[Pow]

Wikipedia and IMDB.

The house interior was a real home located on 6th Street, L.A. near Hancock Park.

John Agar (George Hastings) drives a 1912 Ford Model T in the opening of the movie.

The prologue and epilogue of the film are virtually identical to one another. The tone of voice is different for each one though.

British film scholar Phil Hardy speculates that the epilogue scene was used in the hopes this would become a film series.

The action in the wooded area was a region of California that had recently burned. Ultraviolet film was used to create the eerie atmosphere for those scenes.

Gloria Talbott, 1932~2000, (Janet Smith) had this to say about the movie : "I was amazingly surprised at it. I didn't think it was going to be anything---it was another one of those wham-bam-thank-you-mam- shoots, and yet it turned out to have a lot more content than I might have hoped."

Gloria Talbott was an accomplished equestrian.

John Agar (1921~2002) said: "I did that picture strictly for the bread. I didn't fluff it---I did the best I could with what I had to work with---but it wasn't my cup of tea. I just didn't believe it."

Daughter played on a double bill with The Cyclops which also happened to star Gloria Talbott.

Arthur Shields, 1896~1970, (Dr. Lomas) was the older brother of actor Barry Fitzgerald.

Shields was born in Dublin, Ireland and was a member of the renowned Dublin Abby Theater where he was both an actor and director.

Shields was also a involved in the historical event in 1916 known as the Easter Uprising. Shields served time in prison for his participation in the rebellion.

Ironically, Shields would act in the 1936 Hollywood movie The Plough and the Stars which was about the Easter Uprising. He would play the pivotal part of the real life Padraic (Patrick) Pearse who was a major player in the uprising.

Shields would perform in seven movies with his brother Barry Fitzgerald.

John Dierkes (1905~1975) who played the servant Jacobs was 6'6'' tall.

He is best remembered as Dr. Chapman from the classic SF movie The Thing From Another World. John was briefly considered for the role of the title character in that film. Jim Arness, 6'7" won the role due to his having broader shoulders than Arness.

Although he lost the role of the alien in the Thing film, he had more screen time and dialogue than Arness did. Arness regretted having taken the Thing role.

Dierkes would play the mute servant Batley in 1953 in Abbott & Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

He auditioned unsuccessfully in 1964 for the role of the butler Lurch for the The Addams Family TV series.

Attractive Marjorie Stapp (1921~2014) plays the woman dressing in her home who is murdered by the werewolf.

At one time she was a receptionist for the notorious mobster Bugsy Siegel.

Sidebar: Strange "B" movie with a good cast.

The prologue eliminates any mystery as to who the killer in the film will be. Why they would choose that route is perplexing?

The writer may have been trying to be clever by having the villain of the film be a werewolf and not a Hyde-like creation via Dr. Jekyll's serum. Instead it just comes off as peculiar and not effective. Why mislead an audience? If you the film is connected to the deceased Dr. Jekyll then make it so.
Anything else is gimmick as well as a cheat.

The werewolf in question is never given a background story as to how he became one. Another disappointment with this script.

The werewolf makeup is a letdown to see. Budget issues perhaps?

The scenes in the woods are atmospheric and creepy.

As I wrote at the beginning, this is one strange film with a few nicely done scenes but overall I cannot drum up much appreciation for it in spite its capable cast.