Ape Man (1943)

Cast:

Bela "Remember me from White Zombie not as a hairy scientist" Lugosi is Dr. James Brewster
Wallace Ford is the Jeff Carter, reporter
Minerva Urecal is Agatha Brewster
Louise Currie is Billie Mason
Henry Hall is Dr George Randall
Emil Van Horn is The Ape

What the box says:

Dr. James Brewster (Bela Lugosi) is a gland specialist scientist who transforms himself into a semi-simian state when an experiment goes wrong. As he gets harrier and more ape-like, his only hope is to find the anecdote - which he believes to be human spinal cord fluid. However, when he takes to the streets to get more of the cure, he begins a killing spreee. Will he be stopped before it is too late?

Plot:

Reporters are waiting at a port. Newspapers are reporting about the disappearance of Dr. James Brewster, too.

Some creepy bum talks with the reporters. The reporters are waiting for Agatha Brewster, James’s sister. Dr George Randall is able to spirit away from the newsies.

Later, Dr Randall explains how Brewster tested an experimental serum on himself and there have been consequences. He hasn’t been able to counteract the formula. They arrive at the Brewster mansion. One secret passage later, they see that James is in a cage with a gorilla.

Agatha is sort of distraught seeing her brother in a cage. James is let out. The creepy bum is watching all of this through a conveniently placed window.

The gorilla is acting up. James is able to growl until it cowers in submission. James is awfully animalistic with his facial hair.

At the newspaper office, Jeff, the reporter, is ordered to interview Agatha Brewster again. He is to take a new photographer with him, Billie Mason.

Later, the editor talks with a female photographer. I wonder if this will be Jeff’s partner.

Of course, Jeff doesn’t realize that Billie Mason is one fine tomato at first. They head off to the Brewster place. Biting comedy would ensue if you have the IQ of a retarded fruit fly.

Hairy Bela Lugosi works with various bubbling vials of chemicals.

Ever think to see a fur faced Bela Lugosi performing SCIENCE? He is unable to revert to a more human state and keeps becoming more animalistic. The cage is to help him stifle his urges. A Bela Lugosi flinging poo would be a terrible sight. He is positive human spinal fluid is the cure.

Dr Randall refuses to help James. Agatha learns the spinal fluid must be taken from a person and would kill them for James’s cure.

Finally, Jeff and Billie pull up to the Brewster mansion.

Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant, these two ain't.

A loping James rages at the gorilla. The gorilla noises are so loud that Jeff and Billie hear them outside. A video surveillance system spots the reporters as they are at the front door.

Jeff explains he needs a few pictures for the article. Agatha starts rambling about how the house is haunted. She is some sort of ghost hunter.

I'm a ghost hunter dressed like a school marm and has a brother turning into an ape? She plays a record of a ghost after learning they heard the noises before entering. James skulks upstairs. Creepy bum watches from outside.

James sneaks in to peek and accidentally gets his picture taken with a Billie photo. Afterwards, they leave.

James needs help with his cure.

James drives Agatha away. He can’t stand turning into a monkey. Lab destruction ensues. The ape apes him. James lets the gorilla out, and they go into the night.

Dr. Randall is working in his office. James and the ape watch him. James comes into the office and tries to convince help to help. The hairy James will do anything. Dr. Randall refuses and goes to a meeting. The police question Randall.

James has the ape come into the office. He gets the drop on the portly butler and drags him off.

Good Evening and welcome to Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Randall is finally finished with the police questions and discovers his dead butler. He reports that his butler was killed to the cops.

Jeff and Billie read about the death of the butler. They spot the strange creature in a photo with Agatha. Somehow, they deduce that is what made the noises they heard.

Bela Lugosi is back at SCIENCE!!!! Agatha checks on him. He still needs Dr. Randall’s help.

Jeff has decided to investigate this story.

James is ashamed of killing the hefty Alfred Hitchcock looking butler. Dr. Randall refuses to help again. However, Agatha pulls out a heater, aka a gun. He changes his tune. The creepy bum watches all of this from his perch.

Dr. Randall injects the syringe of spinal fluid into James who is almost immediately able to stand erect. Please no Viagra jokes. James is ecstatic at his progress. However, he still looks like a cousin to Bonzo.

Jeff pays another visit to Agatha. He starts questioning her about the disappearance of her brother. Jeff mentions gorillas before leaving.

Agatha questions Dr. Randall if James’s improvements are permanent. He won’t do anymore to help and leaves.

James starts stooping again. I guess he lost his erectness. The formula was only temporary. Maybe he should get some Cialis instead...He needs more spinal fluid.

James and the gorilla head back into the city. The gorilla strangles a few people on orders of the hairy Bela Lugosi.

The police are being briefed. The chief wants the killer caught fast.

Newspaper are too sensational nowadays, not like in the 40s.

Jeff has the Brewster mansion staked out.

Bela is refining the spinal fluid formula.

Agatha calls Dr. Randall who once again refuses to help. She tells James that Randall won’t help. The formula must be injected soon. James will pay a visit on the good doctor.

Agatha tries talking him out of going. James knocks her out and heads off.

The police check with Dr. Randall once again.

Back at the newspaper office, Jeff explains to Billie about his stakeout. More than that, she can’t come along because she’s a girl. Will she go and get in deep trouble?

Later, Agatha awakens from the Bela Lugosi sleeper hold.

Dr. Randall lets the police out after being questioned again. This is the only guy in that town to be questioned. However, the cops wait outside because they suspect he is expecting someone.

James arrives and has plenty of formula. Dr. Randall is prevented from calling the police. He breaks the container and destroys the formula. In revenge, James throttles him to death and escapes. The cops rush in only to find the very dead Dr. Randall.

Agatha rushes in and faints when she spots the dead Dr. Randall.

Jeff hears an angry gorilla. He breaks into the Brewster place and begins his search.

Guess what? The very capable Billie pulls up and goes in.

The great search begins. However, Jeff and Billie just keep missing each other and apparently don’t hear each other, either.

Bela returns.

Oh no, they’re doing the Scooby Doo hall gag without someone going into a room on the left side and coming out the right side.

Creepy music plays as the searching continues. Billie accidentally beans Jeff. Bela grabs her and drags her away.

Jeff awakens and chases after Bela who gets back into the lab.

Jeff calls the police.

Bela is back at SCIENCE.

The police are grilling Agatha.

Billie awakens and is being chased around a table in the lab by Bela. She is wielding a broom to keep him away. Somehow, the gorilla is freed.

Bela orders the gorilla to get Jeff. However, the ape goes after Bela instead. Mad scientists always be kind to your lab animals.

Billie is trapped and can’t escape from the lab. The gorilla is chasing after her.

The cops race in. Jeff has them get Agatha to open the secret passageway. Billie runs into the arms of Jeff. The police perforate the gorilla.

Agatha finds her brother’s body.

Billie and Jeff walk to the car. Creepy bum is sitting inside it. They ask him who he is. Apparently, he is the author of the story as he rolls up the car’s window which has “the end” written on it.

What I say:

The term B-movie has many different definitions and possible origins. B-movie normally stands for a low budget movie. B is also synonomous with the A and B movies for a double feature. While the A flick would be a higher budget and cast, the B movie would be shorter and with a low budget. Bela Lugosi hadn't quite hit the skids like in the 50s. He was definitely going downhill with these poverty row pictures.

William "One Shot" Beaudine is something of a legend for his ability to make cheap movies that would even embarrass Roger Corman. Beaudine would only shoot what he knew would be in the scene and wouldn't do retakes. A true count of his work is impossible. I've see counts from 200 to well over 500. He is more known for his western horror movies like Billy the Kid VS Dracula and Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter.

The plot was pretty much stolen form Boris Karloff's movie, the Ape. He uses spinal fluid as a cure for polio. When a circus gorilla is killed, he disguises himself in the ape skin and is killing people to collect more spinal fluid. Bela needs human spinal fluid for himself. The movies for the most part are almost identical. However, Apeman has one of those sequels in name only: The Return of the Ape Man. That movie concerns the mad scientist Bela Lugosi transplanting a colleague's brain into an ape.

Bela Lugosi's performance doesn't really help this movie. He didn't have many memorable roles in the 40s. Most of his roles were as just villains and especially as mad scientists like in Devil Bat. The idea of a fur faced Bela who was pseudo-simian is hard to wrap your mind around. There have been plenty of movies in the Dr. Jeckyll and Mr Hyde vein. Apeman is in the category. We have a scientist experimenting on himself and then is willing to kill for the cure. The Dr Jeckyll movies normally had Hyde trying to find a way to stay permanently. Here, Bela's animal side is so ruthless he is willing to do anything to return back to his human stature.

Minerva Urecal is Agatha Brewster. It is strange for a family to have a brilliant scientist and a ghost hunter as siblings. At first, I didn't pick up she was the ghost hunter. I was thinking the creepy bum was prowling around searching for ghosts. First, Agatha doesn't seem to mind the fact people would have to die for Bela to be cured. She displays a conscience about it after seeing Dr. Randall's dead body and when Jeff has the police get her to talk. The guy who kept trying to stop helping Bela and was forced at gunpoint to help was killed. However, the woman seems to get away with forcing Randall to inject Bela with the spinal fluid.

Movies always love to make the heroes to be crusading reporters and attorneys. I didn't realize how annoying the wisecracking reporter could be. Our fearless reporter is constantly harrassed about being a 4F. He is proud to announce he is going into the military in month. Just a small example of Hollywood trying to promote patriotism during World War 2. In fact, he is determined to investigate the Brewster place. He continually brings up how Billie can't go with him as if to trick her into going. I will say at least the movie has the sense not to have Jeff kill Bela and the gorilla. The police manage to kill the rogue gorilla who killed Bela.

If a character has an androgynous sounding name, it will have to be a female. That will allow our hero to meet her and have the typical "Gee, you're a girl" line. It would normally be followed by "Well, nothing gets past you." The charming of our soon to be couple. Ever notice how the capable female in old movies always falls apart and needs a man to save her? Too bad, the man makes Emo Phillips seem like freakin' Tom Jones.

In the 40s and 50s, actors could make livings just by playing gorillas and having their own gorilla suits. The gorilla is pretty ridiculous in this movie. It isn't that bad of a suit. However, Robot Monster had the robot with a gorilla suit and a diving helmet. So, at least that elevates the gorilla in the Ape Man at least a couple of levels. Was there ever any real explanation why Bela had a gorilla in cage? I can't remember if the movie ever really explains why Bela had a gorilla in his lab.

What really bothers me is that most of the characters didn't get named. The DVD copy of this movie is in pretty bad shape so maybe I just didn't hear the names when they were first mentioned. Is it that hard to name characters when there introduced instead of waiting 20 minutes into the movie? I don't remember Dr. George Randall called anything but Dr. The reporter, Jeff, was in the same boat.

A lot of the movie seems like it could be cut out. The police question Dr. Randall att least 3 times. The scene is used almost identically 3 times in a movie that is 67 minutes. We watch as the Creepy guy wanders about spying on everyone. I haven't quite figured out the ending with the creepy guy claiming to be the author. Somwhow, the idea of line between fantasy and reality blurring in a movie doesn't seem applicable for the Ape Man like In the Mouth of Madness. In fact, he could have been cut out and made the movie shorter and without that really lame joke ending.

Some people can't be removed from their movies. Every movie of Bela Lugosi's I write practically the same thing about how his career went down shortly after Dracula. In fact, I see his movies more about Bela Lugosi than some scientist out for revenge. He was always able to project a sinsiter aura about him. One of the greats of horror was unable to find any work. It seems tragic to see how low he sank falling into the ranks of Ed Wood movies. Bela Lugosi movies have found a niche in some of B-movie fans' hearts.

Quotable Dialogue
"Don't call me, chiefy."
"He's a ghost hunter."
"I'm not much of a Tarzan but could be."
Morals of the Story
Old mansions always have secret passages.
Bela Lugosi can scare a gorilla.
Scientists love to beat the monkey.
Scientists in the early 1940s, had video surveillance cameras.
Gorillas overact almost on a William Shatenerian level.