Before I Hang

Director: Nick Grinde Nick Grinde

Overview

Condemned to death for a mercy killing, Dr. John Garth (Karloff) continues to experiment in prison to develop a serum that will put at end to the aging process -- vowing to complete it Before I Hang. On the eve of his execution, he offers himself as guinea pig for his youth serum, which has recently been mixed with the blood of an executed psychopath. Miraculously, Garth does grow younger before the astonished eyes of kindly prison physician Ralph Howard (Edward Van Sloan). Alas, the serum has murderous side effects, which Howard discovers only as Garth strangles him to death. Pardoned from Death Row thanks to a script contrivance, Garth spends the rest of the film trying to carry on his humanitarian work despite embarrassing lapses into homicidal mania. Many observers regard Before I Hang as the best of Karloff's "Mad Doctor" series for Columbia.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/04/2011
UPC:	0043396388918
Original Release:	1940
Rating:	NR
Source:	ALLIED VAUGHN
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:02:00
Sales rank:	53,951

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Boris Karloff	Dr. John Garth
Evelyn Keyes	Martha Garth
Edward Van Sloan	Dr. Ralph Howard
Bruce Bennett	Dr. Paul Ames
Ben Taggart	Warden Thompson
Pedro de Cordoba	Victor Sondini
Wright Kramer	George Wharton
Bertram Marburgh	Stephen Barclay
Don Beddoe	Captain McGraw
Robert Fiske	District Attorney
Kenneth MacDonald	Anson
Frank Richards	Otto Kron
Barton Yarborough	Stephen Barclay
Charles Trowbridge	Actor

Technical Credits

Nick Grinde	Director
Wallace MacDonald	Producer

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Before I Hang
1. Chapter 1 [10:00]
2. Chapter 2 [9:59]
3. Chapter 3 [10:00]
4. Chapter 4 [10:00]
5. Chapter 5 [10:00]
6. Chapter 6 [9:59]
7. Chapter 7 [2:02]

Menu

Disc #1 -- Before I Hang
   Feature Plays
   Chapters

Editorial Reviews

The old saying that "blood will tell" is given a very literal -- and not very scientifically sound -- twist in Before I Hang. Of course, in mad scientist films such as this, the "science" is much less important than the mad, so most fans will not care about the intense implausibility of the premise that blood from a murderer will turn a kindly man into a raving maniac. Hang's problem isn't really that its premise isn't sound; it's that the script is hackneyed. It's all about connecting the plot dots, and those dots are absurdly obvious, even from miles away. As might be guessed, dialogue is also not a strong suit here. Nick Grinde's direction is poor and quite rushed -- although that does have the advantage of making Hang a very short, breezy flick. What makes the film worth a viewing is, of course, its star. Boris Karloff was still in his prime in 1940, and he makes even lower-tier work such as this enjoyable. It's not one of his great performances, but there are moments here and there, little nuances that lesser horror actors wouldn't have thought of. He can't quite save Hang, but he keeps it afloat -- which is quite an achievement.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler