Bowery at Midnight

Director: Wallace Fox

Overview

Bowery at Midnight casts Bela Lugosi as Professor Brenner, a psychology instructor at New York University (which looks a lot like Berkeley in the exterior shots!). When not enlightening his students -- most of them buxom Monogram starlets -- Brenner is engaged in charitable work, running a mission in the Bowery. In truth, however, the kindly professor is a fiend in human form, who uses his mission as a front for a vast criminal empire. When Judy (Wanda McKay), one of Brenner's students, stumbles onto the truth, she's targeted for extermination by the Dr. Jekyll-and-Mr. Hyde prof.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/15/2022
UPC:	0810037855708
Original Release:	1942
Rating:	NR
Source:	Wownow Entertainment
Language:	English
Time:	1:01:00
Sales rank:	55,129

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Bela Lugosi	Prof. Frederick Brenner, alias Karl Wagner
John Archer	Richard Dennison
Wanda McKay	Judy Malvern
Tom Neal	Frankie Mills
Vince Barnett	Charlie
John Berkes	Fingers Dolan
Ray Miller	Big Man
J. Farrell MacDonald	Capt. Mitchell
Lew Kelly	Doc Brooks
Lucille Vance	Mrs. Malvern
Anna Hope	Mrs. Brenner
Dave O'Brien	Pete Crawford
Wheeler Oakman	Stratton
Willy Castello	Jeweler
Pat Costello	Tramp Questioned by Richard
George Eldredge	Det. Thompson
Bernard Gorcey	Shopkeeper
Eddie Kane	Police Chief Martin
Ralph Littlefield	Big Man's Friend
Theodore Lorch	Tramp Playing Checkers at Friendly Mission
Walter McGrail	Coroner
'Snub' Pollard	Motorist
Bob Reeves	Henchman
Bobby Stone	Newsboy
Edward J. Kay	Composer
Victor Adamson	Tramp
Jack Kenney	Usher

Technical Credits

Gerald Schnitzer

Wallace Fox	Director
Jack Dietz	Producer
Sam Katzman	Producer
Gerald Schnitzer	Screenwriter
Glen Glenn	Sound Effects
Barney A. Sarecky	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Bowery at Midnight is simply a bad movie, but for those of us who revel in campy horror pics, it's worth watching. Truth to tell, it barely fits into the "horror" genre, placed there mostly because of the presence of the great Bela Lugosi and a Zombie subplot that seems to have been grafted onto the film as a result of Lugois's participation. Otherwise, Bowery is pretty much a crime thriller, albeit not a particularly good or convincing one. Lurid and melodramatic, Bowery's script doesn't make much sense and is totally unbelievable and is filled with wince-inducing dialogue. It does, interestingly, throw in a few tidbits of sociological interest, but the dramatic aspects of the script are strictly from hunger. Wallace W. Fox's direction is of the "get the shot and move on to the next one" variety; it's not good, but it has a certain efficiency and innocence that's some how appealing. The cast handles its cheesy chores in typical fashion, with the exception of Lugosi, who manages to rise above the material, even while playing down to its baser instincts. He makes even the most ludicrous moments enjoyable, and frequently fascinating. Again, Bowery is not anything like a good movie -- but it's much more entertaining than other films that are technically much better.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler