The Mummy's Hand (1940)

Charming and brutal

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Chaney, like Karloff, hated the Mummy makeup (Chaney was no fan of the Wolfman transformation, either). Karloff said his Mummy make up took longer than Frankenstein. My question is why not put Chaney's name over the title for marquee value (which was done) but let a Chaney double or Tom Tyler, the original Mummy in "The Mummy's Hand" play the monster. With all that makeup and rags, it's difficult to recognize Chaney anyway. Besides, half the time the Mummy stumbles around in virtual darkness. How long is Chaney actually in the three films he did as the Mummy? Maybe 20 minutes each, if that? Pay Chaney, let's say, $2,000 for his name on the marquee in each picture, but let Tyler do the heavy lifting. To satisfy Tyler (who'll probably get the scale salary), list him in the beginning and end credits, but give him a character name NOT in the movie.

The first in Universal's fun Kharis the mummy series. The plot is about a couple of archaeologists (Dick Foran and comic relief Wallace Ford) teaming with a magician and his daughter (Cecil Kellaway, Peggy Moran) to search for the tomb of the Egyptian princess Ananka. But George Zucco is entrusted to guard the tombs of Egypt and uses the living mummy Kharis (Tom Tyler) to try and stop the outsiders. Often referred to as a sequel to The Mummy, it's really not despite the use of stock footage from that film. The mummy character and his lost love are given different names in this one. Instead of Imhotep we now have Kharis and instead of Ankh-es-en-amon we have Ananka. Also, now instead of the mummy himself being in control of his actions, he's now controlled by George Zucco through use of tana leaves.The cast is great, with Foran and Ford surprisingly likable heroes. I say surprisingly because both men were hit or miss with me in some of their earlier work in the 1930s. Cecil Kellaway is always enjoyable. Peggy Moran is lovely and has a badass moment or two before becoming the damsel in distress. Tom Tyler is no Boris Karloff but the role really requires very little that a stuntman couldn't do. Tyler would go on to be in the Captain Marvel and Phantom serials, which are great fun. The real star of the film is horror legend George Zucco. He's one of those great old stars that made movies better just by his presence. He's awesome in this.While none of the Kharis series ever matched the original Mummy's quality, they do bring more action and humor to the table. Oh, and more mummy as well since Karloff's bandaged mummy only appears briefly in that film. In this series, the mummy is front and center throughout. This first film in the series is the best. It's a fantastic, old-fashioned horror-adventure film that young and old alike can enjoy. If you're a fan of Universal horror films like me, movies like this are a real treat and have immense rewatchability.

Christy Cabanne directed this loose remake of the Karloff classic(also produced by Universal Studios) Here, Dick Foran and Wallace Ford play Steve Manning and Babe Jenson, two unemployed archaeologists who get a magician named Solvani(played by Cecil Kellaway) to fund an expedition to excavate the Egyptian tomb of princess Ananka. His daughter Marta(played by Peggy Moran) is furious and skeptical about this, but goes along since the money is all spent. They do unearth her tomb, but also her protector Kharis(played by Tom Tyler) a living mummy who goes on a murder spree to avenge the violation of her tomb, since that is his mission, enabled by a cult of priests, the last of whom is played by George Zucco. Though fun to a point, with a good cast, this is hurt by far too much comedy relief with Babe. Not enough atmosphere to compensate either; worked much better with Karloff. Still, this was a hit, and followed by three sequels.

We again return to Anaka and Kharis, and even have Zita Johann and Boris Karloff shown archive footage from their 1932 roles.But, they don't recreate the same story here. First, they bring in Dick Foran and Wallace Ford to ham it up. We'll likely find more comedy than horror.Secondly, without the CGI and stupendous special effects of the 1999 story, it was still enjoyable. Sometimes those things just get in the way.Lastly, there was a very good story here, and the acting was not bad. After all, you had a twice nominated Oscar actor here in the person of Cecil Kellaway.Worth the time.