Eccentric Cinema | THE MUMMY'S HAND • THE MUMMY'S TOMB

Mummy Double Feature

U.S.A. / 1940, 1942
Directors:
Christy Cabanne / Harold Young
Starring
Dick Foran, George Zucco
Wallace Ford, Peggy Moran
Tom Tyler, Lon Chaney Jr.
B&W / Not Rated
THE MUMMY'S HAND: 70 Min.
THE MUMMY'S TOMB: 61 Min.
Format: DVD
Double Feature Disc / R1 - NTSC
Universal Studios

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Now back in print — 2007 edition

Review by
Brian Lindsey

Mummy's Hand

Mummy's Tomb

Yet another in the (slowly) expanding series of Classic Monsters Collection DVDs, this double feature disc pairs The Mummy's Hand with The Mummy's Tomb, the first two films in Universal's Mummy franchise of the 1940s. They're actually not related in any way to 1932's The Mummy, which starred Boris Karloff in the title role and featured very little of the stereotypically cloth-wrapped, shambling revenant. Responsibility for that "icon" of horror really belongs to the films that followed, these two in particular.
    Though not a sequel to the '32 film — it shares none of the same characters — this fact doesn't prevent The Mummy's Hand from utilizing chunks of footage lifted from the earlier movie. In a flashback detailing the ancient origins of Kharis, the mummy of the '40s series, Karloff's Im-ho-tep is snipped out and actor Tom Tyler inserted in his place. When the royal Princess Ananka dies, Kharis — just like Im-ho-tep — commits sacrilege in an attempt to resurrect his beloved from the dead. He too is buried alive for this sin, doomed to guard Ananka's hidden tomb for eternity under the direction of the High Priests of Karnak. With their knowledge of the sacred Tana leaf and its magical properties, these cultists not only maintain Kharis in a state of living death but can empower him to destroy all who would disturb the princess' resting-place.
    In Egypt, down-on-his-luck American archeologist Stephen Banning (Dick Foran) stumbles upon a broken piece of ancient pottery that offers clues to the location of Ananka's tomb. Along with his wisecracking pal "Babe" Jensen (Wallace Ford), Banning enlists a traveling stage magician, "The Great Solvani" (Cecil Kellaway), to help fund an expedition. Accompanying them on the dangerous trek are Solvani's savvy, attractive daughter Marta (the delightful Peggy Moran) and a respected academician, Dr. Petrie (Charles Trowbridge). But the principle dangers faced by the party are not those of hostile tribesmen or the harsh desert clime. The evil Andoheb (George Zucco), High Priest of Karnak, is aware of their plans and tries to thwart them at every turn. Eventually, when a dig begins in earnest at the Mountain of the Seven Jackals — site of Ananka's secret tomb — Andoheb unleashes the fury of Kharis, the living mummy, upon them.
    Without question, The Mummy's Hand is the best of the Universal mummy pics of the '40s. It's an old-fashioned horror in the best sense of the word, with dashes of adventure, comedy, and a little romance thrown in for good measure. (It's this film, rather than the '32 Karloff vehicle, which obviously provided the most inspiration for Stephen Sommers' big budget 1999 "re-imagining" of the mythos.) As the villainous Andoheb, B-movie vet Zucco fashions a memorable performance from an underwritten part. Moran, as the plucky heroine, radiates a wholesome "girl next door" kind of sexiness that really shines through. (Happily her character isn't some brainless twit, either.) One-time cowboy actor Tom Tyler makes for a fearsome mummy, the best besides Karloff and Christopher Lee. (Sorry, Lon!) A couple of impressive sets — the huge steps and interior of the Temple of Karnak — harken back to the big budget horror films of the '30s, lending Hand a more expensive look than that of the following three "UniMummies".
    However, the procession of magic tricks by The Great Solvani quickly wears thin, as do the cornball antics of the Babe Jensen character. These two horses are flogged mercilessly in failed attempts to mine comic relief... Why couldn't the Mummy just strangle 'em?
    The direct sequel to Hand, 1942's The Mummy's Tomb, is a very short movie — barely over an hour long. And this on top of the fact that a good nine minutes of it is recycled footage from the previous film! It's not particularly good but does have its moments. Lon Chaney Jr., disappointingly nondescript as the Monster in that same year's Ghost of Frankenstein, fares better here as the cloth-wrapped harbinger of death, Kharis.
    The story picks up in America 30 years after the events of The Mummy's Hand... then almost immediately recounts those events — via a "highlights" flashback — as retired widower Stephen Banning (Foran again, in old age makeup) describes his adventures at the Mountain of the Seven Jackals. His son John (John Hubbard), an up-and-coming physician, pooh poohs the notion of living mummies but Isobel (Elyse Knox), John's pretty fiancée, is enthralled. Both will soon learn that the elder Banning's fantastic tale was 100% fact. That very night the old man is strangled to death in his room by Kharis, the immortal mummy which Banning thought destroyed three decades earlier! Kharis has been brought to America by Mehemet Bey (the bland Turhan Bey), disciple of Andoheb, High Priest of Karnak. His mission is to destroy those who violated Ananka's tomb and all their blood relatives. Stephen Banning was but the first victim. Later his sister is also found murdered and a handyman permanently paralyzed with fright. With John at a loss and the police baffled, Stephen's old buddy Babe Hansen (Ford, reprising his Hand role) arrives in town to pay his respects. When Babe learns that a grayish mold was found on the necks of the victims, he realizes that Kharis again walks the earth... and that both he and John are in the gravest danger.
    The Mummy's Tomb falls disappointingly flat. The dialog is poor. As the puppetmaster behind Kharis' rampage Turhan Bey never generates any real menace. At least the pacing is brisk; the thing's over before you know it. The fiery climax is well-realized with above par effects for the time. And Chaney, who's never seen out of mummy costume in the film (unlike Karloff and Tyler before him), is effective in a thankless, essentially anonymous role. George Zucco even shows up again as Andoheb, the villainous Egyptian pumped full of bullets by Babe Hansen near the climax of the 1940 film. Like Ygor in Ghost of Frankenstein, he, too, has miraculously survived a fatal shooting (not to mention a long tumble down those massive steps). Interestingly enough, Andoheb — nearly bald in the first film — has grown a full head of hair in his old age! Doesn't it usually work the other way 'round? Perhaps Tana leaves act as a follicle stimulant.

These films fare nicely on DVD, though speckles abound and print damage is occasionally evident — not at all unexpected with flicks of this vintage. Sound levels appear to wax and wane on Hand; Tomb fares better in this regard. Trailers for both features are offered, as well as cast/filmmaker bios and interesting, all-too-brief production notes by monster scholar Tom Weaver. 2/11/02

UPDATE Out of print for two years, these films were re-released (Oct. 19, 2004) by Universal in a combo Legacy Collection with the studio's other Mummy films: The Mummy (1932), The Mummy's Ghost (1944) and The Mummy's Curse (1944). The original double feature disc reviewed above, pairing Hand with Tomb, will again be issued by Universal in July 2007... This constant repackaging/reissuing of titles is becoming absurd. - Ed.

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