cinema history class: king of the zombies (1941)

NOTE:
Subsequent to posting this, I edited it to add the whole section about Bela Lugosi

As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL.

Session: Cheap Thrills! (Week 4)
Movie: King of the Zombies (1941)
Directed by Jean Yarbrough

Plot:

Blown off course and low on fuel, pilot James McCarthy (Dick Purcell) is fortunate to crash land on a remote Caribbean island. Then he uncovers plots involving voodoo, zombies and espionage. Horror ensues.

Reaction and Other Folderol:

This was really the Mantan Moreland show, which is both a blessing and a curse.

I've enjoyed Moreland's performances in other movies that I've seen -- including the sequel, Revenge of the Zombies. But this may have been too much of a good thing. A lot of times Moreland delivered a line and I kind of realized it was a laughline and snorted out a laugh, but then thought "wow, that wasn't really funny." At some point I just started rolling my eyes.

And that's where it would have been good to have a bigger audience. Ethan and I were the only ones who showed up for class this session. I might have enjoyed the jokes better if the other regulars were there -- laughter has a way of being infectious. And that might actually have been the key to this movie. It was made to be seen in a theater amidst a large crowd of people. No one involved was imagining a day when people would be streaming movies at home alone or watching DVDs in small groups in a basements. Maybe, in a theater, surrounded by people who are there to have a good time, I would have enjoyed the schtick more.

Beyond the fact of Moreland's schtick being the focus, the plot itself was kind of simple and unremarkable. The soundtrack was pretty good.

Keith noted before the movie started that the part of Dr. Sangre, which went to Henry Victor, had been written with Bela Lugosi in mind. And it's easy to see that in the movie. Victor goes through the entire movie in full on imitation of Lugosi. And I don't think that does the part justice. Lugosi would have been great in the part, and I probably would have given the movie a higher grade if Lugosi had been in it. But since it was Henry Victor, I would have preferred seeing Victor be himself.

Ratings

Me: 6.5

Ethan: 7