The Mummy's Ghost (1944)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Reginald Le Borg

Writers:

Griffin Jay (story) and
Henry Sucher (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

7 July 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Nameless! Fleshless! Deathless!

Plot:

An Egyptian high priest (John Carradine) travels to America to reclaim the bodies of ancient Egyptian...

Plot Keywords:

Mummy | Princess | Reincarnation | Jealousy | Secret Cult

Cast

John Carradine	...	Yousef Bey
Robert Lowery	...	Tom Hervey
Ramsay Ames	...	Amina Mansouri / Ananka
Barton MacLane	...	Inspector Walgreen
George Zucco	...	Andoheb, High Priest of Arkan
Frank Reicher	...	Prof. Matthew Norman
Harry Shannon	...	Sheriff Elwood
Emmett Vogan	...	Coroner
Lester Sharpe	...	Dr. Ayad, Scripps Museum
Claire Whitney	...	Mrs. Ella Norman
Oscar O'Shea	...	Scripps Museum Watchman
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Kharis (as Lon Chaney)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Steve Barclay	...	Tom's Classmate (uncredited)
David Bruce	...	Radio Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Caroline Cooke	...	Townswoman (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Scared Pedestrian (uncredited)
Fay Holderness	...	Woman (uncredited)
Mira McKinney	...	Mrs. Martha Evans (uncredited)
Jack Rockwell	...	Second Deputy (uncredited)
Jack C. Smith	...	Deputy Joe (uncredited)
Pietro Sosso	...	Priest (uncredited)
Ivan Triesault	...	Scripps Museum Guide (uncredited)
Dorothy Vaughan	...	Mrs. Ada Blake (uncredited)
Carl Vernell	...	Student (uncredited)
Martha Vickers	...	Miss McLean, a student (uncredited)
Eddy Waller	...	Ben Evans (uncredited)
Anthony Warde	...	Detective at Museum (uncredited)

Directed by
Reginald Le Borg

Writing credits
Griffin Jay		(story) and
Henry Sucher		(story)
Griffin Jay		(screenplay) &
Henry Sucher		(screenplay) &
Brenda Weisberg		(screenplay)

Produced by
Ben Pivar	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Frank Skinner		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
William A. Sickner		(as William Sickner)

Film Editing by
Saul A. Goodkind		(as Saul Goodkind)

Art Direction by
John B. Goodman
Abraham Grossman

Set Decoration by
Russell A. Gausman		(as R.A. Gausman)
Leigh Smith		(as L.R. Smith)

Costume Design by
Vera West		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Jack P. Pierce	....	special makeup artist

Sound Department
Bernard B. Brown	....	sound director
Jess Moulin	....	sound technician

Music Department
Hans J. Salter	....	musical director (as H.J. Salter)
Ralph Freed	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Charles Previn	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Hans J. Salter	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1944) (USA) (theatrical)
• Realart Pictures (1948) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Screen Gems (1957) (USA) (TV)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal (1952) (France) (theatrical) (as Universal International Pictures)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

The Mummy's Return (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

61 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Sweden:15 | UK:H | UK:PG (video rating) (1989) | USA:Unrated

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The early shot of Yousef Bey, played by John Carradine, ascending the stairs to the temple where he will present himself to the aging High Priest Andoheb (George Zucco), is actually footage of Zucco as a much younger Andoheb doing the exact same thing in The Mummy's Hand (1940).

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: When the Scripps Museum security guard comes into the room to confront Yousef Bey, you can see the shadow of the boom mic on the glass door behind him.

Movie Connections:

Edited into The Mummy's Ghost (1966)

Zucco: The Uncanny....

A "tough, old bird" may not be an apt enough description of George Zucco's high priest character in the Mummy series. Somehow, still alive and shaking, he passes on the priesthood of what is now referred to as "Arkham" to Yousef Bey (John Carradine) & once again feels the need to recap the mummy's life history, which has been altered since "Mummy's Tomb". Now the story goes that the once exalted Princess Ananka died an accursed death and that Kharis was buried with her. Now it's the task of Yousef to go to Mapleton and bring the royal dead of Egypt back to their homeland.

Meanwhile, the wafting scent of tana leaves in the air attracts Kharis to the home of one Professor Norman. As Kharis shambles his way towards the cup of life, a young dish named Amina Mansouri (Ramsay Ames) gets a chance to show off her talents in filling out a nightgown as she sleepwalks her way to the very same house. Anyone else notice that black cat that ran in front of Ames during this scene? I believe that's called foreshadowing.

The reincarnation angle from the original Karloff "Mummy" gets dusted off. The spirit of Ananka has left its mummified shell & taken residence in the body of Amina. Now Kharis must go about what must be for him a pleasant task of carrying off yet another woman clad in white (it's the only activity that gets his "dead" arm to work) and hope that another high priest won't succumb to any lascivious thoughts lurking in the back of his mind.

But, that's not how things work out, for the life of an undead character stuck in repetitious sequels penned by unimaginative story writers is a hard one. The only merciful thing to do would've been to let Kharis & his Princess drown in eternal bliss, but the call of the box-office demanded one more sequel (Amon-Ra help us).