This, in fact, is a pretty good and breezy little film, although it's not quite a Karloff / Lugosi teaming as the two stars share no scenes, and it's in actuality a crime caper with a sci-fi / horror angle, not a true genre picture. But no matter what, it's a fun film. Nothing great, or memorable, but quite watchable while it lasts. Lugosi is solid, but he doesn't get that much to do. Karloff is marvelous, but the one to watch throughout "Black Friday" is Stanley Ridges. Thanks to two distinctly different performances by Mr. Ridges (assisted by makeup and wardrobe changes), he creates two opposing personalities.
The story actually begins at the end: condemned to die in the electric chair, doctor Ernest Sovac (Karloff) hands a reporter a journal of his experiences. He was witness to a traffic accident in which his good friend, Professor George Kingsley (Ridges) was struck down by a runaway car. The driver was gangster Red Cannon (Ridges again), betrayed by his thuggish associates including Eric Marnay (Lugosi). Sovac saves Kingsley's life, in a way, by transplanting Cannons' brain (he was likewise mortally wounded in the accident) into Kingsley's body. Kingsley seems to be alright post operation, but is now prone to getting "possessed" by the spirit of Cannon, who squirrelled away a tidy sum of money. Now greedy as well as ambitious, Sovac exploits the situation hoping that "Cannon" will lead him to the dough, so he can build a new laboratory.
As was said, this is rather light on "horror" but still has some degree of atmosphere, effective direction by Arthur Lubin and an entertaining script co-written by Curt Siodmak. A good supporting cast includes Anne Nagel as Sunny the moll, beautiful Anne Gwynne as Sovacs' principled daughter, Virginia Brissac as Kingsley's concerned wife, and Edmund MacDonald, Paul Fix, and Raymond Bailey as Marnay's gang. The best scenes are when Ridges is playing the part of Red; he's just a joy to watch; he also has fine chemistry with Karloff.
If one is a fan of horror icons Karloff and Lugosi, they should find this suitable entertainment, even if it's not what they'd initially expect.
Seven out of 10.
The story actually begins at the end: condemned to die in the electric chair, doctor Ernest Sovac (Karloff) hands a reporter a journal of his experiences. He was witness to a traffic accident in which his good friend, Professor George Kingsley (Ridges) was struck down by a runaway car. The driver was gangster Red Cannon (Ridges again), betrayed by his thuggish associates including Eric Marnay (Lugosi). Sovac saves Kingsley's life, in a way, by transplanting Cannons' brain (he was likewise mortally wounded in the accident) into Kingsley's body. Kingsley seems to be alright post operation, but is now prone to getting "possessed" by the spirit of Cannon, who squirrelled away a tidy sum of money. Now greedy as well as ambitious, Sovac exploits the situation hoping that "Cannon" will lead him to the dough, so he can build a new laboratory.
As was said, this is rather light on "horror" but still has some degree of atmosphere, effective direction by Arthur Lubin and an entertaining script co-written by Curt Siodmak. A good supporting cast includes Anne Nagel as Sunny the moll, beautiful Anne Gwynne as Sovacs' principled daughter, Virginia Brissac as Kingsley's concerned wife, and Edmund MacDonald, Paul Fix, and Raymond Bailey as Marnay's gang. The best scenes are when Ridges is playing the part of Red; he's just a joy to watch; he also has fine chemistry with Karloff.
If one is a fan of horror icons Karloff and Lugosi, they should find this suitable entertainment, even if it's not what they'd initially expect.
Seven out of 10.