The Face of Marble ** (1946, John Carradine, Claudia Drake, Robert Shayne) – Classic Movie Review 10,904

‘The last gasp in chillers!’

Director William Beaudine’s mostly forgotten 1946 post-war black and white horror thriller The Face of Marble stars John Carradine, as the apparently rational but actually mad scientist Dr Charles Randolph, and Robert Shayne as his dedicated younger helper, Dr David Cochran, who bring the dead back to life, with the aid of the Haitian home help’s special serum voodoo potions, coupled with bursts of electricity.

All to benefit mankind, but then things inevitably go wrong – as Dr Randolph accidentally turns a drowned sailor into a man with the face of marble and his wife’s beloved Great Dane into a vicious beast that walks through walls and thirsts for blood.

Meanwhile Dr Randolph’s wife Elaine (Claudia Drake) is secretly in love with Dr Cochran, and the ancient voodoo-practising housekeeper Maria (Rosa Rey) is determined to make her mistress happy.

This horror cheapie, produced by Hollywood Pictures Corporation and released by Monogram Pictures, is sometimes enjoyable, sometimes enjoyably bad and sometimes just plain bad.

Whatever the deficiencies of the messy script by Michael Jacoby (story by William Thiele and Edmund L Hartman) and the untidy production, and there are quite a few, there are plenty of fun elements to enjoy, and Carradine commands respect in his dignified performance.

Also in the cast are Willie Best as the African-American servant Shadrach, Maris Wrixon as Linda Sinclair, Thomas E Jackson as Inspector Norton, Neal Burns, Donald Kern and Allan Ray.

The Face of Marble is directed by William Beaudine, runs 72 minutes, is produced by Hollywood Pictures Corporation, is released by Monogram Pictures (1946) (US) and Pathé Pictures (1946) (UK), is written by Michael Jacoby, based on a story by William Thiele and Edmund L Hartman, is shot in black and white by Harry Neumann, is produced by Jeffrey Bernard and is scored by Edward Kay.

It was released on DVD in 2013 in the US by Timeless Media.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 10,904

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