The Monster Maker (1944)
24Mad scientist Dr. Igor Markoff (J. Carrol Naish) sits, listening, in the audience at a concert performed by the renowned pianist Anthony Lawrence (Ralph Morgan). Markoff becomes bewitched by Lawrence's daughter Patricia Lawrence (Wanda McKay). After Markoff meets Patricia, he explains that she is the living image of his late wife Leonora. Patricia, who is engaged to her father's manager, Bob Blake (Terry Frost), shows little interest in the doctor's romantic overtures.
Markoff's interest in Patricia evokes jealousy in his faithful assistant Maxine (Tala Birell), who is in love with the doctor. Markoff begins to send daily bouquets of flowers to Patricia, and she beseeches her father to ask the doctor to cease his unwelcome attentions. Visiting Markoff in his laboratory, Lawrence insists that he stop annoying Patricia, and threatens to call the police. The doctor knocks him out, injects him with a disease, then calls the unsuspecting Pat to drive her father home. Some time later, Pat becomes concerned by her father's swollen extremities and urges him to see their physician, Dr. Adams (Sam Flint), who diagnoses Lawrence's disease as acromegaly and refers him to Dr. Markoff, an expert in the field.
Weeks later, Bob visits Patricia after an extended absence and discovers that Lawrence has locked himself in his room. Later that night, Bob and Pat surprise Lawrence in his darkened music room, and Pat, horrified by her father's appearance, screams and faints. As Bob carries Pat to her room, Lawrence drives to Markoff's lab and accuses the doctor of infecting him. Just as Lawrence is about to kill Markoff in vengeance, the doctor's orderly enters the room and restrains him. After Markoff sedates Lawrence, Maxine, who has overheard their entire conversation on the intercom, threatens to expose him. That night, after Maxine goes to bed, Markoff releases his vicious ape and guides the animal to Maxine's room, intending to kill her. Maxine's loyal dog Ace (Ace the Wonder Dog) comes to her rescue.
The next morning the doctor, surprised that his assistant is still alive, sends her to the pharmacy on an errand. Upon discovering that her father is missing, Pat calls Markoff, who informs her that Lawrence is there for observation. Hurrying to Markoff's lab, Pat asks her butler (Alexander Pollard) to tell Bob when he arrives at the house. Meanwhile, Markoff offers to cure Lawrence in exchange for Pat's hand in marriage, but Lawrence refuses. When Pat arrives, Markoff takes her to see her father, who is shackled to his bed. Soon after, Maxine returns home and when she tries to come to Pat's assistance, she is restrained by Markoff's orderly. Just then, Bob, who has followed Pat, enters the house, knocks out the orderly and frees Maxine. When Markoff tells Pat that he will cure her father if she agrees to marry him, Lawrence breaks his bonds and attacks the doctor. Pat runs into the hallway and is met by Maxine and Bob. Hearing a gunshot, they rush back into Lawrence's room and discover the doctor, lying dead on the floor. When Pat bemoans that without the doctor's help, her father will suffer a hideous death, Maxine declares that she knows the secret of Markoff's serum and can cure him. Some time later, a healthy Lawrence resumes his concert tour.
A 1944 American Black & White science fiction horror film directed by Sam Newfield (the busiest director on poverty row), produced by Sigmund Neufeld, screenplay by Pierre Gendron & Martin Mooney, story by Larry Williams (as Lawrence Williams), cinematography by Sam Newfield, starring J. Carrol Naish, Ralph Morgan, Tala Birell, Wanda McKay, Terry Frost, Glenn Strange, Alexander Pollard, Sam Flint, and Ace the Wonder Dog (billed on screen as "By Himself").
In this film J. Carrol Naish's character Dr. Igor Markoff is compared to Dr. Frankenstein. Mr. Naish would later play Dr. Frankenstein in his very last film role, "Dracula vs. Frankenstein" (1971). Glenn Strange (Steve) would go on to play Frankenstein's Monster for the first time in "House of Frankenstein" (1944).
Albert Glasser supplied the film score, his first, an assignment for which he was paid US$250. The working title of this film was "The Devil's Apprentice."
Lowly Producers Releasing Corporation hadn't released a horror picture in nearly 17 months, having spent most of 1943 substantially expanding their capabilities by purchasing the bankrupt Chadwick Studio, a poverty row operation that specialized in renting stages and production equipment to low-budget producers along Gower.
Acromegaly (a syndrome where the pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone resulting in giantism and then disfigurement), was all the rage in horror movies between 1944 and 1946.
One of the better cheap but enjoyable 40's mad doctor films, with high production values, above-average acting performances, a surprisingly well-written script, AND there's a guy in a gorilla suit. Recommended to fans of old school "bad" horror B-Movies.