MOVIES and MANIA score:
‘Genius – or fiend?’
The Mad Physician of Market Road is a 1942 sci-fi horror movie a few scientist who flees after his weird experiments are revealed and turns into shipwrecked on a tropical island…
The film was directed by Joseph H. Lewis (So Darkish the Night time; Invisible Ghost) from a screenplay written by Al Martin (Invasion of the Saucer Males; Invisible Ghost). The Common Footage manufacturing stars Lionel Atwill, Una Merkel, Claire Dodd and Nat Pendleton.
The film was launched on Blu-ray by Scream Manufacturing facility on June 23, 2019, as a part of the Lionel Atwill-focused Common Horror Assortment: Quantity 2 field set together with Murders within the Zoo, The Unusual Case of Physician Rx and The Mad Ghoul.
Plot:
Physician Ralph Benson (Lionel Atwill), a chemist who was “experimenting with suspended life” is compelled to go away San Francisco when his human volunteer dies.
The passenger ship Benson escapes on catches fireplace and sinks. He lands on a tropical island, is well known because the “God of life” and takes management.
Nevertheless, the opposite survivors of the shipwreck decide to free the natives from his rule…
Evaluations:
“The principle drawback with Mad Physician of Market Road is the inclusion of youthful Una Merkel because the heroine’s aunt, a job clearly meant for an older, much less outstanding actress. Obliged to radically alter and “beef up” Merkel’s half, the screenwriters had been compelled to shortchange the remainder of the image…” All Film
“Lewis makes use of tight close-ups and shadows to cover the finances limitations, and virtually (however not fairly) succeeds. The opening scene in Benson’s workplace might be the spookiest, however as soon as we get to Common’s backlot island issues go steadily downhill. Lewis does make use of a neat trick of getting Atwill’s ether-soaked cotton pressed straight into the digicam to transition from scenes…” Cracked Rear Viewer
” …it’s a fairly forgettable entry in Common’s horror output, being extra of a jungle journey film than anything. You already know you’re in for it when not solely does one of many comedian reduction characters will get greater billing than the mad scientist, however each of the comedian reliefs get greater billing than the romantic leads.” Dave Sindelar, Improbable Film Musings and Ramblings
“It does begin to get fascinating in direction of the top, as Physician Benson plans to arrange his personal little Island of Physician Moreau, however by that point there simply isn’t sufficient movie left to develop it into a lot of something. And his closing, inevitable finish is ridiculously tame…” Rivets on the Poster
“Past Atwill and Lewis and the mutant fusion of horror, comedy, romance, and South Seas island image (and it’s as messy because it sounds), The Mad Physician of Market Road is form of entertaining in a goofy, Poverty Row horror sort of manner.” Shock Theater
“Actually, Atwill is among the underrated gamers of Nineteen Thirties and Nineteen Forties horror […] On the draw back although, the suspense in Mad Physician is low burn at greatest, Merkel overacts to the hilt, and spunky Dodd appears woefully underused consequently.” The Terror Entice
“The movie is so threadbare and haphazard it has much more in frequent with a Poverty Row product than the Hollywood B-unit sausage manufacturing unit. That stated, The Mad Physician of Market Road isn’t missing in verve due to Lionel Atwill’s irrepressible hamming and a director who has extra on the ball than the typical Monogram hack.” Common Horrors: The Studio’s Traditional Movies, 1931 – 1946, McFarland, 2007 (second version)
Solid and characters:
Una Merkel … Aunt Margaret Wentworth
Lionel Atwill … Mr Graham / Dr Ralph Benson
Claire Dodd … Patricia Wentworth
Nat Pendleton … Pink Hogan
Anne Nagel … Mrs William Saunders
Hardie Albright … William Saunders
Richard Davies … Jim
John Eldredge … Dwight, Ship’s Officer
Mala … Barab (as Ray Mala)
Noble Johnson … Native Chief Elan
Rosina Galli … Tanao- Chief’s Spouse
Al Kikume … Kalo
Milton Kibbee … Hadley
Byron Shores … Crandall
Tani Marsh … Tahitian Dancer
Billy Bunkley … Tahitian Dancer
Manufacturing:
Filmed over three weeks in July 1941 at Common Studios. Launched on 27 February 1942.
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