The Mummy's Ghost (1944)

the audience applauded

Really Surprised!

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Copyright 31 December 1943 by Universal Pictures Co., Inc. New York opening at the Rialto: 30 June 1944. U.S. release: 7 July 1944. U.K. release: 2 June 1947 (sic). Australian release: 6 July 1944. 6 reels. 5,499 feet. 61 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Sequel to The Mummy's Tomb starring Chaney junior as the mummy. Since Turhan Bey failed in the previous movie, Egyptian priest Zucco sends John Carradine to New England to help the mummy find his princess. This time a young college co-ed played by Ramsay Ames is the Ananka look-alike.NOTES: Number four of the seven-picture "Mummy" series.COMMENT: The story continues on from The Mummy's Tomb (1942). The mummy it appears was not destroyed in the fire after all, but only disfigured - if you can imagine a mummy being disfigured, though his one eye is rather frightening. Lon Chaney is so completely swathed in bandages as to be unrecognizable - any stuntman or cheap double could have done just as well. Robert Lowery is a rather wet hero, though Ramsay Ames makes a rather fetching heroine and there is a solid cast of character players.Le Borg's direction is much, much more stylish than his usual humble standard. Some of the sequences are compellingly stated and good use is made of natural locations at the climax. The film looks well-produced though Sickner's photography lacks the atmosphere that Woody Bredell would have brought to the film. The eerie effects are mainly achieved through Jack Pierce's skilled make-up and Salter's well-thumbed musical compilation of standard Universal "B"-picture themes.There is more than a hint of blasphemy in the script's adaptation of King James-type prayers to pagan identities such as Amon-Ra and it's odd that this was deemed acceptable by the supposedly strict censors of 1944.

John Carradine plays an Egyptian high priest named Yousef Bey, commanded by a superior (George Zucco) to travel to America to locate Kharis (Lon Chaney Jr.) and properly lay him to rest. The current reincarnation of Kharis' long ago beloved Ananka is Egyptian born New England gal Amina Mansouri (the incredibly lovely Ramsay Ames), and Kharis will seek to be reunited with her. Aminas' boyfriend Tom Hervey (Robert Lowery) and the cops & local townsfolk end up giving chase.Although completely lacking in suspense and atmosphere by this point, this series still manages to provide a decent amount of fun. Chaney shambles his way through his role capably, sporting yet another impressive makeup job by talented Jack Pierce. Carradine is terrific as always. Also among the solid supporting cast are Frank Reicher as the doomed Professor Norman, Harry Shannon as the Sheriff, Lester Sharpe as the helpful Doctor Ayad, and the always welcome Barton MacLane as a clever police inspector who tries to come up with an alternative means of dealing with the mummy on the loose. An adorable little dog named "Peanuts" has his moments, as well. Martha Vickers has a bit as a student in Reichers' class.The story is pretty routine, for the most part, until that unforgettable and haunting ending. Director Reginald Le Borg keeps it moving along adequately, to help it clock in at an appreciably brief running time of 61 minutes.Six out of 10.

Not all love is lost. Reginald Le Borg direct this tale of the High Priest (George Zucco) summoning Yousef Bey (John Caradine) to New York's Scripps Museum to retrieve the ancient love interest, the Princess Ananka, from her resting place along with the insane mummy Kharis (Lon Chaney Jr.). Bey finds the soul of the princess has been reincarnated as a beautiful Egytian exchange student named Amina (Ramsay Ames). An Egytlogist professor (Frank Reicher) has been carrying out experiments and the jealous Kharis makes his appearance. As the charming student goes into strange trances, the professor is killed and the mummy makes haste with the rapidly decaying reincarnation.Other players: Robert Lowery, Barton MacLane, Lester Sharpe and Harry Shannon.

This was made in 1943, but not released until 1944, probably because audiences probably hated it.The movies starts out with George Zucco (still alive despite dying in the two previous installments) commissioning John Carradine to find the princess' mummy because Tuhran Bey failed so miserably in the last film. Killing off the last of the Bannings seems to have been forgotten, I guess the hero of the last movie got killed in WWII or something.The ending is kind of nihilistic, in that the girl gets turned into a mummy for no other reason than she was the only Egyptian chick within range of the Primcess Mummy when it disintegrated.It pads out its requisite 60 minutes with a lot of needless chase scenes and scenes of poor Lon Chaney shambling around sideways.