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Spaceways, v. 3 issue 3, whole no. 19, March 1941
Page 17
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SPACEWAYS 17 MORE FANTASTIC FILMS [[handwritten number 7]]] by WALTER C. LIEBSCHER (Editor's Note: The following was originally written merely as a letter intended for the readers' section of Spaceways, commenting on Richard Kraft's "The Fantastic Film" in a recent issue. We found it interesting, but a trifle long for that section, so it's presented here as an article. Thus, the informality.) I particularly noticed that Richard Kraft classed both the horror and the fantasy films together. This, I think, should not be done. It's like classing Unknown with Amazing, which would be sheer nonsense. And I'm not making any cracks at Amazing, either, because I think it's okay in its way. The film that stands out in my mind is Dr. X. It was a combination of the two types. It concerned a mad scientist who became insane during the full moon. I don't remember exactly what caused this, but I believe that he was supposed to have been shipwrecked with cannibals who held sadistic rites during the phases of the full moon. Anyhow, I recall that he had an arm cut off right above the wrist--Ye Gods, what did I say?--rather he had his hand cut off. The story opened at some sort of scientific academy in whose vicinity sadistic murders were committed at every full moon. The head of the academy or whatever it was, suspecting that one of the scientists was committing the murders, had the whole she-bang moved up to his mountain laboratory in an effort to find the murderer through scientific means, such as lie detectors and so forth. Well, to make a long story short, he had all the scientists locked in electric chairs containing the lie detectors, and left the villain to supervise the tests. No one suspected him as he was the one-handed scientist and all the murders were strangulations. The villain then goes up to the top floor laboratory, gazes out the window at the full moon and becomes maniacal. I never will forget the next scenes in which he manufactures synthetic flesh which he plasters all over his face i n huge globs and then makes himself a hand with the stuff, while he mumbles to himself--synthetic flesh, synthetic flesh--and emits strange snorts and giggles. He then goes downstairs to murder the heroine who is strapped on a table, the reason being a reaction of one of the murders to stimulate the scientists in an effort to learn the identity of the murdered. Luckily a reporter appears on the scene, and tussles with the maniac. Said reporter throws an oil lamp at the maniac and all the synthetic flesh bursts into flame. The maniac stumbles backward and falls out of a huge window, plunging into the ocean hundreds of feet below. The pic was done in color. Fay Wray was the heroine, Lee Tracy the reporter, and Preston Foster the maniac. There are quite a few examples of the horror and fantasy films which Mr. Kraft omitted. I realize that he probably did this intentionally but the following were very good. Death Takes a Holiday--starring Fredric March--a beautiful fantasy--I left the theatre with a distinct thought in my mind--death is nothing to be feared-- it was that sort of picture. Supernatural--starring Carole Lombard--concerned the soul of a murderess trying to enter the heroine's body--eerie. Mystery of the Wax Museum--sort of a sequel to Dr. X.--in color--excellent horror film--concerned a mad artist who coated corpses with wax and made statues of them--particularly gruesome was the scene where the heroine beats the villain on the face and it begins to crack and peel off revealing a horrible raw pulp instead of a face. Men Must Fight--starred Lewis Stone--the story of a future war--the future of about 1945.... Black Moon--an excellent film of Voodooism--starred Jack Holt. On Borrowed Time--why Kraft didn't mention this one is a mystery. (concluded on page 23)
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SPACEWAYS 17 MORE FANTASTIC FILMS [[handwritten number 7]]] by WALTER C. LIEBSCHER (Editor's Note: The following was originally written merely as a letter intended for the readers' section of Spaceways, commenting on Richard Kraft's "The Fantastic Film" in a recent issue. We found it interesting, but a trifle long for that section, so it's presented here as an article. Thus, the informality.) I particularly noticed that Richard Kraft classed both the horror and the fantasy films together. This, I think, should not be done. It's like classing Unknown with Amazing, which would be sheer nonsense. And I'm not making any cracks at Amazing, either, because I think it's okay in its way. The film that stands out in my mind is Dr. X. It was a combination of the two types. It concerned a mad scientist who became insane during the full moon. I don't remember exactly what caused this, but I believe that he was supposed to have been shipwrecked with cannibals who held sadistic rites during the phases of the full moon. Anyhow, I recall that he had an arm cut off right above the wrist--Ye Gods, what did I say?--rather he had his hand cut off. The story opened at some sort of scientific academy in whose vicinity sadistic murders were committed at every full moon. The head of the academy or whatever it was, suspecting that one of the scientists was committing the murders, had the whole she-bang moved up to his mountain laboratory in an effort to find the murderer through scientific means, such as lie detectors and so forth. Well, to make a long story short, he had all the scientists locked in electric chairs containing the lie detectors, and left the villain to supervise the tests. No one suspected him as he was the one-handed scientist and all the murders were strangulations. The villain then goes up to the top floor laboratory, gazes out the window at the full moon and becomes maniacal. I never will forget the next scenes in which he manufactures synthetic flesh which he plasters all over his face i n huge globs and then makes himself a hand with the stuff, while he mumbles to himself--synthetic flesh, synthetic flesh--and emits strange snorts and giggles. He then goes downstairs to murder the heroine who is strapped on a table, the reason being a reaction of one of the murders to stimulate the scientists in an effort to learn the identity of the murdered. Luckily a reporter appears on the scene, and tussles with the maniac. Said reporter throws an oil lamp at the maniac and all the synthetic flesh bursts into flame. The maniac stumbles backward and falls out of a huge window, plunging into the ocean hundreds of feet below. The pic was done in color. Fay Wray was the heroine, Lee Tracy the reporter, and Preston Foster the maniac. There are quite a few examples of the horror and fantasy films which Mr. Kraft omitted. I realize that he probably did this intentionally but the following were very good. Death Takes a Holiday--starring Fredric March--a beautiful fantasy--I left the theatre with a distinct thought in my mind--death is nothing to be feared-- it was that sort of picture. Supernatural--starring Carole Lombard--concerned the soul of a murderess trying to enter the heroine's body--eerie. Mystery of the Wax Museum--sort of a sequel to Dr. X.--in color--excellent horror film--concerned a mad artist who coated corpses with wax and made statues of them--particularly gruesome was the scene where the heroine beats the villain on the face and it begins to crack and peel off revealing a horrible raw pulp instead of a face. Men Must Fight--starred Lewis Stone--the story of a future war--the future of about 1945.... Black Moon--an excellent film of Voodooism--starred Jack Holt. On Borrowed Time--why Kraft didn't mention this one is a mystery. (concluded on page 23)
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