The Man Who Lived Twice

The Man Who Lived Twice (1936)

** (out of 4)

Fair mix of horror and crime has Ralph Bellamy playing 'Slick' Rawley, a notorious killer who hears about a doctor (Thurston Hall) who is performing brain operations, which is curing evil people of their bad deeds. After the operation Slick also has a face lift but the big key is that he's forgotten his past. With only the future ahead of him he decides to learn medicine and everything starts to go right until his past starts to catch up with him. THE MAN WHO LIVED TWICE has a pretty interesting set-up but sadly the film never really comes together for a number of reasons. I think the film's biggest flaw is the fact that it really doesn't know what type of movie it wants to be. The horror elements are so small that it's really hard to lump it into the genre even with the operation stuff. The crime elements really aren't explored either outside of the opening when we get to see what type of person Slick is. The rest of the film has a love story that really doesn't go anywhere and in fact I'd say that the majority of the running time is all about nothing. I'm not going to ruin the final ten-minutes of the movie but they're rather laughable and especially the way the conclusion plays out. The one thing working for the film are the performances and Bellamy leads the way in a nice turn. I thought he did a very good job as both the good doctor and the evil crime boss. Marian Marsh and Isabel Jewel are good as the love interests and Ward Bond nearly steals the picture as the assistant to Slick. There's really not too much atmosphere and even at 73-minutes the film drags a bit. THE MAN WHO LIVED TWICE isn't a horrible film but at the same time it's not really a good one either.

THE MAN WHO LIVED TWICE (Columbia, 1936), directed by Harry Lachman, is not exactly a story about reincarnation. It's an interesting blend of crime melodrama and science fiction. Though this particular premise can be categorized as something ahead of its time by 1936 standards, the end result is something more on a timely level in regards to personality change after brain surgery.

The story revolves around "Slick" Rawley (Ralph Bellamy), a disfigured crime leader who, after attempting his latest crime, is caught by a night watchman who sounds off the alarm. Chased by a policeman, a shootout occurs, leading Bob Williams, the officer in question, to die in the line of duty. Inspector Logan (Willard Robertson) of the Homicide Squad, and close friend of the victim, makes every effort to have Rawley captured and sent to prison with death sentence awaiting him, but his capture proves to be a difficult task. As Slock looks out his apartment window to find Logan and law enforcement officers closing in, he orders his partners in crime, former boxer John "Gloves" Baker (Ward Bond), and his moll, Peggy Russell (Isabel Jewell) to go their separate ways as he travels about alone. As the police give chase, Slick eludes them once again by hiding inside Baldwin Medical College. Entering an auditorium, Slick sits in on a very interesting lecture given by Doctor Clifford L. Schuyler (Thurston Hall) about hardened criminals being victims of organic or functional disorder, and how a brain tumor can cause abnormal pressure. Learning how Schuyler's brain operation experiments on vicious dogs and violent monkeys have changed them into gentle creatures, Slick comes to the doctor's home later that evening and talks him into operating on his brain and performing plastic surgery so he can start life anew. After the delicate operations, Slick, having no recollection of his past, is no longer the hardened criminal he once was. Told to be a victim of an automobile accident, Schuyler gives Slick a new identity of James Blake, assisting him through medical school. During the ten year span (1926-1936), Blake becomes both useful citizen and respected criminologist. After hiring Janet Hayden (Marian Marsh), a victim of the depression, as his personal secretary, Blake's past starts to catch up to him when he encounters Peggy at Belmore Island Prison, and later, Gloves, who, after serving time, comes to rob him in his office. Recognizing both his voice and habit of twirling his key chain, Gloves, convinced the mild-mannered doctor to be Slick, becomes his hired chauffeur, revealing nothing about their past association together. Problems arise as Blake becomes more curious about his past and why Peggy is trying to blackmail him.

Taken out of content to Robert Louis Stevenson's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," pointing out the nature of good and evil in human beings, the story, though modernized and recycled, very much leads to the same results. Slick Rawley starts off as bad. Though his disfigured face may be the reason for his criminal activities, it's never revealed how his face got that way in the first place. He does show there's good in him by wanting the brain surgery that could and does change his personality on a whole new different level. Ralph Bellamy gives a convincing performance in assuming two basic characters into one. His co-star, Marian Marsh, memorably the central figure of Trilby to John Barrymore's SVENGALI (Warners, 1931) appears late into the story, and given little to do as opposed to a challenging performance to earn her an Academy Award nomination. On the other hand, Ward Bond, one who's long career has ranged from uncredited parts to familiar face in the supporting role category, has a good sizable role as a tough but loyal friend whose main goal throughout the story is to go visit his mother before she dies. Bond's actions and mannerisms are his own but sometimes makes one think of a youthful Anthony Quinn. Thurston Hall shows off diversity in roles other than executive types. Nana Bryant as Hall's wife is one who's doubtful in her husband's experiments and unsure about having a wanted criminal under his wing; while Henry Kolker as the courtroom judge who befriends the kindly doctor with a criminal past, helping him with his published essays on criminology.

As interesting as the story is, it's interesting to note how THE MAN WHO LIVED TWICE used to be shown on broadcast television as part of its horror film festival during the 1960s and 70s. In the New York City area, it played on Channel 5's (WNEW) long running Saturday afternoon/ evening broadcasts of "Creature Features" (1973-1979) before that weekly movie presentation was put to rest by 1980. Unavailable on the television markets for quite some time, and never distributed to home video or DVD, it finally surfaced on Turner Classic Movies on April 9, 2012. Though more science fiction than a fright film, the basic idea was good enough to be reworked by Columbia as CRIME DOCTOR (1943) starring Warner Baxter, spawning a long-running film series through 1949, and another brain surgery idea put to use in MAN IN THE DARK (1953) with Edmond O'Brien, but hardly recognizable to the 1936 edition. The original, no great masterpiece by any means, is certainly one for the memory book of forgotten films worth rediscovering. (**1/2)

This movie delves into something I've wondered about: no matter what the crime, if a person no longer has knowledge of what they've done, if their memories are gone, should they be held responsible form those crimes?

Ralph Bellamy does well in his dual role of criminal Slick Rawley and Dr. James Blake (a new version of himself, his criminal past wiped away by surgery). He's made a new, morally upright life for himself, had no memories of who he once was and is ready for future with Janet Haydon (Marian Marsh), all courtesy of Dr. Schuyler (Thurston Hall). When his former girlfriend Peggy (played with a good "bad girl" style by Isabel Jewell) recognizes him, and causes trouble, even his friend/chauffeur (and former crony) John "Gloves" Baker (Ward Bond) taking drastic measures can't help him and soon the public (and James himself) has to decide whether or not his present self should pay the price for what his former self did (despite that former self being erased from his memory)?

A movie that makes you think!

This is the type of B movie that makes you want to keep seeking these old flicks out. Ralph Bellamy plays Slick Rawley, a notorious criminal who is disfigured. The cops get too close to him, so he ducks out from his friend Gloves (Ward Bond) and his girl Peggy (Isabel Jewell) and ends up in a college at a lecture by scientist Dr. Schuyler (Thurston Hall in a nice turn). This Doctor says he can cure certain types of criminals by releasing pressure on the brain, caused by tumors. Rawley is intrigued and talks the doctor into using him as his first human experiment. (He had done experiments on "criminal" dogs before). Slick only asks for his disfigurement to be repaired. After the experiment, Slick loses his memory and becomes the prominent Dr. Blake after much help from his new father figure, Dr. Schuyler. After a few years his old cohorts show up and he gains a new ally in Gloves, who again is loyal to the man who takes care of him, but now an enemy in his old girl, Peggy, who wants the reward for turning in Slick to the police.

Harry Lachman was a very good director and this film benefits also from being made at Columbia, a quality studio. This is clearly a B film, but has a class that shows. Lachman uses a lot of close-ups, montages and angled shots that keep the story feeling tense, even in some of the lighter passages. Ralph Bellamy is very good in a dual role, first as the disfigured criminal and second as the respected doctor. He uses different body language for each and at the same time both have certain aspects in common, including the voice and the nervous habit of twirling a key-chain, which eventually gives Blake's true identity away.

Likewise, the supporting cast is very good. Ward Bond plays Gloves with some real sympathy. He's not the smartest man, but he really just needs a chance. Jewell is quite good as the greedy woman, who won't take good charity from Dr. Blake and would rather turn him in for more money. The two mirror the good and bad sides of Blake/Rawley. Gloves is his loyal, good side that gives people a chance, despite their criminal ways. Peggy, meanwhile, is the seedier side that takes the quick and easy way rather than work hard. Marian Marsh is also sympathetic as a woman, Janet, who Blake helps and ends up falling in love with.

The Man Who LivedTwice is a special little B, that has some good suspense and even some horror overtones with the story of disfigurement and scientific experiment. The sci-fi angle is, of course, the weak point with the ridiculous tumor on the brain theory, but when you get past that, this is a really good crime melodrama.

Criminal 'Slick' Rawley (Ralph Bellamy) escapes from the cops and the papers are all over it. He had killed a cop. He happens upon a lecture from Dr. Clifford Schuyler who claims to cure persistent criminality with brain surgery. So far, he has only operated on animals. Slick offers himself as the first human subject as long as the doctor fixes his scarred face as well. After the surgery, Slick loses his memories.

This has an interesting premise. I would prefer some changes, but I am running with this premise. I would like to remake this with a few changes. I guess I'll have to track down the Man in the Dark (1953). I'll hold back some of my judgements. Mostly, I like the first half and I stayed with it till the end.