Before I Hang
Encyclopedia
Before I Hang is a 1940 American science fiction
, horror film
released by Columbia Pictures
, starring Boris Karloff
. The film was directed by Nick Grinde
(under the working title The Wizard of Death), and was one of several films Karloff starred in contract with Columbia.
) is on trial
for murder after performing a mercy killing on an elderly friend. In the trial, he reveals that he had been researching a cure for aging, but had not had time to perfect it before his friend's pain became unbearable. Despite his pleas for mercy, the judge
sentences him to be hanged in three weeks' time.
As he awaits his execution, Dr. Garth is allowed to continue his experiments, thanks to support from the prison warden (Ben Taggart
) and another scientist
who is interested in his research, Dr. Ralph Howard (Edward Van Sloan
). Using the blood of a recently executed prisoner, they succeed in developing a serum that will reverse the effects of aging and they decide to test it on Dr. Garth immediately prior to his execution. As he is being taken away to the gallows, however, the prison receives a call informing them that Dr. Garth's sentence has been commuted
to life imprisonment. At the same moment, the serum's effect on his body causes Dr. Garth to collapse.
When Dr. Garth awakes in the prison medical ward, he discovers that the serum has reversed some of the effects of aging on his body, including the graying of his hair, the appearance of his face, and his physical fitness
. Encouraged, he decides to perform another test of the serum, this time on Dr. Howard. As he is preparing Dr. Howard for injection, however, Dr. Garth is overcome by a sudden urge to kill, induced by the presence of an executed murderer's blood in his system. After he strangles
Dr. Howard, a wandering prisoner enters the room who, after a struggle, is also killed by Dr. Garth.
When the prison authorities discover Dr. Garth, who doesn't remember committing the murders, and the two bodies, they believe that the wandering prisoner killed Dr. Howard and attempted to kill Dr. Garth. As a result, Garth is labelled a hero
and granted a full pardon
. He returns home to live with his daughter, Martha (Evelyn Keyes
), and continues his research on the anti-aging serum.
Wishing to test it further, he confronts three of his aging friends and requests that they be his test subjects. Initially, they refuse, but one of them, Victor Sondini (Pedro de Cordoba
), later changes his mind after Dr. Garth pays him a personal visit. Just as he is about to administer the serum, Garth is again overcome by the impulses of the executed prisoner and strangles his friend. Finally beginning to realize what he has been doing, Garth visits one of his other friends, George Wharton (Wright Kramer), to confess his crimes and request that he be his final test subject before he turns himself in. Wharton attempts to call for help, but Garth kills him before he can do so.
As the bodies begin to pile up and Dr. Garth's behavior becomes more erratic, Marth begins to suspect that something is up and confronts her father. Garth begs her to leave as he continues to fight the impulses of the murderous blood, but she refuses and he comes at her. She faints and Dr. Garth flees. In the final scene, Dr. Garth, now being pursued by the police, approaches the prison where he had been incarcerated. The warden admits him, but Garth immediately makes aggressive movements toward the armed guard at the gate. The guard shoots him and, as he is dying, the doctor admits that he committed suicide in order to prevent himself from killing anyone else.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
released by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
, starring Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
. The film was directed by Nick Grinde
Nick Grinde
Nick Grindé was an American film director and screenwriter. He directed 57 films between 1928 and 1945....
(under the working title The Wizard of Death), and was one of several films Karloff starred in contract with Columbia.
Plot
Dr. John Garth (Boris KarloffBoris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
) is on trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
for murder after performing a mercy killing on an elderly friend. In the trial, he reveals that he had been researching a cure for aging, but had not had time to perfect it before his friend's pain became unbearable. Despite his pleas for mercy, the judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
sentences him to be hanged in three weeks' time.
As he awaits his execution, Dr. Garth is allowed to continue his experiments, thanks to support from the prison warden (Ben Taggart
Ben Taggart
Ben Taggart was an American actor.His first movie was The Woman Next Door in 1915; from 1931 to 1945 he appeared in a number of minor roles, listed as "uncredited" on IMDB. Credited roles include The House That Shadows Built as Mr...
) and another scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
who is interested in his research, Dr. Ralph Howard (Edward Van Sloan
Edward Van Sloan
Edward Van Sloan was an American film character actor best remembered for his roles in Universal Studios horror films.-Career:...
). Using the blood of a recently executed prisoner, they succeed in developing a serum that will reverse the effects of aging and they decide to test it on Dr. Garth immediately prior to his execution. As he is being taken away to the gallows, however, the prison receives a call informing them that Dr. Garth's sentence has been commuted
Commutation of sentence
Commutation of sentence involves the reduction of legal penalties, especially in terms of imprisonment. Unlike a pardon, a commutation does not nullify the conviction and is often conditional. Clemency is a similar term, meaning the lessening of the penalty of the crime without forgiving the crime...
to life imprisonment. At the same moment, the serum's effect on his body causes Dr. Garth to collapse.
When Dr. Garth awakes in the prison medical ward, he discovers that the serum has reversed some of the effects of aging on his body, including the graying of his hair, the appearance of his face, and his physical fitness
Physical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...
. Encouraged, he decides to perform another test of the serum, this time on Dr. Howard. As he is preparing Dr. Howard for injection, however, Dr. Garth is overcome by a sudden urge to kill, induced by the presence of an executed murderer's blood in his system. After he strangles
Strangles
Strangles is a contagious upper respiratory tract infection of horses and other equines caused by a bacterium, Streptococcus equi var equi...
Dr. Howard, a wandering prisoner enters the room who, after a struggle, is also killed by Dr. Garth.
When the prison authorities discover Dr. Garth, who doesn't remember committing the murders, and the two bodies, they believe that the wandering prisoner killed Dr. Howard and attempted to kill Dr. Garth. As a result, Garth is labelled a hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
and granted a full pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
. He returns home to live with his daughter, Martha (Evelyn Keyes
Evelyn Keyes
Evelyn Louise Keyes was an American film actress. She is best-known for her role as Suellen O'Hara in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind.-Early life:...
), and continues his research on the anti-aging serum.
Wishing to test it further, he confronts three of his aging friends and requests that they be his test subjects. Initially, they refuse, but one of them, Victor Sondini (Pedro de Cordoba
Pedro de Cordoba
Pedro de Cordoba , was an American actor.Pedro de Cordoba, who appeared in his first film, a 1915 version of Carmen, was actually a classically trained theatre actor who confessed he did not enjoy appearing in silent films nearly as much as he liked working on stage...
), later changes his mind after Dr. Garth pays him a personal visit. Just as he is about to administer the serum, Garth is again overcome by the impulses of the executed prisoner and strangles his friend. Finally beginning to realize what he has been doing, Garth visits one of his other friends, George Wharton (Wright Kramer), to confess his crimes and request that he be his final test subject before he turns himself in. Wharton attempts to call for help, but Garth kills him before he can do so.
As the bodies begin to pile up and Dr. Garth's behavior becomes more erratic, Marth begins to suspect that something is up and confronts her father. Garth begs her to leave as he continues to fight the impulses of the murderous blood, but she refuses and he comes at her. She faints and Dr. Garth flees. In the final scene, Dr. Garth, now being pursued by the police, approaches the prison where he had been incarcerated. The warden admits him, but Garth immediately makes aggressive movements toward the armed guard at the gate. The guard shoots him and, as he is dying, the doctor admits that he committed suicide in order to prevent himself from killing anyone else.
Cast
- Boris KarloffBoris KarloffWilliam Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
(Dr. John Garth) - Evelyn KeyesEvelyn KeyesEvelyn Louise Keyes was an American film actress. She is best-known for her role as Suellen O'Hara in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind.-Early life:...
(Martha Garth) - Bruce BennettBruce BennettBruce Bennett was an American actor and Olympic silver medalist shot putter. During the 1930s, he went by his real name, Herman Brix .-Early life and Olympics:...
(Dr. Paul Ames) - Edward Van SloanEdward Van SloanEdward Van Sloan was an American film character actor best remembered for his roles in Universal Studios horror films.-Career:...
(Dr. Ralph Howard) - Ben TaggartBen TaggartBen Taggart was an American actor.His first movie was The Woman Next Door in 1915; from 1931 to 1945 he appeared in a number of minor roles, listed as "uncredited" on IMDB. Credited roles include The House That Shadows Built as Mr...
(Warden Thompson) - Pedro de CordobaPedro de CordobaPedro de Cordoba , was an American actor.Pedro de Cordoba, who appeared in his first film, a 1915 version of Carmen, was actually a classically trained theatre actor who confessed he did not enjoy appearing in silent films nearly as much as he liked working on stage...
(Victor Sondini) - Wright Kramer (George Wharton)
- Bertram Marburgh (Stephen Barclay)