Before I Hang (1940)
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42% of users liked it
(159 ratings)
Condemned to death for a mercy killing, Dr. John Garth (Karloff) continues to experiment in prison to develop a serum that will put at end to the ageing process. On the eve of his execution, he offers himself as guinea pig for his youth serum, which has recently been mixed with the blood of an… More Condemned to death for a mercy killing, Dr. John Garth (Karloff) continues to experiment in prison to develop a serum that will put at end to the ageing process. On the eve of his execution, he offers himself as guinea pig for his youth serum, which has recently been mixed with the blood of an executed psychopath. Miraculously, Garth does grow younger before the astonished eyes of kindly prison physician Ralph Howard (Edward Van Sloan). Alas, the serum has murderous side effects, which Howard discovers only as Garth strangles him to death. Pardoned from Death Row thanks to a script contrivance, Garth spends the rest of the film trying to carry on his humanitarian work despite embarrassing lapses into homicidal mania. Many observers regard Before I Hang as the best of Karloff's "Mad Doctor" series for Columbia. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Nick Grinde, Lew Landers
- Genres
- Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Classics, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Sep 17, 1940 Wide
- On DVD
- Oct 17, 2006
- Studio
- Sony Pictures Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A minor Boris Karloff film, recommended for those who must have all his films in their collection.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Boris Karloff
as Dr. John Garth
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Evelyn Keyes
as Martha Garth
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Bruce Bennett
as Dr. Paul Ames
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Edward Van Sloan
as Dr. Ralph Howard
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Ben Taggart
as Warden Thompson
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Pedro de Cordoba
as Victor Sondini
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Wright Kramer
as George Wharton
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Bertram Marburgh
as Stephen Barclay
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Don Beddoe
as Captain McGraw
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Kenneth MacDonald
as Anson
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Frank Richards
as Otto Kron
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Robert Fiske
as District Attorney
- Charles Trowbridge
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Barton Yarborough
as Stephen Barclay
- Frank Puglia
- Frank Sully
- Jeff Donnell
- Larry Parks
- Maude Eburne
- Max 'Slapsie Maxie' Rosenbloom
- Peter Lorre
