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The Mummy's Hand
Steve Banning and Babe Benson are on vacation in Egypt. But unfortunately to them, they have so little money they can't afford to go back home. Suddenly Steve finds a broken, but intriguing historical vase that he decides to purchase. Babe thinks he's nuts, but Steve has a hunch that it might be a huge moneymaker. The vase is confirmed by Dr. Petrie to be authentic, but Andoheb claims it's a duplicate, in order to discourage them from going on the trip. Ignoring his words, Steve and Babe go in search of a treasure, with fatal consequences...
Hearing me describe it you might notice I didn't use the word "mummy" once. Well, I think the reason might be that I not only see this as a good mummy movie, but also a very exciting adventure. In a smallscale way, it shows the sense of wonder traveling to a mythic place can have. Steve and Babe also make for wonderfully likeable protagonists, with Dick Foran playing the sensible and collected straightman, and Wallace Ford playing the goofy sidekick, who manages to balance the fine line of being a nice bit of comic relief while not just standing in the way as a foil. When it really comes to it, he shows a nice bit of bravery despite being so scared. Most of the best lines in the movie also comes from him, especially
Besides those two, Cecil Kellaway as Mr. Solvani the magician is a blast. He brings a lot of charisma to his character with a fun, eager attitude as expected, his creative display of magic tricks. Then you have Peggy Moran as Marta Solvani, who becomes an unexpected travel companion. I say unexpected because Andoheb (portrayed nicely by a very Karloff-like George Zucco) tricked her into thinking Steve and Babe are swindlers! So she comes with them on their trip to make sure her father doesn't get swindled. Predictably, a romance between her and Steve starts developing, but they have enough believable chemistry together that you actually buy into it. I even like the love interest here more than the first one. Marta has just the right amount of sass and likability, and Moran gives a colorful performance. The scene where she "introduces" herself to Steve and Babe by entering their apartment with a gun and shoots six warning shots stucks out as both one of the most memorable and amusing moments in the movie.
The plot is pretty similiar to the first one. You have the mummy Kharis, who was buried alive when he tried to revive his loved one with tana leaves, so ever since then he's just rested in his tomb, waiting for someone to set him free. You have the expeditionists, who go there in site of the lurking danger. The last act is also nearly identical in how it plays out and how it ends. And if you think the flashbacks with Kharis look extremely alike the ones in the previous movie... well, that's because they're using archive footage! Most likely they needed to save some money, so they used old material hoping nobody would notice. Sorry, but we did. Everybody noticed.
However, what's makes this one stand on its own anyway is not only the fact that most of it takes place in the desert (the original kept things mostly at homebase), but it adds a lot more humor into the script. There are scenes of tension, but also scenes where you see the characters relaxing, and Babe offering one funny line or two. At the same time, it takes itself seriously enough that you sit there in suspense hoping the good guys will make it out. Tom Tyler brings his own interpretation as a mummified creature, with his iconic walking style and the uneasy black stare. It's not a role which requires a ton of acting skills, but he's still a fairly imposing Kharis.
The director Christy Cabane does the most with a low budget. The scenery is very nice to look at, and it's nicely framed and shot. There's a particularly good-looking image of a wolf howling at the moon in the bane of night. The ancient temple has an air of mystique and intrigue.
I won't force your hand... But you should see The Mummy's Hand.
Steve Banning and Babe Benson are on vacation in Egypt. But unfortunately to them, they have so little money they can't afford to go back home. Suddenly Steve finds a broken, but intriguing historical vase that he decides to purchase. Babe thinks he's nuts, but Steve has a hunch that it might be a huge moneymaker. The vase is confirmed by Dr. Petrie to be authentic, but Andoheb claims it's a duplicate, in order to discourage them from going on the trip. Ignoring his words, Steve and Babe go in search of a treasure, with fatal consequences...
Hearing me describe it you might notice I didn't use the word "mummy" once. Well, I think the reason might be that I not only see this as a good mummy movie, but also a very exciting adventure. In a smallscale way, it shows the sense of wonder traveling to a mythic place can have. Steve and Babe also make for wonderfully likeable protagonists, with Dick Foran playing the sensible and collected straightman, and Wallace Ford playing the goofy sidekick, who manages to balance the fine line of being a nice bit of comic relief while not just standing in the way as a foil. When it really comes to it, he shows a nice bit of bravery despite being so scared. Most of the best lines in the movie also comes from him, especially
WARNING: spoilers below
right after he's saved Marta: "Oh, that's just like a woman. When the shooting's all over and everything, they pass out." Of course, he proceeds to pass out himself.
The plot is pretty similiar to the first one. You have the mummy Kharis, who was buried alive when he tried to revive his loved one with tana leaves, so ever since then he's just rested in his tomb, waiting for someone to set him free. You have the expeditionists, who go there in site of the lurking danger. The last act is also nearly identical in how it plays out and how it ends. And if you think the flashbacks with Kharis look extremely alike the ones in the previous movie... well, that's because they're using archive footage! Most likely they needed to save some money, so they used old material hoping nobody would notice. Sorry, but we did. Everybody noticed.
However, what's makes this one stand on its own anyway is not only the fact that most of it takes place in the desert (the original kept things mostly at homebase), but it adds a lot more humor into the script. There are scenes of tension, but also scenes where you see the characters relaxing, and Babe offering one funny line or two. At the same time, it takes itself seriously enough that you sit there in suspense hoping the good guys will make it out. Tom Tyler brings his own interpretation as a mummified creature, with his iconic walking style and the uneasy black stare. It's not a role which requires a ton of acting skills, but he's still a fairly imposing Kharis.
The director Christy Cabane does the most with a low budget. The scenery is very nice to look at, and it's nicely framed and shot. There's a particularly good-looking image of a wolf howling at the moon in the bane of night. The ancient temple has an air of mystique and intrigue.
I won't force your hand... But you should see The Mummy's Hand.