Monday, January 12, 2015

THE BRUTE MAN / Universal Pictures - 1946

The Dungeon Express continues delivering the goods, here's the last movie Rondo Hatton appeared in after he died of a heart attack at age 51 in early 1946, a result of contracting the horrible disease, acromegaly, from a poison gas attack in WWI. Rondo had 22 acting credits, mostly bit parts in movies like HELL HARBOR, SAFE IN HELL, CAPTAIN FURY, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, SIN TOWN, SLEEPY LAGOON and eventually had starring roles in THE PEARL OF DEATH and HOUSE OF HORRORS.

Here's a fun little sound clip from this flick, sooooo, you can push the big red 'GO' button located there by our creeper vine, NOW, Ralphie The Tarantula!.. Here's... THE BRUTE MAN!

Here's Rondo in his most famous role... THE CREEPER! Universal ended up selling this movie to PRC because of a clamor over exploiting Rondo's condition.

This is a weird part, when Hal Moffat, aka The Creeper, stares back through the restaurant window at all the frightened people inside.

He makes friends with blind piano teacher Helen and wants to help her get an eye operation so that she can regain her sight. Although, she'd probably scream real loud if she saw his face!!

The Creeper hides and hangs out out at the docks. He ends up killing the delivery boy because the guy got a little too nosey!

Back in his college days, Hal was a popular football player and was involved in a love triangle with two of his friends, Tom and Virginia.

Hal's pal Tom causes him to fail a chemistry test by giving him the wrong answers and Hall tosses his experiment on the floor in anger, it explodes in his face. And, it triggers his present medical condition, he soon drops out of sight.

Hal shows up uninvited at Tom and Virginia's house, who are now married. He wants extortion money to help Helen get her eye operation, blaming Tom and her for the injustice.

Tom comes in and shoots Hal in his package, but, Tom gets too close and Hal chokes him to death because the bullet only grazed him!

The police find out that Helen has befriended The Creeper, so, they set up a trap for him!

The big guy comes in to pay his respects to Helen but the coppers are hiding in the next room and they move in before he can do his thang!!

Check in again on Wednesday when we will have another treat for you!

3 comments:

Grant said...

It took me forever to see this one. I think I first saw it on MST3K.

One very good thing about it is Donald McBride as the semi-comical police detective. He also played a comical detective in TOPPER RETURNS (which I know better than I do the original TOPPER, from having it on DVD). He was also in ROOM SERVICE with the Marx Brothers, where he played the "comic foil." (I think he's about the most underrated one of those the Marx Brothers ever had, but then, the movie in general is underrated.)

TABONGA! said...

Pretty sure I saw this on TV in the early sixties.

Lacey said...

The real pity is that Rondo died before this movie was released. He was finally becoming recognized for his work and was more than just a bit player.

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