''The Brute Man'' is a 1946 American
horror thriller film
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...
starring
Rondo Hatton
Rondo Hatton (April 22, 1894 – February 2, 1946) was an American journalist and actor. After writing for ''The Tampa Tribune'', Hatton found a career in film due to his unique facial features, which were the result of acromegaly. He headlin ...
as the Creeper, a murderer seeking revenge against the people he holds responsible for the disfigurement of his face. Directed by
Jean Yarbrough
Jean Yarbrough (August 22, 1901 – August 2, 1975) was an American film director.
Biography
Jean Yarbrough was born in Marianna, Arkansas on August 22, 1901. He attended the University of the South located in Sewanee, Tennessee. In 1922 ...
, the film features
Tom Neal
Thomas Carroll Neal Jr. (January 28, 1914 – August 7, 1972) was an American actor and successful amateur boxer best known for his costarring role in the critically lauded film ''Detour'', for having a widely publicized affair with actress Ba ...
and
Jan Wiley
Jan Wiley (February 21, 1916 – May 26, 1993) was an American film actress.
Early years
Wiley was born Jan Harriet Wiley in Marion, Indiana and early in her career was billed as Harriet Brandon.
Film
Beginning in 1937 with ''New Faces of ...
as a married pair of friends the Creeper blames for his deformities.
Jane Adams also stars as a blind pianist for whom the Creeper tries to raise money for an operation to restore her vision.
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
produced the film near the end of their horror film period. According to legend, as the result of its pending merger with
International Pictures
International Pictures was an American film production company that existed in the 1940s. It merged with Universal Pictures to become Universal-International on October 1, 1946.
History
The company was formed in 1944. It was headed up by Leo Sp ...
, Universal adopted a policy against releasing any more
B movies
A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...
, so sold ''The Brute Man'' for $125,000 to
Poverty Row
Poverty Row is a slang term used to refer to Hollywood films produced from the 1920s to the 1950s by small (and mostly short-lived) B movie studios. Although many of them were based on (or near) today's Gower Street in Hollywood, the term did n ...
's
Producers Releasing Corporation
Producers Releasing Corporation was the smallest and least prestigious of the Hollywood film studios of the 1940s. It was considered a prime example of what was called "Poverty Row": a low-rent stretch of Gower Street in Hollywood where shoest ...
, which distributed the film without any mention of Universal's involvement in publicity or credits. In fact, Universal released at least one B-
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
following the merger, and still had numerous other titles in active circulation from the preceding few years, at the time of the merger. Most experts tend to believe that Universal simply found the exploitation of the deceased Hatton and his deformity for the third time, in his last film (in which evidence of his impending demise may be foreshadowed in his acting), and of a poorly-developed story, to be detrimental to its corporate image but did not want to take a financial loss by simply shelving the film permanently.
The film was released to home video in 1982. ''The Brute Man'' received generally negative reviews, drawing particular criticism for Hatton's poor performance. The film was featured in a 1996 episode of the movie-mocking comedy television series ''
Mystery Science Theater 3000
''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. ...
''. Members of ''Mystery Science Theater'' later expressed discomfort in making fun of the film due to Hatton's illness.
Plot
The police investigate a string of murders committed by the Creeper (
Rondo Hatton
Rondo Hatton (April 22, 1894 – February 2, 1946) was an American journalist and actor. After writing for ''The Tampa Tribune'', Hatton found a career in film due to his unique facial features, which were the result of acromegaly. He headlin ...
), a mysterious killer with a hideously disfigured face. The Creeper attacks and murders Professor Cushman (
John Hamilton), a professor from the nearby Hampton University. Later that night, the killer approaches a woman named Joan Bemis (
Janelle Johnson
Janelle Johnson (December 2, 1923 – December 2, 1995) was an American film actress of the 1940s. She married actor George Dolenz (1908–63) and was the mother of Micky Dolenz of the 1960s pop-rock band the Monkees. Her English daughter-in-law ...
) in front of her home and identifies himself as Hal Moffet. Joan screams hysterically at the sight of him until he is driven to kill her. When police cars approach, the Creeper climbs the fire escape of a city tenement building to escape and enters the apartment of Helen Paige (
Jane Adams), a blind pianist. Unable to see the Creeper's deformed face, Helen is not afraid of the intruder, even when he admits to fleeing. When police officers knock on her door, failing to identify themselves, Helen encourages him to hide in her bedroom, where he escapes through the window.
The next day, a general store delivery boy named Jimmy (Jack Parker) listens to a radio report about the Creeper's murders. The cantankerous store owner Mr. Haskins (
Oscar O'Shea
Oscar O'Shea (8 October 1881 – 6 April 1960) was a Canadian-American character actor with over 100 film appearances from 1937 to 1953.
Early years
O'Shea was born in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.
Acting
O'Shea was a comic actor who earne ...
) arrives with a handwritten letter slipped under the door, requesting groceries be delivered to a nearby dock. Jimmy brings the groceries to the dock and leaves them at a door, where the Creeper takes them into his hideout. But, when Jimmy tries to spy on him through a window, the Creeper sneaks up on Jimmy and kills him. Meanwhile, at the police station, Captain M.J. Donelly (
Donald MacBride
Donald Hugh MacBride (June 23, 1893 – June 21, 1957) was an American character actor on stage, in films, and on television who launched his career as a teenage singer (making several recordings in 1907) in vaudeville and went on to be an ...
) and Lieutenant Gates (
Peter Whitney
Peter Whitney (born Peter King Engle; May 24, 1916 – March 30, 1972) was an American actor in film and television. Tall and heavyset, he played brutish villains in many Hollywood films in the 1940s and 1950s.
Early years
Whitney was born ...
) receive complaints from the mayor's office about their failure to arrest the Creeper, but they deflect the blame. The two officers then get a call about the missing delivery boy and head to the dock to investigate.
The Creeper sneaks out and escapes while Donelly and Gates infiltrate his hideout and discover Jimmy's corpse. Donnelly also finds a newspaper clipping with a man named Hal Moffet and two of his friends, Clifford Scott (
Tom Neal
Thomas Carroll Neal Jr. (January 28, 1914 – August 7, 1972) was an American actor and successful amateur boxer best known for his costarring role in the critically lauded film ''Detour'', for having a widely publicized affair with actress Ba ...
) and Virginia Rogers (
Jan Wiley
Jan Wiley (February 21, 1916 – May 26, 1993) was an American film actress.
Early years
Wiley was born Jan Harriet Wiley in Marion, Indiana and early in her career was billed as Harriet Brandon.
Film
Beginning in 1937 with ''New Faces of ...
), during their college days. The police visit Clifford and Virginia, who are now married and wealthy. Clifford tells the officers during college, Hal was a handsome college football star who competed with Clifford for Virginia's affections. One day, while helping Hal prepare for a chemistry exam, a jealous Clifford deliberately gave him the wrong answers, resulting in Hal being asked by Professor Cushman to remain after class for extra work. While working on a chemistry experiment, Clifford walks by the window with Virginia to boast. Furious, Hal hurls a beaker to the ground, accidentally causing an explosion that disfigures his face. Donnelly speculates that Hal is the Creeper, and that he killed Professor Cushman and Joan because he holds them partially responsible for his accident.
Meanwhile, the Creeper goes to a pawn store to buy a brooch for Helen, and kills the pawnbroker (Charles Wagenheim) following a fight. He later brings the brooch to Helen, who he realizes for the first time is blind. Hal learns she needs $3,000 for surgery that would restore her eyesight. When Helen tries to touch his face, Hal angrily storms out. He then goes to the Scott residence and demands money from Clifford and Virginia, whom he blames for his disfigurement. Clifford draws a gun and shoots Hal twice in the stomach, but the weakened Hal manages to strangle Clifford to death before escaping with Virginia's jewels. He brings them to Helen, who is concerned about Hal's injuries, but he flees before she can learn he is shot.
Helen brings the jewels to an appraiser, who recognizes them as having recently been reported stolen. Donelly and Gates bring Helen into the station, where they inform her Hal is the Creeper and accuse her of harboring a murderer. Reluctantly, she agrees to help them capture him. The next day, the newspapers run stories about Helen cooperating with police, which infuriates Hal. Feeling betrayed, he sneaks back into her apartment and finds her playing the piano. Sneaking up from behind, Hal is about to strangle her when the police seize and arrest him. The film ends with Donelly and Gates assuring Helen she will get the operation she needs.
Cast
*
Rondo Hatton
Rondo Hatton (April 22, 1894 – February 2, 1946) was an American journalist and actor. After writing for ''The Tampa Tribune'', Hatton found a career in film due to his unique facial features, which were the result of acromegaly. He headlin ...
as Hal Moffat / The Creeper
*
Tom Neal
Thomas Carroll Neal Jr. (January 28, 1914 – August 7, 1972) was an American actor and successful amateur boxer best known for his costarring role in the critically lauded film ''Detour'', for having a widely publicized affair with actress Ba ...
as Clifford Scott
*
Jan Wiley
Jan Wiley (February 21, 1916 – May 26, 1993) was an American film actress.
Early years
Wiley was born Jan Harriet Wiley in Marion, Indiana and early in her career was billed as Harriet Brandon.
Film
Beginning in 1937 with ''New Faces of ...
as Virginia Rogers Scott
*
Jane Adams as Helen Paige
*
Donald MacBride
Donald Hugh MacBride (June 23, 1893 – June 21, 1957) was an American character actor on stage, in films, and on television who launched his career as a teenage singer (making several recordings in 1907) in vaudeville and went on to be an ...
as Police Captain M. J. Donelly
*
Peter Whitney
Peter Whitney (born Peter King Engle; May 24, 1916 – March 30, 1972) was an American actor in film and television. Tall and heavyset, he played brutish villains in many Hollywood films in the 1940s and 1950s.
Early years
Whitney was born ...
as Police Lieutenant Gates
*
Fred Coby
Frederick G. Beckner Jr. (March 1, 1916 – September 27, 1970) was an American character actor born in California. He was known for playing Pony Deal in the American western television series ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'', which starre ...
as Young Hal Moffat
*
Janelle Johnson Dolenz
Janelle Johnson (December 2, 1923 – December 2, 1995) was an American film actress of the 1940s. She married actor George Dolenz (1908–63) and was the mother of Micky Dolenz of the 1960s pop-rock band the Monkees. Her English daughter-in-law ...
as Joan Bemis
*Jack Parker as Jimmy
*
Oscar O'Shea
Oscar O'Shea (8 October 1881 – 6 April 1960) was a Canadian-American character actor with over 100 film appearances from 1937 to 1953.
Early years
O'Shea was born in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.
Acting
O'Shea was a comic actor who earne ...
as Mr. Haskins
*
Joseph Crehan
Joseph A. Creaghan (July 15, 1883 – April 15, 1966) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 300 films between 1916 and 1965, and notably played Ulysses S. Grant nine times between 1939 and 1958, most memorably in ''Union Paci ...
as Police Commissioner Salisbury (uncredited)
*
John Hamilton as Professor Cushman (uncredited)
Production
Writing
The screenplay for ''The Brute Man'' was written by
George Bricker
George Bricker (1898–1955) was an American screenwriter.Blottner p.302 He generally worked on second features at studios such as Warner Bros., Columbia, Universal and Monogram.
Selected filmography
* '' Broadway Hostess'' (1935)
* ''The Wi ...
and M. Coates Webster based on a story by Dwight V. Babcock.
An author of
pulp fiction
''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rhame ...
stories and novels, Babock started writing for Universal Pictures in 1943, where he worked primarily on horror films. ''The Brute Man'' marked the last of nine films Babcock wrote for Universal before he left for a job at
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
.
Bricker wrote several screenplays in a variety of genres, from horror films and mysteries to comedies, and worked primarily as a freelancer jumping from studio to studio.
Babcock and Brister previously worked together on several low-budget horror films, including ''
The Devil Bat
''The Devil Bat'' is a 1940 black-and-white American horror/howcatchem film produced by Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) and directed by Jean Yarborough. The film stars Bela Lugosi along with Suzanne Kaaren, Guy Usher, Yolande Mallott and ...
'' (1940), ''
House of Dracula
''House of Dracula'' is a 1945 American horror film released and distributed by Universal Pictures Company, Universal Pictures. Directed by Erle C. Kenton, the film features several Universal Horror properties meeting as they had done in the 19 ...
'' (1945), ''
Pillow of Death
''Pillow of Death'' is a 1945 film noir mystery horror film directed by Wallace Fox and starring Lon Chaney, Jr. and Brenda Joyce. The last of the Inner Sanctum mystery films, it is based on a story by Dwight V. Babcock. The "Inner Sanctum" f ...
'' (1945), ''
She-Wolf of London'' (1946) and ''
House of Horrors
''House of Horrors'' is a 1946 American horror film released by Universal Pictures, starring Rondo Hatton as a madman named "the Creeper".
Plot
Struggling sculptor Marcel de Lange (Martin Kosleck) is depressed about events in his life, and dec ...
'' (1946). Bricker and Webster both previously wrote the screenplays for Universal films featuring ''The Brute Man'' star Rondo Hatton: Bricker penned ''House of Horrors'', and Webster wrote ''
The Jungle Captive
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (1947), the third in a series of films about an ape that transforms into a beautiful woman.
''The Brute Man'' is a quasi-
prequel
A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work.
The term " ...
to ''House of Horrors'', in which Hatton played a deformed madman named "The Creeper" who kills people by breaking their backs. In ''The Brute Man'', Hatton also plays "The Creeper", while the story explains how he became deformed and why he has a murderous personality.
Hatton also played a disfigured killer called the Huxton Creeper in ''
The Pearl of Death
''The Pearl of Death'' is a 1944 Sherlock Holmes film starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, the ninth of fourteen such films the pair made. The story is loosely based on Conan Doyle's short story "The Adventure of the ...
'', a 1944
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
film, but neither ''House of Horrors'' nor ''The Brute Man'' have any connection to that film.
In establishing a backstory explaining the Creeper's motives, ''The Brute Man''
's script seeks to humanize the character and elicit more sympathy for him than the Creeper's other films, in which he is generally portrayed as a two-dimensional murderer.
The origin of the Creeper is based partially on autobiographical details from Hatton's real life.
Before becoming disfigured by an accident, the Creeper was a handsome young college football hero. Hatton himself was also a football player at the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
before experiencing the effects of
acromegaly
Acromegaly is a disorder that results from excess growth hormone (GH) after the growth plates have closed. The initial symptom is typically enlargement of the hands and feet. There may also be an enlargement of the forehead, jaw, and nose. Other ...
, a syndrome that causes abnormal bone growth due to excess
growth hormone
Growth hormone (GH) or somatotropin, also known as human growth hormone (hGH or HGH) in its human form, is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration in humans and other animals. It is thus important in h ...
from the
pituitary gland
In vertebrate anatomy, the pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland, about the size of a chickpea and weighing, on average, in humans. It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain. The ...
.
In the film, the character is disfigured by chemicals during a laboratory accident in school. While Hatton's real-life abnormalities stemmed from acromegaly, it was often incorrectly stated by Universal publicity materials that they were the result of exposure to
mustard gas
Mustard gas or sulfur mustard is a chemical compound belonging to a family of cytotoxic and blister agents known as mustard agents. The name ''mustard gas'' is technically incorrect: the substance, when dispersed, is often not actually a gas, b ...
attacks during Hatton's service in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
The film's setting, which appears to be a major city, is never identified in ''The Brute Man'', but it has been suggested to be
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, since that is where ''House of Horrors'' took place.
Commentators have noted similarities between ''The Brute Man'' and other films, including the
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...
silent comedy ''
City Lights
''City Lights'' is a 1931 American silent romantic comedy film written, produced, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. The story follows the misadventures of Chaplin's Tramp as he falls in love with a blind girl (Virginia Cherrill) and ...
'' (1931),
and the Universal horror film ''
Bride of Frankenstein
''Bride of Frankenstein'' is a 1935 American science fiction horror film, and the first sequel to Universal Pictures' 1931 film ''Frankenstein''. As with the first film, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' was directed by James Whale starring Boris Karlo ...
'' (1935).
''City Lights'', like ''The Brute Man'', included a protagonist (Chaplin's
Tramp
A tramp is a long-term homeless person who travels from place to place as a vagrant, traditionally walking all year round.
Etymology
Tramp is derived from a Middle English verb meaning to "walk with heavy footsteps" (''cf.'' modern English ''t ...
character) who falls in love with a blind girl and seeks money for an operation to restore her eyesight.
Likewise, the scenes between the Creeper and Helen Paige share a similar premise and dialogue as the scenes between
Frankenstein's monster
Frankenstein's monster or Frankenstein's creature, often referred to as simply "Frankenstein", is a fictional character who first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''. Shelley's title thus compares ...
and the blind hermit in ''Bride of Frankenstein''. In both films, the protagonists are shunned by society based on their physical appearance, but find companionship in a blind loner who knows nothing about their deformities. In both instances, the protagonist is first drawn to their blind companions by music. The Creeper heard Helen playing the piano, while Frankenstein's monster heard the hermit playing the violin. Commentators have noted other similarities between the two films. For example, the Creeper smashes a mirror after looking at his misshapen face, much like the Monster lashes out at his reflection in a waterfall pool.
Casting
''The Brute Man'' marked one of several films in which Universal cast Hatton as a murderer, taking advantage of his natural deformities for shock value. As a result of his acromegaly, Hatton had abnormally enlarged and shaped bones on his head and hands, and the Universal publicity department often promoted the fact that Hatton did not need make-up for his roles.
Tom Neal, who had recently appeared in the cult classic noir film ''
Detour
__NOTOC__
A detour or (British English: diversion) is a (normally temporary) route taking traffic around an area of prohibited or reduced access, such as a construction site. Standard operating procedure for many roads departments is to route an ...
'' (1945), was cast as Clifford Scott. Having appeared in dozens of low-budget films throughout the early-1940s, Neal began to become known as the "King of the B Pictures". In ''The Brute Man'', Neal portrayed Scott both in his older years and in the flashback scenes, where the character appears as a college student. To differentiate between the two, Neal was fitted with make-up and costumes to make him better resemble a middle-aged man during his non-flashback scenes.
Jane Adams was cast as the blind pianist Helen Paige. Adams had appeared in several Universal films before, including the
Lon Chaney, Jr.
Creighton Tull Chaney (February10, 1906 – July12, 1973), known by his stage name Lon Chaney Jr., was an American actor known for playing Larry Talbot in the film '' The Wolf Man'' (1941) and its various crossovers, Count Alucard (Dra ...
film ''
House of Dracula
''House of Dracula'' is a 1945 American horror film released and distributed by Universal Pictures Company, Universal Pictures. Directed by Erle C. Kenton, the film features several Universal Horror properties meeting as they had done in the 19 ...
'' (1945).
Jan Wiley was cast as Scott's wife, Virginia. Although Wiley had appeared in several movies throughout the 1930s and 1940s, ''The Brute Man'' marked one of her final film performances before retiring from the film industry in 1947.
It was also recalled as one of her most memorable film appearances along with another Universal B horror film, ''She-Wolf of London''.
However, her performance in ''The Brute Man'' proved to be a less than memorable one for her, so much so that in an interview shortly before Wiley's death in 1993, she could barely remember even having appeared in the film.
Donald MacBride
Donald Hugh MacBride (June 23, 1893 – June 21, 1957) was an American character actor on stage, in films, and on television who launched his career as a teenage singer (making several recordings in 1907) in vaudeville and went on to be an ...
and
Peter Whitney
Peter Whitney (born Peter King Engle; May 24, 1916 – March 30, 1972) was an American actor in film and television. Tall and heavyset, he played brutish villains in many Hollywood films in the 1940s and 1950s.
Early years
Whitney was born ...
portray the police officers Captain M.J. Donelly and Lieutenant Gates, respectively. Their roles serve as
comic relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.
Definition
Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...
for the film. Their characters portray the incompetence of the police force in their inability to find and arrest the Creeper and their focus on passing blame for their failures rather than diverting resources toward his arrest.
Filming
''The Brute Man'' was developed by
Universal Pictures Company, Inc. in the later years of their successful production of horror films, including ''
Dracula
''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...
'' (1931), ''
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ex ...
'' (1931) and ''
The Mummy
A mummy is an unusually well preserved corpse.
Mummy or The Mummy may also refer to:
Places
*Mummy Range, a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States
*Mummy Cave, a rock shelter and archeological site in Par ...
'' (1932).
While those films were great critical and financial successes, ''The Brute Man'' was filmed during what was widely considered the low point of the studio's horror film period. It was produced by Ben Pivar and directed by Jean Yarbrough,
both of whom had worked on ''House of Horrors'' and many other horror films for Universal over the years. ''The Brute Man'' was filmed in 13 days, during November 1945.
The flashback scenes - which depict how Hal Moffet became disfigured and ultimately became the Creeper - were all shot on the final day of filming.
Jane Adams said Hatton's acromegaly was becoming progressively worse by the time ''The Brute Man'' was filmed, and it made acting difficult for him. Hatton had trouble remembering his lines, focusing on his performance, and responding to the other actors. Hatton occasionally appears confused even on screen, like during one scene where he says "yes" while shaking his head "no". Adams called him a friendly and thoughtful man, but called him "so pathetic to work with
ndalmost
autistic
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
".
Maury Gertsman
Morris Gertsman (17 April 1907 – 13 December 1999) was a senior-ranked cinematographer at Universal Pictures from the mid-1940s through the mid-1950s.
Career
Gertsman's first film of note was ''Jungle Captive''; he shot the final two Sherlock ...
was the director of photography on ''The Brute Man''.
Since the film focused on a disfigured serial killer, Gertsman sought to give the movie a dark, diseased look appropriate for the film's subject matter and urban setting.
Although primarily a horror thriller film, Gertsman uses several
film noir
Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...
elements in his photography, including shadowed lighting, unbalanced compositions, and
chiaroscuro
Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...
contrasts between light and dark.
As a result, ''The Brute Man'' features a bleak, at times dismal visual atmosphere.
Hans J. Salter, who composed the scores for many of the Universal films of the 1940s and 1950s, worked as composer for ''The Brute Man'' as well. Salter's score for the film strongly resembled the music he composed for the Universal horror films ''
Black Friday'' (1940) and ''
The Invisible Man's Revenge
''The Invisible Man's Revenge'' is a 1944 American horror film directed by Ford Beebe and written by Bertram Millhauser. The film stars John Carradine as a scientist who tests his experiment on Jon Hall, a psychiatric hospital escapee who takes ...
'' (1944).
Philip Cahn edited ''The Brute Man''. Raymond Kessler and Ralph Slosser worked as dialogue director and assistant director, respectively, while John B. Goodman and Abraham Grossman worked as art directors. Other crew included Russell A. Gausman and Edward R. Robinson as set decorators,
Joe Lapis
Joe Lapis (10 April 1899 – 26 October 1991) was a Hungarian sound engineer. He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Special Effects on the film ''The Boys from Syracuse'' at the 13th Academy Awards
The 13th Academy Awards were held on ...
as sound technician,
Jack Pierce as make-up director, Carmen Dirigo as hair stylist, and
Vera West as gowns supervisor.
Release
Distribution
Although produced by Universal Pictures, ''The Brute Man'' was distributed by
Producers Releasing Corporation
Producers Releasing Corporation was the smallest and least prestigious of the Hollywood film studios of the 1940s. It was considered a prime example of what was called "Poverty Row": a low-rent stretch of Gower Street in Hollywood where shoest ...
(PRC), one of the smaller film studios from
Hollywood's Poverty Row
Poverty Row is a slang term used to refer to Hollywood films produced from the 1920s to the 1950s by small (and mostly short-lived) B movie studios. Although many of them were based on (or near) today's Gower Street in Hollywood, the term did n ...
. In 1945, Universal merged with the company International Pictures, and the new organization adopted a policy against developing any more
B movie
A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...
s, including Westerns, horror films, serials and movies running 70 minutes or less. This resulted in the firing of numerous production personnel members and the sale of several already-developed films, including ''The Brute Man''.
The sale was also perpetuated in part by the death of star Rondo Hatton.
He died as a result of his acromegaly on February 2, 1946, about eight months before ''The Brute Man'' was first screened, making it his final film.
Universal feared releasing the film so soon after his death would lead to accusations that the studio was exploiting the illness that ultimately killed Hatton.
Now embarrassed by the film, the studio was anxious to sell it.
Universal sold the film to PRC for $125,000, which represented the negative cost plus interest.
The transaction occurred around August 1946, but was not made public until it was screened for the trade press on October 1, marking its official release date. The sale occurred so quickly and hastily on the copyright files stores at the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
, the name Universal Pictures was crossed out and Pathe Industries, PRC's corporate body, was written in its place in pencil. Some pressbook advertisements circulated for the film still included the Universal logo.
PRC had previously produced a horror film about acromegaly called ''
The Monster Maker
''The Monster Maker'' is a 1944 science-fiction horror film starring J. Carrol Naish and Ralph Morgan. Albert Glasser supplied the film score, his first, an assignment for which he was paid US$250.
Plot
Dr. Markoff (J. Carrol Naish) has conco ...
'' (1944), in which a mad scientist injects human subjects with the disease as part of his experiments.
Reception
''The Brute Man'' received generally negative critical reviews following its release on October 1, 1946.
A 1946 review in the ''
Harrison's Reports
''Harrison's Reports'' was a New York City-based motion picture trade journal published weekly from 1919 to 1962. The typical issue was four letter-size pages sent to subscribers under a second-class mail permit. Its founder, editor and publisher ...
'' trade journal, found that the film had some suspenseful moments and could be enjoyed by fans of the genre, but that the overall effect was "artificial and stagy". The reviewer stated most audiences "will find it tiresome in plot and in treatment
..in fact, some of the action and dialogue may provoke laughs, instead of serious response".
A
''Variety'' review described the film as "singularly unexciting meller". ''
New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
'' critic Arthur Winsten criticized the story and the acting of Rondo Hatton, commenting that his facial disfigurements alone did not make up for his poor acting skills: "Just as clothes don't make a gentleman, so a face doesn't make both a villain and continuous thrills. All this picture has is a face, handicapped by encircling improbabilities". In a review published in 1947, Wanda Hale of the ''
New York Daily News
The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
'' called it "a crude production
..compiled of bits from various B thrillers".
In contrast, Mandel Herbstman of ''The Motion Picture Herald'', said although the film used standard thriller film devices, ''The Brute Man'' "stands favorably" in its genre and director Jean Yarbrough kept the film moving at a brisk pace.
Decades after the film's release, retrospective reviews of ''The Brute Man'' were similarly negative, with many commentators criticizing the exploitation of Hatton's real-life acromegaly.
John Stanley, host of the
KTVU
KTVU (channel 2) is a television station licensed to Oakland, California, United States, serving as the San Francisco Bay Area's Fox network outlet. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside San Jose†...
television show ''
Creature Features
''Creature Features'' is a generic title for a genre of horror TV format shows broadcast on local American television stations throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The movies broadcast on these shows were generally classic and cult horror ...
'', described it as a dull and "shoddy thriller", criticizing both the performances and the mood from the direction and photography. The authors of ''Universal Horrors: The Studio's Classic Films, 1931-1946'' were highly critical of the film's dialogue, and claimed much of the script seemed to be "time-killing stuff" to pad the film's already-short running time. They wrote that Hatton's acting was so bad, it "wouldn't be acceptable even at a pre-production cast get-together and table reading, much less in the movie itself".
Donald C. Willis, a writer who wrote about horror and science fiction films, described the horror scenes as completely lacking suspense, and said the film was "so flimsy that its three co-plots seem to be operating independently of one another".
Analysis
The film critic and scholar Keith Brown argued that ''The Brute Man'' is an example of what he calls the "terror film", a genre distinguishable from the horror film due to its emphasis on naturally occurring sources of fear, rather than fantastical or otherworldly horror elements. Brown wrote that the Creeper character "blurs the boundary between human and animal on account of his grotesque, deformed features, but is natural and thus a figure of terror". Cory Legassic, in a chapter dedicated to Rondo Hatton in ''Recovering 1940s Horror Cinema: Traces of a Lost Decade'', wrote that ''The Brute Man''s narrative was modeled after Hatton's life. Legassic noted similarities between Hatton and his character Hal Moffet both being handsome sports stars who end up disfigured.
Home media
For decades after the film's theatrical release, copies of ''The Brute Man'' were unavailable, and it became regarded as a
lost film
A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress.
Conditions
During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...
. However, the film was eventually discovered and mass-produced by Admit One, a home video distribution company that focused specifically on lesser-known B films.
''The Brute Man'' was first released on
Betamax
Betamax (also known as Beta, as in its logo) is a consumer-level analog recording and cassette format of magnetic tape for video, commonly known as a video cassette recorder. It was developed by Sony and was released in Japan on May 10, 1975, ...
and
VHS in 1982 by Admit One.
It has been reissued on VHS several times since then, and was released on
laserdisc
The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...
format in 1990. ''The Brute Man'' was most recently released on VHS by
Image Entertainment
RLJ Entertainment (formerly Image Entertainment) is an American film production company and home video distributor, distributing film and television productions in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 340 ...
in 1999, a year which also marked the first
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
release of the film, also by Image Entertainment. In his 2004 DVD guide book, Douglas Pratt complimented both the picture and sound transfers of the 1999 DVD release: "The picture looks great. There are a couple shots where a few speckles pop up, but much of the time the image is clean, with deep blacks and sharp, finely graded contrasts".
Legacy
Rondo Hatton's likeness from ''The Brute Man'' inspired the appearance of one of the villain characters in
Dave Stevens
Dave Lee Stevens (July 29, 1955 – March 11, 2008) was an American illustrator and comics artist. He was most famous for creating ''Rocketeer, The Rocketeer'' comic book and film character, and for his pin-up style "glamour art" illustrations, ...
' ''
Rocketeer
The Rocketeer is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books originally published by Pacific Comics. Created by writer/artist Dave Stevens, the character first appeared in 1982 and is an homage to the Saturday matinee serial heroes f ...
'' comic book as well as the 1991 film adaptation, ''
The Rocketeer
The Rocketeer is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books originally published by Pacific Comics. Created by writer/artist Dave Stevens, the character first appeared in 1982 and is an homage to the Saturday matinee serial heroes ...
''. In the film, the seven-foot-tall
Tiny Ron Taylor
Ronald "Tiny Ron" Taylor (November 21, 1947 – November 28, 2019) was an American film actor and former basketball player, known for his work in feature films such as ''The Rocketeer'' (1991) and '' Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'' (1994), and in t ...
portrays Lothar, an ugly and murderous henchman for the story's antagonist.
Rick Baker
Richard A. Baker (born December 8, 1950), known professionally as Rick Baker, is an American retired special make-up effects creator and actor. He is mostly known for his creature designs and effects. Baker won the Academy Award for Best Makeu ...
, the special make-up effects artist that worked on the film, designed the character's facial make-up to resemble Hatton's Creeper character,
and Lothar dresses in a dark coat and hat similar to his clothing from ''The Brute Man''.
In 2002, the founders of the website ''The Classic Horror Film Board'' created the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards to honor horror works in film, television and publishing. The awards were named after the actor, and award recipients received statuettes with miniature busts of Hatton as he appeared portraying the Creeper in ''House of Horrors'' and ''The Brute Man''. The statuettes were sculpted by illustrator
Kerry Gammill
Kerry Gammill (born April 26, 1954) is an American artist who has worked in the fields of comic books, special effects, storyboards, and character designs. As a comic book artist, he is best known for his work on ''Power Man and Iron Fist'' ...
and cast by modeler Timothy M. Lindsey.
''Mystery Science Theater 3000''
''The Brute Man'' was featured in a
seventh season episode of the satirical television series ''
Mystery Science Theater 3000
''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. ...
'' alongside the industrial short ''
The Chicken of Tomorrow''.
''The Brute Man'' was the second episode of the seventh season, which was broadcast on
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
on February 10, 1996.
The description for ''The Brute Man'' in ''The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazing Colossal Episode Guide'', a book by the cast and writers of the series, reads: "A dark film about dark things. Rondo Hatton's swan song; he died just weeks after the film was completed. So murky and dark, it makes ''
M'' look like ''
Mrs. Doubtfire
''Mrs. Doubtfire'' is a 1993 American comedy-drama film directed by Chris Columbus. It was written for the screen by Randi Mayem Singer and Leslie Dixon, based on the 1987 novel ''Alias Madame Doubtfire'' by Anne Fine. Robin Williams, who also s ...
''".
In 2011, Shout! Factory released the ''MST3K'' episode as part of the "Volume XXII" collection, along with episodes focused on ''
Time of the Apes'', ''
Mighty Jack
was a tokusatsu science fiction/espionage/action TV series. Created by Japanese effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya, the show was produced by Tsuburaya Productions and was broadcast on Fuji TV from April 6, 1968 to June 29, 1968, with a total of 13 o ...
'', and ''
The Violent Years
''The Violent Years'' is a 1956 American exploitation film directed by William Morgan and starring Jean Moorhead as Paula Parkins, the leader of a gang of juvenile delinquent high school girls. The film is notable for having an uncredited Ed ...
''.
In 1995,
Michael J. Nelson
Michael John Nelson (born October 11, 1964) is an American comedian and writer, most known for his work on the television series '' Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''MST3K''). Nelson was the head writer of the series for most of the show's origi ...
, the show's head writer who also plays
the character of the same name, said the staff initially felt strange making jokes at the expense of Rondo Hatton and his real-life illness; however, Nelson said: "Then you realize it's the whole point of the movie: he's a guy with a big ugly face...And he is a terribly bad actor".
Paul Chaplin
Paul Chaplin (born Paul Schersten) is an American writer and comedian, known for his work on the television series ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'', for which he wrote and played the recurring characters of an Observer, Ned the Nanite, Pitch th ...
, another writer with the series, said in 2001 of the actor's acromegaly: "That fact opens up a large, irresolvable issue concerning the movie industry's use of this poor afflicted fellow; he was paid, after all, and movie work is nice work. Yet it can seem exploitative of misfortune".
Mary Jo Pehl
Mary Jo Pehl (; born February 27, 1960 in Circle Pines, Minnesota) is an American writer, actress, and comedian. She is best known for her various roles on the television series ''Mystery Science Theater 3000''.
''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' ...
, who played
Pearl Forrester
Pearl Forrester is a fictional character on '' Mystery Science Theater 3000'', and is played by Mary Jo Pehl. Pearl is the mother of Dr. Clayton Forrester ( Trace Beaulieu). Initially devised as a guest character, Pearl became a supporting charac ...
, said in the DVD introduction to the ''MST3K'' episode that she didn't think it was one of the series strongest episodes and because of Hatton's illness would not have made fun of the film if given a chance to do it over again.
References
Notes
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Brute Man
1946 films
1946 horror films
1940s serial killer films
American black-and-white films
American horror thriller films
American films about revenge
Films directed by Jean Yarbrough
Films about blind people
Producers Releasing Corporation films
Universal Pictures films
Films scored by Hans J. Salter
1940s English-language films
1940s American films