''The Man Who Turned to Stone'' (a.k.a. ''The Petrified Man'') is a 1957 American

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction ** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction **Korean horror, Korean horror fiction * Horror film, a film genre *Horror comics, comic books focusing o ...

science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstellar ...

directed by László Kardos and starring

Victor Jory Victor Jory (November 23, 1902 – February 12, 1982) was a Canadian-American actor of stage, film, and television. He initially played romantic leads, but later was mostly cast in villainous or sinister roles, such as Oberon in ''A Midsummer N ...

, Ann Doran and Charlotte Austin. The screenplay was written by Bernard Gordon under his pen name Raymond T. Marcus.''It Came from 1957: A Critical Guide to the Year's Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films'' by Rob Craig (Sep 25, 2013) ''The Man Who Turned to Stone'' was released in 1957 on a double bill with another Katzman-produced film, '' Zombies of Mora Tau''.

Plot

Two social workers, Dr. Jess Rogers (Hudson) and Carol Adams (Austin) grow concerned over the number of deaths of young women at a local young women's detention home. The otherwise healthy inmates are dying of heart failure or suicide. The social workers discover that the manager of the detention home is Dr. Murdock (Victor Jory). Tracy, one of the inmates, discovers a hidden laboratory. The lab is the base of group of unethical doctors who learned a hundred years ago to extend their lives by draining the vitality of others. Without such transfusions, they begin to slowly petrify. They have become the medical staff of doctors at a girls'

reform school A reform school was a penal institution, generally for teenagers mainly operating between 1830 and 1900. In the United Kingdom and its colonies reformatories commonly called reform schools were set up from 1854 onwards for youngsters who were ...

, assuring a steady supply of vital young bodies to feed upon. The two social workers begin a quiet investigation, eventually exposing the doctors and their crimes and saving future victims.

Cast

as Dr. Murdock * Ann Doran as Mrs. Ford * Charlotte Austin as Carol Adams * William Hudson as Dr. Jess Rogers *

Paul Cavanagh William Grigs Atkinson (8 December 1888 – 15 March 1964), known professionally as Paul Cavanagh, was an English film and stage actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1928 and 1959. Life and career Cavanagh was born in Felling, ...

as Cooper *

Tina Carver Tina Carver (March 24, 1922 – February 18, 1982) was an American film actress and model active in the 1950s. Filmography Feature films *''The Man Who Turned to Stone'' (1957) as Big Marge *''Chain of Evidence'' (1957) as Claire Ramsey *' ...

as Big Marge Collins *

Jean Willes Jean Willes (born Jean Donahue; April 15, 1923 – January 3, 1989) was an American film and television actress. She appeared in approximately 65 films in her 38-year career. Early years Willes was born Jean Donahue In Los Angeles. She spent pa ...

as Tracy * Victor Varconi as Dr. Myer * Friedrich von Ledebur as Eric (as Frederick Ledebur) * George Lynn as Dr. Freneau

Production

Written by Hollywood blacklist screenwriter Bernard Gordon, who used the pseudonym Raymond T. Marcus for this picture.

Reception

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and f ...

'' found the movie covered ground that even at the time of release were already passé. It stated that the movie blends the juvenile delinquency genre with the horror-scifi which helps the movie and that the acting was credible. '' Variety'' found the movie a lesser work in the horror genre, adequate to hold the lower half of a double feature.

References

Bibliography

* Warren, Bill. ''Keep Watching the Skies: American Science Fiction Films of the Fifties'', 21st Century Edition. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2009, .

External links

*
The Man Who Turned to Stone
at the TCM
Man Who Turned to Stone
at Variety {{DEFAULTSORT:Man Who Turned to Stone, The 1957 films 1950s science fiction films American science fiction films 1950s English-language films Films directed by László Kardos 1950s American films