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The Inner Sanctum Mysteries (film series)

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The Inner Sanctum Mysteries film series consists of American classic-horror mystery films, based on and inspired by the works of Himan Brown, and the stories printed by Simon & Schuster.

The Inner Sanctum Mysteries
Official film series logo
Based onInner Sanctum Mystery
by Himan Brown
Inner Sanctum Mysteries
by Simon & Schuster
Starring
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
1943–1945
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The anthological film series as a part of the Universal Horror label, stars Lon Chaney Jr. in a number of similar roles, with plots that do not overlap though they are thematically related. David Hoffman features in each installment as a disembodied head, which floats within a crystal ball and warns the audience that someone in attendance could be a murderer.[1]

The series was released on home video as a collection through various packagings, in 2006.[2]

Origin

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Main article: Inner Sanctum Mystery

The films are based on the Golden Age radio dramas titled Inner Sanctum and created by Himan Brown; which were in turn based on the Simon & Schuster imprint of the same name.[3] Though the novels are generally associated with mysteries, the imprint was additionally used for drama and romance; with each genre being published in green, blue, and red colored book covers, respectively.[4] Broadcast through Blue Network Programs via radio from January 7, 1941–October 5, 1952 the series included a total of 511 episodes.[3]

Development

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In 1941, Universal acquired the film rights to the novels published by Simon & Schuster Inc.,[5][6] with intentions being that the anthological adaptations would be another successful film series with Lon Chaney Jr. in the starring roles,[6] and Gale Sondergaard as his co-star in each installment.[1] The studio greenlit development for two Inner Sanctum Mystery movies to release each year with Ben Pivar attached as producer,[1] while Sondergaard dropped out of her role prior to principle photography commenced on the first installment.[1] At Chaney Jr.'s request, the scripts incorporated lines for an audible inner "stream of consciousness" voiceover that the audience would hear.[7] A continuing thread throughout each movie, includes a scene with a floating head within a crystal ball (portrayed by David Hoffman) warning the audience that each attendee could be a potential murderer.[1]

Film

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Film U.S.
release date 		Director Screenwriter(s) Story by Producer(s)
Calling Dr. Death: An Inner Sanctum Mystery December 17, 1943 (1943-12-17) Reginald LeBorg Edward Dein Ben Pivar
Weird Woman: An Inner Sanctum Mystery March 1, 1944 (1944-03-01) Reginald Le Borg Brenda Weisberg W. Scott Darling Ben Pivar and Oliver Drake
Dead Man's Eyes: An Inner Sanctum Mystery November 10, 1944 (1944-11-10) Dwight V. Babcock Ben Pivar and Will Cowan
The Frozen Ghost: An Inner Sanctum Mystery June 1, 1945 (1945-06-01) Harold Young Bernard Schubert & Luci Ward Harrison Carter & Henry Sucher Will Cowan
Strange Confession: An Inner Sanctum Mystery October 5, 1945 (1945-10-05) John Hoffman M. Coates Webster Jean Bart Ben Pivar
Pillow of Death: An Inner Sanctum Mystery December 14, 1945 (1945-12-14) Wallace Fox Dwight V. Babcock George Bricker

Calling Dr. Death (1943)

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Main article: Calling Dr. Death

When Dr. Mark Steele finds himself unable to recollect the last several days of his life, he's further disturbed to learn that his wife Maria has been found brutally murdered. Because of their troubled marriage including the recent occurrences of her unfaithful actions, Dr. Steele begins to wonder whether he was involved with her death as the investigation continues. Disturbed by the situation and hoping to recover his repressed memories, he requests that his nurse Stella perform hypnosis to determine whether he is a scheming murderer.[8]

Weird Woman (1944)

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Main article: Weird Woman

Professor Norman Reed returns home from his trip to the South Seas, with an exotic native woman named Paula. The newlywed couple who are excited to begin their lives together, are surprised to find the townspeople questioning their intentions, as a series of strange occurrences inexplicably begin to happen including the murder of one of Reed's collogues. Though she was raised by a superstitious tribe who believed she was a supernatural being, the Professor is determined to solve the mystery and prove his wife's innocence; to the town, to his wife, and to himself.[9]

Dead Man's Eyes (1944)

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Main article: Dead Man's Eyes

A talented painter named David "Dave" Stuart is blinded, when one of his models named Tanya becomes jealous of his relationship with his fiancé Heather and secretly replaces his eyewash with acid. While coping with his new way of life following the incident, the father of his fiancé named the Dr. Stanley Hayden offers to be the donor for a cornea transplant once he should pass away. Following his mysterious and premature death however, its determined that Dr. Hayden died of unnatural causes and Dave finds himself the primary suspect. Separated from the love of his life, who now questions his character, Tanya offers to care for David as he adapts to his new way of life. As the investigation begins, Stuart inherits the corneas as a result of Dr. Hayden's will. Though the initial surgery seems to fail at helping the artist regain his sight, Dave works tirelessly to try and find the true culprit to prove his own innocence, all while the true murderer may be following his every move.[10]

The Frozen Ghost (1945)

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Main article: The Frozen Ghost

while Alex Gregor is a successful illusionist known professionally as "Gregor the Great". One night during his stage show with his fiancé and assistant Maura Daniels, a drunken audience member begins to critique his routine. As Alex becomes angry and places the man into a trance through hypnotism, the man suddenly and inexplicably dies. Though the medical examination determines that it was caused by a heart attack, Alex is overcome with guilt and retires from his stage show believing that the incident was his fault. After his manager George Keene arranges a new job for him, working as a lecturer at Madame Valerie Monet's wax museum, Alex is overwhelmed by the female attention he has acquired from Monet, her niece Nina, and his fiancé who strives to convince him of his innocence. Following an angry confrontation with Monet however, all individuals involved are surprised by her disappearance. As he finds himself the primary suspect in accusations of murder, Alex works tirelessly with Maura determined more than ever to prove his innocence in both situations.[11]

Strange Confession (1945)

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Main article: Strange Confession

When a scientist named Jeff Carter is pushed to complete his work on a vaccine to fight influenza, he finds himself at odds with his boss who is a pharmaceutical tycoon named Roger Graham. Believing that Graham only wants the riches and notoriety, Carter refuses to release the vaccine until more testing has been completed. Requesting more time, Jeff travels to South America for continued testing. Seeing an opportunity, Roger romantically pursues Jeff's wife Mary, and makes an executive business decision by prematurely releasing the vaccine. Returning from his trip, Jeff learns the ill-fated news about his wife, and learns that his son has died as a result of administration of the vaccine. Filled with rage, Jeff resolves to exact vengeance by any means necessary. Following the completion of his plans, Jeff approaches a renowned lawyer to confess his actions, where it is questioned whether a murder has occurred or a series of different events instead.[12]

Pillow of Death (1945)

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Main article: Pillow of Death

Wayne Fletcher, a successful attorney engages in an affair with his secretary Donna Kincaid, while the pair plan to be married once he divorces his wife. Unfortunately, his wife is found dead by suffocation however, and Wayne finds himself the primary suspect of the murder. As he seeks to prove his innocence, a questionable medium claims that she has contacted the spirit of his wife and supports the case that he is guilty. When a series of deaths in the same manner begin to occur one by one, Wayne works tirelessly to prove his own innocence. He is disturbed in the process however, when he begins to have visions of his dead wife, and begins to question his own sanity.[13]

Main cast and characters

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Character Film
Calling Dr. Death Weird Woman Dead Man's Eyes The Frozen Ghost Strange Confession Pillow of Death
Dr. Mark Steele Lon Chaney, Jr.  
Maria Steele Ramsay Ames  
Stella Madden Patricia Morison  
Robert Duval David Bruce  
Insp. Gregg J. Carrol Naish  
Prof. Norman Reed   Lon Chaney, Jr.  
Paula Clayton Reed   Anne Gwynne  
Ilona Carr   Evelyn Ankers  
Prof. Millard Sawtelle   Ralph Morgan  
Margret Mercer   Lois Collier  
Evelyn Sawtelle   Elizabeth Russell  
David Jennings   Phil Brown  
David "Dave" Stuart   Lon Chaney, Jr.  
Heather "Brat" Hayden   Jean Parker  
Tanya Czoraki   Acquanetta  
Dr. Sam Welles   Jonathan Hale  
Dr. Stanley "Dad" Hayden   Edward Fielding  
Dr. Alan Bittaker   Paul Kelly  
Cpt. Det. Drury   Thomas Gomez  
Alex Gregor
Gregor the Great 		  Lon Chaney, Jr.  
Maura Daniel   Evelyn Ankers  
Nina Coudreau   Elena Verdugo  
George Keene   Milburn Stone  
Valerie Monet   Tala Birell  
Dr. Rudi Poldan   Martin Kosleck  
Insp. Brant   Douglass Dumbrille  
the Skeptic   Arthur Hohl  
Jeff Carter   Lon Chaney, Jr.  
Mary Carter   Brenda Joyce  
Dave Curtis   Lloyd Bridges  
Roger Graham   J. Carrol Naish  
Atty. Wayne Fletcher   Lon Chaney, Jr.
Donna Kincaid   Brenda Joyce
Vivian Fletcher   Victoria Horne
Amelia Kincaid   Rosalind Ivan
Belle Kincaid   Clara Blandick
Samuel "Sam" Kincaid   George Cleveland
Cpt. "Cap'n" McCracken   Wilton Graff
Det. Harry   Harry Strang
Julian Julian   J. Edward Bromberg

Additional crew and production details

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Film Crew/Detail
Composer(s) Cinematographer Editor Production
companies 		Distributing
company 		Running time
Calling Dr. Death Paul Sawtell Virgil Miller Norman A. Cerf Universal Pictures Corporation 1hr 3mins
Weird Woman:
An Inner Sanctum Mystery 		Milton Carruth Universal Pictures
Dead Man's Eyes:
An Inner Sanctum Mystery 		Paul Ivano 1hr 4mins
The Frozen Ghost:
An Inner Sanctum Mystery 		Richard Hageman, William Lava,
Hans J. Salter, Paul Sawtell,
and Frank Skinner 		Fred R. Feitshans Jr. 1hr 1min
Strange Confession: The Missing Head -
An Inner Sanctum Mystery 		Frank Skinner Maury Gertsman Russell F. Schoengarth Universal Pictures Corporation 1hr 2mins
Pillow of Death:
An Inner Sanctum Mystery 		Jerome Ash Edward Curtiss Universal Pictures 1hr 6mins

Reception

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For more details on the reception of each film, see the "Reception" section on each film's article.

Critical response

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This table indicates modern analyses of each movie. For more details see each film's article.
Film Rotten Tomatoes
Tomatometer
Calling Dr. Death TBD (1 review)[14]
Weird Woman TBD (1 review)[15]
Dead Man's Eyes TBD[16]
The Frozen Ghost TBD (2 reviews)[17]
Strange Confession: The Missing Head TBD[18]
Pillow of Death TBD[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 380.
  2. ^ Mortensen, Adam (2006). "Inner Sanctum Mysteries: The Complete Film Collection Blu-ray Review". Geeky Hobbies. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Brown, Himan (2002). "On accepting his American Broadcast Pioneer Award". himanbrown.com. Himan and Melina Brown. Archived from the original on January 18, 2006. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  4. ^ Grams, Martin (October 4, 2013). "Debunking the Myths of Inner Sanctum Mystery...or Mysteries". Martin Grams Blog. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  5. ^ "Calling Dr. Death (1943)". American Film Institute. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 379.
  7. ^ Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 382.
  8. ^ "Calling Dr. Death". The A.V. Club. The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  9. ^ "Weird Woman". The A.V. Club. The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  10. ^ Schell, Brian (January 21, 2020). "Dead Man's Eyes (1944) Review". The Horror Guys. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  11. ^ "The Frozen Ghost". The A.V. Club. The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  12. ^ "Strange Confession". The A.V. Club. The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  13. ^ "Pillow of Death". The A.V. Club. The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  14. ^ "Calling Dr. Death". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  15. ^ "Weird Woman". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. March 1944. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  16. ^ "Dead Man's Eyes". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. 19 September 2006. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  17. ^ "The Frozen Ghost". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. June 1945. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  18. ^ "Strange Confession". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. 5 October 1945. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  19. ^ "Pillow of Death". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved June 24, 2022.

Sources

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  • Weaver, Tom; Brunas, Michael; Brunas, John (2007) [1990]. Universal Horrors (2 ed.). McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-2974-5.
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