The final film on this collection is also tonight's film. Instead of straight up horror we get Lugosi and Karloff in a film-noir gangster version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

The film opens with Karloff playing a condemned man heading to the chair. On his way he passes his notes to a reporter. Through this diary we are told the strange case of Professor Kingsley and Red Cannon. Instead of a potion to transform one man into another, the professor is hit by a car and expected to die. The man who ran the professor down is the escaping gangster Red Cannon. In order to save the professor's life, Kingsley's best friend Dr. Sovac is able to save his life using an illegal brain transplant using Cannon's brain to save his friend's life.

At first everything goes as planned. The professor recovers and yet he starts to now possess some of Cannon's traits. Things are complicated further when Dr. Sovac discovers the now dead Cannon has half a million stashed.

Lugosi isn't present for most of the film. His role of Eric Marney the gang leader is brief yet it has the classic Bela touch. His performance here really displays how much of a tragedy it was that Lugosi was never challenged with the great roles that he was capable of playing. He isn't a scientist or a vampire here and despite the role being minor, he certainly adds a presence to the film that would be lacking without him.

As tonight's film isn't so much a Lugosi film, it's not even a much of a Karloff film. Black Friday is a Stanley Ridges film. While today he is one of the many now forgotten character actors, Stanley Ridges shines here and his talents are stretched to their full potential. His double role as the kindly Professor Kingsley and the ruthless Red Cannon is played so well that I almost thought it was two different actors.

This film is definitely worth watching. Check it out sometime!

Labels: 31 days of film, Bela Lugosi, sci-fi