Scared to Death (1947)
- Starring:
- Bela Lugosi, Douglas Fowley, (more)
- Director(s):
- William Christy Cabanne
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- NR
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Completed several years before its 1947 release, Scared to Death is historically important as Bela Lugosi's only color film (outside of his brief unbilled appearance in 1931's Fifty Million Frenchmen, which today exists only in black & white). Other than that, it's a dreary story of how a beautiful but treacherous young woman (Molly Lamont) literally dies of fright. Anticipating Sunset Boulevard by at least five years, the film is narrated by the deceased "heroine", meaning that suspense and surprise are hardly considerations here. It's a toss-up as to who's funnier: the film's official comedy relief, dumb detective Nat Pendleton and dumber blonde Joyce Compton, or the "odd couple" team of the caped-and-cloaked Bela Lugosi and his dress-alike dwarf companion Angelo Rossitto. For the record, Lugosi plays a sinister hypnotist named Leonide, yet another of his myriad of "red herring" roles in the 1940s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 65 mins
Complete Cast:
- Bela Lugosi - Leonide
- Joyce Compton - Jane Cornell
- Nat Pendleton - Bill "Bull" Raymond
- Molly Lamont - Laura Van Ee
- Gladys Blake - Lilybeth
- Stanley Andrews - Autopsy Surgeon
- Douglas Fowley - Terry Lee
- George Zucco - Dr. Joseph Van Ee
- Roland Varno - Ward Van Ee
- Angelo Rossitto - Indigo
- Lee Bennett - Rene
- Director(s):
- William Christy Cabanne
- Writer(s):
- W.J. Abbott
- Producer(s):
- William B. David
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- NR(Suitable for Children)
- Closed Captioning:
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- Subtitles:
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