1936's "The Man Who Lived Twice" was one of the Columbia titles included in 1958's SON OF SHOCK package, which followed the monumental success of television's SHOCK! one year earlier. An unrecognizable Ralph Bellamy stars as Slick Rawley, dangerous killer on the run and willing volunteer for Dr. Clifford Schuyler (Thurston Hall), who believes that brain surgery can alter the behavior of hardened criminals. Once the operation is over, Rawley has no memory of who he was, so Dr. Schuyler takes the opportunity to create a new identity for his patient, in ten years a highly successful doctor and great humanitarian in his own right, James Blake. Unfortunately, Rawley's old moll (Isabel Jewell) spills the beans about his old identity, hoping to claim the reward for his capture, leading Blake's devoted chauffeur (Ward Bond), who knows the truth but keeps it to himself, to take drastic measures to ensure his employer's safety. Marian Marsh, coming off her role as Boris Karloff's leading lady in "The Black Room," shines as Blake's love interest, soon to give up acting for good by 1942 (she died at 93 in 2006). Despite the juicy dual roles for Bellamy, this must rank as one of Ward Bond's finest movie roles, soon to appear with Karloff in both "Night Key" and "Son of Frankenstein." "The Man Who Lived Twice" aired only once on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater, Jan 11 1969, followed by 1951's "Lost Continent" (its routine 1953 remake, the 3D "Man in the Dark," was broadcast two years earlier).
Review of The Man Who Lived Twice
