In my collection, I have an excellent Columbia DVD that features Boris Karloff's worst film, namely "The Boogie Man Will Get You" (1942), a woefully misguided attempt to cash in on the stage success of "Arsenic and Old Lace".
The two dotty old ladies are now played by Karloff and Peter Lorre (minus both drag and wit), while Larry Parks makes an absolutely charmless attempt at the Allyn Joslyn (1941 Broadway) - Cary Grant (1944 movie) hero.
Karloff himself played the Raymond Massey (featured in the movie) role on the stage, which is here woefully undertaken by hammy Frank Puglia as a deranged human bomb!
Instead of lonely old men, the victims are a succession of door-to-door salesmen led by Maxie Rosenbloom, the one player who brings a touch (just a touch, mind you) of the requisite insanity to his performance.
All the other players, with the possible exception of the lovely Jeff Donnell (she does her best to spread a little cheer), are so leaden-footed and heavy-handed as to be downright embarrassing.
The two dotty old ladies are now played by Karloff and Peter Lorre (minus both drag and wit), while Larry Parks makes an absolutely charmless attempt at the Allyn Joslyn (1941 Broadway) - Cary Grant (1944 movie) hero.
Karloff himself played the Raymond Massey (featured in the movie) role on the stage, which is here woefully undertaken by hammy Frank Puglia as a deranged human bomb!
Instead of lonely old men, the victims are a succession of door-to-door salesmen led by Maxie Rosenbloom, the one player who brings a touch (just a touch, mind you) of the requisite insanity to his performance.
All the other players, with the possible exception of the lovely Jeff Donnell (she does her best to spread a little cheer), are so leaden-footed and heavy-handed as to be downright embarrassing.