He called it "a bad story" but enjoyed working with Curtiz. ĭialogue director Irving Rapper worked on the film.
Studios between November 23 and December 1935. The Walking Dead was filmed at Griffith Park, California, and Warner Bros. In addition to Karloff's stunted dialogue, this film's resemblance to Universal's Frankenstein is most obvious when Edmund Gwenn's character revives Karloff, including the dramatic change in music, the pulsating lab equipment, off-kilter camera angles, and, finally, Gwenn saying, "He's alive". Wallis brought in three more writers for the film. These issues included Ellman's lack of speech, which he felt was too close to his role in Frankenstein (1931), and Ellman's Tarzan-like agility, which he felt would induce laughter. A few days before shooting was scheduled, actor Boris Karloff voiced problems involving his character John Ellman. On November 1, director Michael Curtiz was sent the draft of the film. The original story for the film was written by Ewart Adamson and Joseph Fields. The Walking Dead's executive producer Hal Wallis wrote to the production supervisor, Lou Edelman, on August 16, 1935, that he had sent him a six-page outline for a film titled The Walking Dead. Frank Darien as Cemetery Caretaker (uncredited).Henry O'Neill as District Attorney Werner.Evan Beaumont (Made up to resemble Lionel Atwill) Beaumont repeating Ellman's warning about a jealous God. As Ellman dies, the two remaining racketeers are killed when their car runs off the road, crashes into an electric pole, and explodes.
The Lord our God is a jealous God" (from Deuteronomy 6:15). Beaumont hurries to his death bed, and although pressed to reveal insights about death, Ellman admonishes, "Leave the dead to their maker. While confronting the last two villains, Ellman is mortally shot. Each dies a horrible death, and in the end it is their own guilt that causes their deaths. Ellman takes no direct action against his framers however, he seeks them out, wishing to know why they had him killed. Although John Ellman has no direct knowledge of anyone wishing to frame him for the murder before he is executed, he gains an innate sense of knowing those who are responsible after he is revived. Beaumont's use of a mechanical heart to revive the patient foreshadows modern medicine's mechanical heart to keep patients alive during surgery.
Dr. Evan Beaumont ( Edmund Gwenn) retrieves his dead body and revives it as part of his experiments to reanimate a dead body and discover what happens to the soul after death.ĭr. He is unfairly tried, and despite the fact that his innocence has been proven, he is sent to the electric chair and executed. John Ellman ( Boris Karloff) has been framed for murder by a gang of racketeers.