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The Mummy’s Ghost - Scripts from the Crypt Collection No. 15
At the height of World War II, Americans on the home front were making do with less in all corners of their lives, from food to cloths to cars. A recent arrival in our fair land, Kharis the Mummy of Mapleton, Massachusetts, née Prince Kharis of Egypt, also made a his royal lineage!
During WWII, one of the responsibilities of the Office of War Information (OWI) was to ensure that nothing in Hollywood movies offended our allies or neutral countries. In 1943, when Universal proposed a third Kharis movie, The Mummy’s Ghost, its pilot again had Kharis and a mad holy man committing murder in the service of Egypt’s demon gods. Alarm bells sounded in Washington and the OWI’s concerns were relayed to Universal. The script rewriting began, with government men and even a Washington expert on Middle Eastern affairs getting in on the act.
The Mummy’s Ghost tells us that the Kharis of ancient Egypt was a commoner rather than a prince, but this change did not affect the Mummy’s homicidal streak, wider than ever as he seeks to bring the mummy of Princess Ananka home to Egypt.
When Ananka’s soul finds a new home in an Egyptian girl, Amina Mansouri, Kharis abducts the young beauty and carries her to a nearby swamp, where both have a date with destiny.
During WWII, one of the responsibilities of the Office of War Information (OWI) was to ensure that nothing in Hollywood movies offended our allies or neutral countries. In 1943, when Universal proposed a third Kharis movie, The Mummy’s Ghost, its pilot again had Kharis and a mad holy man committing murder in the service of Egypt’s demon gods. Alarm bells sounded in Washington and the OWI’s concerns were relayed to Universal. The script rewriting began, with government men and even a Washington expert on Middle Eastern affairs getting in on the act.
The Mummy’s Ghost tells us that the Kharis of ancient Egypt was a commoner rather than a prince, but this change did not affect the Mummy’s homicidal streak, wider than ever as he seeks to bring the mummy of Princess Ananka home to Egypt.
When Ananka’s soul finds a new home in an Egyptian girl, Amina Mansouri, Kharis abducts the young beauty and carries her to a nearby swamp, where both have a date with destiny.
362 pages, Paperback
Published November 12, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 23, 2024
THE MUMMY'S GHOST - SCRIPTS FROM THE CRYPT was both fascinating and frustrating. My fascination came with the truly intriguing revelations about the production and the people connected with it. Some examples were:
* As America was at war, the Office of War Information actually examined the screenplay and weighed-in on the possibility of unfavorable reactions from war time allies! (Yes, for a "Mummy" movie!) The book reproduces the correspondence.
* The movie has always bothered me with its atrocious "day for night" sequences ... something Universal usually handled very well. The reason? Again, it was war time and no bright lights could be lit at night where the film was being shot.
* Performer Ramsay Ames had much more of a chaotic career than I had imagined.
* An actual rape and murder case occurred shortly after the film's release, with the Accused asserting that "The Mummy's Ghost" had influenced him.
* A truly fine essay from Frank Dello Stritto exploring some script implications that would really have turned "The Mummy's Ghost" into a classic film!
* Lon Chaney Jr. had an idea for a new Universal horror character ... and the screen treatment is included in the book. (Unfortunately, it wasn't made.)
The frustrations centered around all of the "padding" ... and, wow, there's a lot of it! From 27-pages of "observations" from Tom Weaver to a shorter advertisement of a new "Mummy" book, I'm guessing that the content could easily have been reduced by 20% without any harm done to it.
Also a "plus" was the timeline connection to the other Universal "Mummy" movies of this period, including the publishing of a press book from "The Mummy's Hand" which had been omitted from the book dedicated to it. All of that really helped to put the series into perspective.
Of the "Mummy" series books I have read so far, this one is definitely the best.
* As America was at war, the Office of War Information actually examined the screenplay and weighed-in on the possibility of unfavorable reactions from war time allies! (Yes, for a "Mummy" movie!) The book reproduces the correspondence.
* The movie has always bothered me with its atrocious "day for night" sequences ... something Universal usually handled very well. The reason? Again, it was war time and no bright lights could be lit at night where the film was being shot.
* Performer Ramsay Ames had much more of a chaotic career than I had imagined.
* An actual rape and murder case occurred shortly after the film's release, with the Accused asserting that "The Mummy's Ghost" had influenced him.
* A truly fine essay from Frank Dello Stritto exploring some script implications that would really have turned "The Mummy's Ghost" into a classic film!
* Lon Chaney Jr. had an idea for a new Universal horror character ... and the screen treatment is included in the book. (Unfortunately, it wasn't made.)
The frustrations centered around all of the "padding" ... and, wow, there's a lot of it! From 27-pages of "observations" from Tom Weaver to a shorter advertisement of a new "Mummy" book, I'm guessing that the content could easily have been reduced by 20% without any harm done to it.
Also a "plus" was the timeline connection to the other Universal "Mummy" movies of this period, including the publishing of a press book from "The Mummy's Hand" which had been omitted from the book dedicated to it. All of that really helped to put the series into perspective.
Of the "Mummy" series books I have read so far, this one is definitely the best.
May 24, 2024
An absolutely incredible tome.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews