“The Mummy’s Hand” (1940): An Internationally Born Cast

While “The Mummy’s Hand” is a reboot of the original Universal Pictures monster movie “The Mummy” from 1932 starring Boris Karloff as the monster, it is also considered by many to be the best of the mummy franchise made from 1940 to 1944, minus the 1955 mummy comedy “Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy”. Tom Tyler certainly makes a formidable movie monster, what with his build and facial features, if not the most terrifying one in film history with his blacked-out eyes, the effect being created by direct application of a special ink on each frame of the completed film. No doubt a painstaking process for the special effects department, the final result was indeed quite scary whenever camera shots were taken of Tom Tyler wearing the heavy makeup, his eyes being an empty void.

While the story is engaging enough, it is really the cast and performances which pull the entire movie together. Dick Foran, Peggy Moran, and Wallace Ford are stellar in their roles, but what is really intriguing is the fact that many supporting cast members were born internationally:

George Zucco was long known for his portrayals of mad scientists in movies like “The Mad Monster” (1942) and “House of Frankenstein” (1944). His career began on the Canadian stage back in 1908 before he made the final move to the United States in 1935. George was born on January 11, 1886 in Manchester, England.

Wallace Ford got his start in vaudeville in Canada at the young age of 11, after running away from an orphanage. He made his way to the United States with a friend and when his friend died due to an unfortunate accident, decided to take on his friend’s name to honor him: Wallace Ford. Wallace made his way into theatre, working as an actor, and made his first film appearance “Married in Hollywood” (1929). Soon he appeared in more films such as “Night of Terror” (1933) and “The Mysterious Mr. Wong” (1934). Wallace was born on February 12, 1989 in Bolton, England.

Cecil Kellaway got his start in theatre in Australia, appearing on stage in “Potash and Perlmutter” in 1931. His first movie role was in “The Hayseeds” (1933) but he moved to the United States for more film roles. Under contract with RKO, his first roles were very minor, appearing in “This Marriage Business” (1938), then in a more substantial role in “Blond Cheat” (1938). Cecil was born on August 22, 1890 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Eduardo Ciannelli’s background in opera eventually led him to the musical stage, his first appearance being in the musical “Always You” (1920) on Broadway when he came to the United States from Italy in 1914. Along with many years of stage experience, he soon began a career in film, often playing a variety of roles. His appearances include “The Creeper” (1948) and “Fugitive Lady” (1950). Eduardo was born in the town of Lacco Ameno on the Italian island of Ischia on August 30, 1888.

Charles Trowbridge got his start in acting in San Francisco, training at a local theatre. He began appearing on Broadway in the 1910’s, in dramas like “Daddy Long Legs” (1914) and “Dinner at Eight” (1932). At the same time, he started appearing in films during the silent film era: “Sunday” (1915), “The Fortune Hunter” (1920), and “Island Wives” (1922). Charles was born on January 10, 1882 in Veracruz, Mexico.

Sigfried Arno started out as a stage comedian before he appeared in silent films, usually in comic roles, during the 1920’s in Germany. Migrating to the United States in 1939, he continued with his film career, appearing in “Pardon My Sarong” (1942) with Abbott and Costello, and “The Palm Beach Story” (1942). Sig was born on December 27, 1895 in Hamburg, Germany.

Harry Stubbs had a sporadic career in dramatic theatre before making the move into film. He came to the United States in 1890, appearing in “The Invisible Man” (1933), “In Old Chicago” (1938) and “Zanzibar” (1940). Harry was born on December 7, 1874 in Southampton, England.

Michael Mark immigrated to the United States in 1910 from Russia and made his first film appearance in the John Ford war drama “Four Sons” (1928). Over the years he made his mark in horror films such as “Frankenstein” (1931), “The Black Cat” (1934), and “Son of Frankenstein” (1939) while appearing in a variety of other roles. Michael was born on March 15, 1886 in Mogilev, Belarus, what was then still Russia. 

Leon Belasco’s main talent was in music, being a violinist and songwriter. At one point he was a violinist with the Tokyo Symphony. He co-wrote the song "Rhythm of the Islands", which was sung by Deanna Durbin in the Universal movie "It's a Date" (1940). He also performed "Gypsy Love Song" in "Love Happy" (1949). He appeared in “Broadway Serenade” (1939) and “Philo Vance Returns” (1947). Leon was born on October 11, 1902 in Odessa, Ukraine.

Frank Lackteen appeared in “Jungle Mystery” (1932) and “Clancy of the Mounted” (1933), two Universal Pictures serials starring Tom Tyler, but his film career dates back to the silent film era, as did Tom’s. However, this was not the first time Frank appeared in a film with Tom; their first appearance together was in the lost Pathe serial “Leatherstocking” (1924) when Tom was still using his birth name of Vincent Markowski. Frank appeared in many westerns such as “Idaho” (1925) and “The Last Frontier” (1932). Frank was born on August 29, 1895 (or 1897, according to some sources) in Kab Elias, Lebanon.

Supporting actors with very minor roles born internationally are: Nick Borgani, who was born in Italy; Zita Johann, who was born in Romania; and Anne G. Sterling, who was born in Poland.

The international factor does not stop with the cast. Esteemed Universal Pictures monster makeup man Jack Pierce was born Janus Piccoula in Valdetsyou, Greece, on May 5, 1889. The film score was co-written by Hans J. Salter, who was born on January 14, 1896 in Vienna, Austria, and the movie’s producer, Ben Pivar, was born on March 2, 1901 in Manchester, England, the same city George Zucco was born.