DONOVAN'S BRAIN [1953]

 "SURE SURE SURE . . . . SURE SURE SURE . . . "

  This old chestnut isn't a new watch but one I first saw decades ago.  It lodged in my brain (see what I did there???) for many, many years as an OK, unspectacular flick so I was interested to see whether my opinion of it had changed.  Now, there's really nothing better than a brain floating in an aquarium so I'm hoping my opinion of the film went up.  So, we all know that DONOVAN'S BRAIN was first a novel written by Curt "THE WOLF MAN" Siodmak and it's probably his most famous credit after THE WOLF MAN.  Sadly, I've never read it.  Must rectify that lapse one of these days. 

Anywho, my first encounter with DONOVAN'S BRAIN was the superb old radio show adaptation that aired in two parts on the classic radio programme SUSPENSE in 1944 starring Orson Welles as the titular evil millionaire W.H. Donovan.  Donald Trump . . . er I mean Donovan . . . is under criminal investigation for crooked financial doings and tax evasion when his private plane crashes near the laboratory of Dr. Patrick Cory -- who just so happens to specialise in brain-thangs.  Donovan's carcass is ported to Cory's lab but the doctor can't resuscitate the millionaire.  When the coast is clear, however, Cory pops Donovan's brain into a tank filled with Frankensteinian liquid and hooks it up to electrodes and wires for who laid the rail!  Before he knows it, Donovan's nasty brain develops strong psychic powers that enable it to control Cory or anyone else that happens to be slinking around.  Junk and stuff happens.  I'm not certain if this happens in the book but in the SUSPENSE radio show, Cory starts talking with Donovan's voice and often repeats one of Donovan's catchphrases:  "Sure sure sure!".  Kinda like Abed's "Cool Cool Cool" in COMMUNITY.

    Anyway, the 1953 film version of DONOVAN'S BRAIN sticks pretty close to this plot (though sadly there's not a sign of the "sure sure sure" and my heart sank with disappointment).  This was actually the second film adaptation of Siodmak's story (preceded by THE LADY AND THE MONSTER in 1944 and followed by THE BRAIN in 1962).  In this film, Donovan is never seen or heard.  I think we could've used Orson to liven things up because the film is a rather tepid, slow-moving affair which is very light on any horror hijinx.  The brain floating in the tank is, of course, a spectacularly great visual and I love it.  But the film is mainly taken up with financial schemes cooked up by Donovan's brain as he uses Dr. Cory to carry out his shenanigans.  Rather anemic storyline for a rather anemic film.  Lew Ayres (whom I really like in everything from HOLIDAY to SALEM'S LOT) here seems to be giving a rather bad acting job (or maybe it's just me) until the second half of the film when Ayres picks up his game.  Gene Evans (from one of my fave films THE STEEL HELMET) here plays Dr. Frank Schratt who I think is the town coroner but also seems to be Cory's assistant.  Evans here is his usual greats self. 

Cory's long-suffering wife Janice is played by Nancy Davis who would go on to less important work as the first lady.  Nancy Reagan nee Davis is usually the easy target for reviewers everywhere as an actress of wooden quality but here she's actually pretty OK; don't go for the easy takedowns, kiddies.  Observe your movies and think for yourselves.  Nancy is no Meryl Steep, however, so don't go looking for a stellar performance; with what little she is given to do in the script, Davis is adequate.  The film is lacklusterly directed by Felix Feist; well-known Justice League villain and director of such films as OK films noir THE MAN WHO CHEATED HIMSELF and THE DEVIL THUMBS A RIDE as well as some CRIME DOES NOT PAY and Robert Benchley short subjects.  Here Feist doesn't really bring anything extra to the stolid, stodgy script which he also wrote himself.  At best, DONOVAN'S BRAIN is an innocuous time-waster at an hour and 23 minutes and, at worst, you'll be unconscious halfway through if you've had a tough day at work.