One Body Too Many

Starring:Jack Haley, Jean Parker, Bela Lugosi, Blanche Yurka, Lyle Talbot, Douglas Fowley, Fay Helm, Bernard Nedell, Lucien Littlefield, Dorothy Granger, Maxine Fife, Bob Reeves, William Edmunds, Lyle Latell, Ralph Peters
Director: Frank McDonald
Studio: Alpha Video
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Have some coffee
Would You Like Some Coffee?
Forget a heart, Tin Man, get a script
Oi Vey!!!!
Classic B Movie Fun

One Body Too Many
Starring: Jack Haley , Jean Parker , Bela Lugosi , Blanche Yurka , and Lyle Talbot
Director: Frank McDonald
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008J2F6
Release Date: 2003-04-15

Customer Reviews:

Have some coffee.......2006-02-13

Relatives and loyal servants are gathered to hear the reading of Mr. Cyrus Wentworth'S last wishes. As the layer reads the wishes Cyrus snubs everyone there. Then the sort of tontine plot is delivered. Some will be rich others may get $1.50. It all hinges on whether the deceased gets his wish and is laid to rest above ground so he can see the stars. Or wither some unscrupulous person(s) will bury him under ground thus reversing the will.

Not trusting each other and wanting to get some sleep they hire a guard. Instead an insurance salesman Albert Tuttle (Jack Haley) apaches and is mistaken for the guard.

The fun begins.

All the standard clichés and scenarios are played out in the proper fashion. The only exceptional part is waiting to see who will drink the coffee and Bela Lugosi's facial expressions.

Would You Like Some Coffee?.......2005-03-29

Albert Tuttle (Jack "Tin Man" Haley) is an eager life insurance salesman on a mission. He's been trying to get an appointment with Cyrus Rutherford, a reclusive, eccentric millionaire for months. Tonight, he's finally done it! Unfortunately, his latest policy prospect has just died, leaving a mansion full of greedy relatives, waiting for their share of the inheritance. Tuttle arrives and is mistaken for a guy who was supposed to guard the old boy's body, so the relatives can sleep without worrying about who might bury uncle Cyrus (a stipulation in the will forbids burial). ONE BODY TOO MANY has plenty of mystery, murders, secret passages, and enough laughs to keep things fun. Jean Parker (Beyond Tomorrow) is the love interest. Bela Lugosi is his normal grumpy self as the butler who is constantly pushing coffee on people that just might be poisoned! Lyle Talbot (Plan 9 From Outer Space, Torture Ship) is suave, dapper, and in constant search of booze. All in all, a good flick for a cold, clammy night...

Forget a heart, Tin Man, get a script.......2005-03-16

William Pine and William Thomas were two Paramount executives who joined together to produce some cheap little pictures with Paramount backing and distribution. They became known as the "dollar Bills" for churning out inexpensive pictures that always made money. At first, they specialized in aviation pictures (their first three films were POWER DIVE, FORCED LANDING, and FLYING BLIND, all released in 1941), but when the war began they broadened their screens to include military adventures, mysteries, and even musicals. Like many B outfits they had a stock company of directors (Frank McDonald, William Berke) and players (Richard Arlen, Chester Morris, Roger Pryor and others).

Late in the war, Pine-Thomas signed Jack Haley to star in musical-comedies, but the first one, TAKE IT BIG (with Ozzie and Harriet) was a disappointment, so they cast Haley in a mystery-comedy called ONE BODY TOO MANY.

Cyrus Wentworth, a crazy multi-millionaire, has died, leaving a will that insults his heirs and promises that half of them will get a lot of money and the other half will get piddle, unless the exact terms of his will aren't carried out, in which case the piddlers will become the piddlees and vice versa. And the terms of his will? He was an astrology nut (who built an observatory atop his decrepit old mansion) and he wants to be entombed with a skylight so he can look up at the stars. Also, everybody named as an heir has to stay in the house for three days until he's safely in his moon-roofed vault. Okay, so you can guess what happens: somebody has read the will, knows he (or she) is a piddlee, and decides to steal the old man's corpse so he can't be entombed, thereby making himself a piddler. Got that? And if anybody gets in his (or her) way, well, then, said anybody is gonna end up vault-shopping with Uncle Cyrus.

Okay, you'd think that would be enough plot, but NO! An eager insurance salesman named Tuttle (Jack Haley) shows up; it seems that he had an appointment with the recently deceased to sell him some life insurance (a little late, there, Tuttle). Haley immediately falls in love with one of the old boy's relatives, the delicious Jean Parker, and decides to stay and protect her. The problem is, he spends the rest of the film cowering, running, hiding, and in general doing everything he can to not impress her. Bob Hope he ain't. Funny he ain't, either. Neither?

Okay, lastly I will mention that there is a creepy butler and housekeeper (naturally), the former of whom is Bela Lugosi in a throw-away part. We see him getting a bottle of rat poison off the shelf ("Dere are too many rats in dis houssssse... dey should be done avay vith!") and then spending the rest of the film offering coffee to the assembled, with a look of chagrin when they all refuse (or what passes for chagrin on Lugosi's mug; it could've also been anger, humor, annoyance, horniness, or impatience that his giant bats hadn't arrived yet).

ONE BODY TOO MANY is one Jack Haley scare comedy too many. The Alpha DVD is okay, though, if you're gonna take the plunge anyway.

Oi Vey!!!!.......2003-12-07

The previous 2 reviewers have outlined the plot very well so not much more can be said about that. I'd just to tell the guys who are considering purchasing the Alpha DVD that the quality here isn't too good. Source material was obviously VHS tape (you can see the occasional video drop-outs) and it looks very much like an LP version at that. Very poor definition. Could have been a lot sharper. Also the print is very contrasty. The blacks are REALLY black and the whites are blinding. There is also a considerable amount of lag. When a white face moves against a black background it leaves a kind of "comet's tail" to put it loosely. Also various other things appear.... like a cluster of white "arrowheads" pointing to the right (as if someone just pressed the fast-forward button on the VCR) or just the occasional flash of pure white jumps out at you. The movie itself is one of the better comedy thrillers with some funny lines... many of them from Bela... but a poor transfer. (sigh!)

Classic B Movie Fun.......2002-10-20

One Body Too Many a 1944 black and white movie is not an especially good movie. BUT, it is a fun movie. It is a silly horror/comedy type B movie that became the meat and potatoes of so many early studios. I love it. Jack Haley is Albert Tuttle a nose to the grindstone insurance man who has an appointment with an old rich recluse. He arrives at his mansion and is seen in by the butler (Bela Lugosi). He is shown into his clients office and immediately starts his spiel to the back of a chair and smoke coming from a lit cigar. However, unbeknownst to Tuttle the client is dead and in his coffin in the office. Tuttle lays his brief case on the closed coffin before he realizes just what is in the room. When he does try to get out, he can't open the door, etc. This movie is filled with every conceivable cliche imaginable. But that's the fun of it. A huge dark creepy house, a will to be read, a suspicious looking butler and cook, a beautiful damsel in distress, a dim witted detective, a houseful of greedy family members of the deceased, murders, trick doors, screams and noises at night, etc. Of course, a very nervous and reluctant hero. This kind of movie would be nothing without Lyle Talbot and he is here as the family member who thinks timid Jack Haley has something to hide.I have had this movie for years and every once in a while I dust it off to watch it again because sometimes you need a little harmless fun. (~.~)

Average customer rating:

A Fine Interpretation
A 12th century detective yarn
"We deal with what is"
A Must see for all mystery and history lovers
One of the best of the series.

Cadfael - One Corpse Too Many
Starring: Derek Jacobi , Sean Pertwee , Peter Copley , Michael Culver , and Julian Firth
Manufacturer: Acorn Media
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000V471W
Release Date: 2004-01-06

Customer Reviews:

A Fine Interpretation.......2007-04-16

If you've read the books, then this series will definitely appeal. It's a great interpretation of the Cadfael stories and there is plenty of attention to detail.

In particular, Abbot Radulfus, Prior Robert and Cadfael himself all have perfect castings.

The only downsides are that the relationship between Cadfael and Hugh doesn't really take on a life in this series - they tend to find themselves more at odds with each other than they do in the books and there are some very strange name and plot changes that deviate from the genius of the books.

If you can just ignore those details (or if you haven't read the books) then you'll love watching this.

A 12th century detective yarn.......2007-01-28

The esteemed classically trained Derek Jacobi once again demonstrates the depth of his talent in his splendid portrayal of Benedictine monk Brother Cadfael in the drama "One Corpse Too Many". In the year 1183, the town of Shrewsbury is resisting the advances of the army of King Stephen played by Michael Grandage during a civil war. The castle is ultimately overrun and its 94 inhabitants are condemned to death.

When Cadfael, who had once fought in the Crusades, is entrusted by the abbot of his order to command the burial detail he discovers 95 bodies. A murder had been committed and covered up by the executions. Jacobi at the same time was hiding the daughter of a escaping Shrewsbury nobleman, Godith disguised as a monk. If that wasn't enough he was trying to detect the whereabouts of the treasury of the nobleman Adeney, spirited out of town under the guard of two squires, to be used to raise an army against King Stephen.

Using Holmesian deductive reasoning Jacobi puts his clues together to solve the multitude of conundrums placed under his jurisdiction.

"We deal with what is".......2004-12-25

As complex as any of the Cadfael series, this one tells the story of how Master Hugh Beringar becomes sheriff. Also as Cadfael states, "By my reckoning there is one corps too many."

During the time of the civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Maud, the abbey tales a neutral stance. However Brother Cadfael is given a new assistant. The young lad is anything but; as he is a she. Naturally Cadfael being a man of the world detects this and must find out why she is hiding.

Meanwhile back to the war Shrewsbury Castle is under siege by Stephens's men for being a Maud holdout. When Stephen finally gets the castle he orders the rebel soldiers executed. Cadfael is preparing them for a Christian burial when he counts 95. It is trivial to the king but Cadfael presses that it would not bode well for a king to dismiss a murder under his very nose. Looks like it may have been the work of Hugh Beringar, a man who has appeared to have conveniently changed sides in the war. King Stephen is not unaware of this.

This time will Cadfaels tuition, forensics, and logic. Prove the case?
Is Hue a villain or will he turn out to be a friend?

A Must see for all mystery and history lovers.......2003-04-01

Even though this movie takes place several thousands of years ago, it had my attention the whole way though. You thought Nany Drew and the Hardy Boys were great classic adventures, but wait untill you see this. From begging to end One Too Many Corpses is filled with many twists, and seemingly dead ends, but then a chance for light. If you don't see this movie One Too Many Corpses, than you will not missing out on a great mytery but a fabulous adventure.

One of the best of the series........2002-07-20

I enjoy a good murder mystery of the classical type, and the Brother Cadfael series is particularly good. The author Ellis Peters (Edith Pargiter, 1913-1995), like Agatha Christie, Nagio Marsh and Dorothy Sayers, was popular during the mid-20th Century and wrote prolifically during that time. There are some 20 Cadfael books. The film One Corpse Too Many, based upon the book of the same name, was the first one I saw on Public TV. It hooked me irrevocably. The setting is incredibly authentic and colorful. The different orders of society: nobleman, servant, military man, tradesman, artisan, abbott, monk, and priest are carefully wrought to produce a period piece with more detail and clearer dialogue than a Shakespearean play. It would be a wonderful way of introducing young people to history.

The setting of the story is 12th Century England, a period of particular turmoil. Henry I had died without a legitimate male heir, and he had designated his daughter Matilda as his successor, binding his nobles by oath to support her. Although many of them did, including her very able half brother, an illegitimate son of Henry made an Earl by his father, many of them threw their support behind her cousin, Steven. Matilda, or Maud as she is referred to, was a granddaughter of William the Conqueror and no push over herself. She fought her cousin from a base in coastal France, where the family held land in fief of the King of France and where marriage alliances had placed her as wife of Geoffery, the Duke of Anjou. With her Norman support in France and her loyal factions in England, she made enough of a threat to Steven's rule to ultimately obtain a guarantee of succession to the English throne for her son Henry, ultimately Henry II. Until that time, warfare turned most of England into a battle ground and life for everyone a matter of ceaseless uncertainty. Added to this was the rancour still apparent in the social divisions between the largely Saxon population and their Norman rulers. The fall of the Saxon monarchy was only a hundred years previous and hostility still existed.

Cadfael, the central character of the series, is a Dominican monk and herbalist, and Dereck Jacobi is the perfect personification of him. He has a presence which suggests strength, wisdom, and compassion. Unlike most of the other brothers, Cadfael had spent most of his life in the secular world where he participated in the crusades, had adventures, fell in and out of love, and took his order after finding the ways of the world wanting. He comes from a different culture, that of Wales, and sees that of England through an outsider's more objective eyes. His experience with life and the motives of men and his keen awareness of detail makes him the perfect sleuth, and when murder is committed, the civil authorities are more than willing to have him clear things up for them.

In One Corpse Too Many, probably the best of the series, the forces of Queen Maude and those of Steven clash. The castle and Maude's supporters are captured, but not until the leaders of the rebellion make their escape. Steven vows to have them, and puts the castle's owner to torture to extract the information from him. When he refuses, Steven puts all the defenders to death. The monks of the Abbey having asked the king's leave to bury the victims, request Cadfael, who has "experience in these matters" to take over the detail of returning the bodies to the families. He agrees but discovers that there is "one corpse too many." Once Steven is convinced that a murder unpunished will reflect badly upon the king's justice, he commissions Cadfael to discover the villain. This is the first time that the character of the nobleman Hugh Beringer (Eorin McCarthy) is introduced. In his attempt to win the trust of Steven, he is given a mission which places him athwart Cadfael. The two match wits with interesting outcomes. The end of the film is a fine display of trial by combat. A thoroughly real and well researched visit to the Middle Ages.

Bela Lugosi - King of the Undead (White Zombie / The Corpse Vanishes / One Body Too Many)
Average customer rating:

"Zombies Take Note"

Bela Lugosi - King of the Undead (White Zombie / The Corpse Vanishes / One Body Too Many)
Starring: Bela Lugosi Classics
Manufacturer: Vintage Home Ent.
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ASIN: B000A2XD3O
Release Date: 2005-08-16

Description

White Zombie - When Monsieur Beaumont (Robert Frazer) invites Madeleine (Madge Bellamy) and Neil (John Harron) to his Haitian plantation for their wedding, the couple discover he has other than altruistic intentions. Determined to make Madeleine his bride, Beaumont employs the help of zombie master Murder Legendre (Bela Lugosi) to kill and resurrect her. He does so, but decides he would rather keep the lady for himself.

The Corpse Vanishes - Dr. Lorenz (Bela Lugosi) needs the blood of young virgins in order to keep his elderly wife alive. In order to acquire it, he uses his horticultural skills to cultivate an orchid to poison young brides. Seven women are taken this way and brought to his Brookdale mansion. When reporter Pat Hunter (Luana Walters) discovers the scheme she visits the mansion, claiming to be doing an article on rare orchids. While there Lorenz sets his mark on her, intent on making her his next victim.

One Body Too Many - Timid insurance salesman Albert Tuttle (Jack Haley) arrives at the Rutherford estate determined to sell the aged millionaire a policy, only to find that the man has already passed away. Instead he finds a house full of greedy relatives. It seems that, according to the will, everyone must remain in the house until the body is claimed. When the body vanishes, Albert determines to help Carol (Jean Parker), a young damsel very much in distress, from being added to the body count.

Customer Reviews:

"Zombies Take Note".......2007-01-04

A good trilogy of horror, but the prime cut on this disc is definitely "White Zombie"! This was the classic flick which introduced the "zombie" to the cinema. The transfer to DVD is crisp and clean, both video and audio, unlike the earlier VHS offerings. Those were washed out, fuzzy grainy offerings, this stuff is pristene. Of note... in the single issue "White Zombie" from the Roan Group there's an optional commentary track narrated by Gary Don Rhodes, a Lugosi scholar, who does a great job on giving all the background on this great flick.

Average customer rating:

One Body Too Many

Manufacturer: Synergy Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Horror Classics Volume 2: Black Dragons, Invisible Ghost, One Body Too Many, White Zombies

Average customer rating:

Horror Classics Volume 2: Black Dragons, Invisible Ghost, One Body Too Many, White Zombies
Starring: Horror Classics , and Bela Lugosi
Manufacturer: Mill Creek Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009W306A
Release Date: 2004-01-01

Average customer rating:

One Body Too Many
Starring: William Edmunds , Dorothy Granger , Jack Haley , Fay Helm , and Lucien Littlefield
Director: Frank McDonald
Manufacturer: Westlake
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000GFRE08
Release Date: 2006-06-27

Chain of Souls / White Zombie / Jack the Ripper / Dead Men Walk / the Corpse Vanishes / One Body Too Many / Nosferatu """7 Movie Set"""

Average customer rating:

Chain of Souls / White Zombie / Jack the Ripper / Dead Men Walk / the Corpse Vanishes / One Body Too Many / Nosferatu """7 Movie Set"""

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

Product Description

dolby digital sound ac-3 stereo, interactive menus, remastered, chapter stops, JACK THE RIPPER starring: Klaus Kinsky is in widescreen format.

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

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