The Man With Two Lives (1942)

Starring Edward Norris, Marlo Dwyer, Eleanor Lawson, Frederick Burton, Addison Richards
Directed by Phil Rosen
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A scientist succeeds in bringing a young man back to life after his death in a car accident, but he has a new harsh personality, matching that of a criminal put to death.

A rare science fiction movie from Poverty Row studio Monogram, the picture seems to borrow much of its ideas and characters from the Karloff/Lugosi vehicle Black Friday, with a few distinctive differences.  Norris stars as the young man who doesn't know who he is after being brought back, but who is drawn to take over the gang of an executed gangster as well as the criminal's former moll.  Although the screenplay leads us to assume that the gangster's soul has entered Norris' body, he has no memories as the gangster, other than the subconscious memories that lead him to reunite with his partners in crime.  There's no real standout performances here, but I enjoyed seeing Addison Richards, one of my favorite character actors, as the police lieutenant who finally tracks down Norris.  Rosen was one of the better directors on Poverty Row, and adds a few clever camera setups to the film, as well as using Kenneth Strickfadden-like equipment for the opening scene in the scientist's laboratory.  Overall I found the film interesting, but not much more dynamic than a typical Poverty row film, and unfortunately the filmmakers resort to a cop-out ending.

The Mystery Of Marie Roget (1942)

Starring Patric Knowles, Maria Montez, Maria Ouspenskaya, John Litel, Edward Norris
Directed by Phil Rosen
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Dupin, a forensic scientist for the French police during the late 19th century, tries to determine what's happened to entertainer Marie Roget, whose disappearance may be hiding a different crime.

Based on a composition by Edgar Allan Poe, one might have expected a darker film, but this is light and frothy entertainment, although there's murder in the offing.  I've heard Poe's Dupin was an inspiration for Conan Doyle's creation of Sherlock Holmes, and Knowles' character is certainly a master of deduction like Sherlock, although without any of his personality.  The film is structured around Dupin being always one step ahead of the prefect of police played with appropriate bluster by Lloyd Corrigan, and as such the screenplay doesn't give us much time to get to know the characters, although there's a feast of fine actors in the cast.  Still, it's an amusing and entertaining film.