Before I Hang (1940): Cast & Plot
Before I Hang is a 1940 sci-fi horror film directed by Nick Grindé, starring Boris Karloff as Dr. John Garth, Ben Taggart and Edward Van Sloan. It runs 1 hour 2 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 2m (62 min)
- Director
- Nick Grindé
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Columbia Pictures
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Before I Hang About?
The premise of Before I Hang without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
When the enigmatic Karloff stops the clock, Dr. John Garth’s cutting‑edge medical trial to halt aging and dramatically extend life goes wrong. The procedure produces unintended side effects, thrusting the doctor into a stark moral crisis as he confronts the ethical ramifications and dangerous fallout of his groundbreaking research.
Before I Hang Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- blood
- self experimentation
- psychotronic film
- serum
- pardon
- mercy killing
- experiment
- criminal blood
- youth restored
- mental retardation
- dual personality
- volunteer test subject
+38 more Show fewer
- scapegoat
- revenge
- prison laboratory
- prison doctor
- police raid
- personality change
- mad lab
- laboratory in home
- human test subject
- homicide detective
- heart inoculation
- foggy night
- experimental serum
- district attorney
- confession
- warden
- trustee
- strangulation
- scientist
- prison guard
- pianist
- penitentiary
- old friends
- old age
- murder trial
- medical research
- judge
- garrote
- father daughter relationship
- doctor
- death sentence
- commuted sentence
- autopsy
- amnesia
- aging
- mad scientist
- prison
- misunderstood genius
Before I Hang Cast & Characters
Boris Karloff leads the cast as Dr. John Garth, with Ben Taggart as Warden Thompson and Edward Van Sloan as Dr. Ralph Howard. Directed by Nick Grindé; 27 actors are credited in all.
- Director Nick Grindé
-
Boris Karloff as Dr. John Garth - Ben Taggart as Warden Thompson
- Edward Van Sloan as Dr. Ralph Howard
- Evelyn Keyes as Martha Garth
Also Starring in Before I Hang
· 23 more- Pedro de Cordoba Victor Sondini
- Wright Kramer George Wharton
- Sam Harris Courtroom Spectator
- Bert Moorhouse Cousel at Defense Table
- Edmund Mortimer Courtroom Spectator
- Charles Trowbridge Judge Braden
- Ernie Adams Sam - Hospital Prison Orderly
- Don Beddoe Capt. McGraw
- Edward Earle Dr. Nichols
- Kenneth MacDonald Anson, Prison Guard
- Bruce Bennett Dr. Paul Ames
- John Tyrrell Sanders
- Jack Cheatham Patrolman Olson
- Eddie Laughton Guard
- Frederick Burton Governor Prentiss
- Frank Richards Otto Kron - Convict
Show all 27 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Stanley Brown Prison Gate Guard
- George McKay Reardon
- Richard Fiske Mandish
- Robert Fiske District Attorney
- James T. Mack Butler
- Gohr Van Vleck Police Dispatcher
- Bertram Marburgh Stephen Barclay
More from Nick Grindé
More films directed by Nick Grindé: Hitler- Dead or Alive, The Man with Nine Lives, Convicted Woman and The Man They Could Not Hang.
Before I Hang Plot Summary
What happens in Before I Hang from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
On trial for murder after mercy-killing an elderly friend, Dr. John Garth explains he was pursuing a cure for aging but could not complete it before his friend’s suffering became unbearable; the judge sentences him to be hanged in three weeks, a fate he accepts with quiet resolve.
Full summary
The whole story of Before I Hang, scene by scene
Before I Hang Trailers & Videos
The trailer of Before I Hang.
How Well Do You Know Before I Hang?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Which doctor is sentenced to be hanged for mercy‑killing an elderly friend?
Before I Hang Also Known As
7 alternative titles, including “Prima che m'impicchino” and “Avant de me pendre”.
- Also known as
-
- Prima che m'impicchino
- Avant de me pendre
- Преди да се обеся
- El mago de la muerte
- 绞刑之前
- O Mago da Morte
- Než mě oběsí
Seen Before I Hang?
Movies Like Before I Hang
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including The Man They Could Not Hang, Before and Blood of the Vampire.
Before I Hang FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of Before I Hang, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Before I Hang?
Before I Hang runs 1 hour 2 minutes (62 minutes).
When was Before I Hang released?
Before I Hang was released on September 17, 1940.
Who directed Before I Hang?
Before I Hang was directed by Nick Grindé.
More films by Nick Grindé Who is in the cast of Before I Hang?
Before I Hang stars Boris Karloff as Dr. John Garth, Ben Taggart as Warden Thompson and Edward Van Sloan as Dr. Ralph Howard, among 27 credited actors.
Does Before I Hang have a post-credit scene?
No. Before I Hang has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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