Movie of the Week: The Brute Man (1946)

Written by George Bricker and M, Coates Webster
Original story by Dwight V. Babcock
Directed by Jean Yarbrough
Starring Rondo Hatton, Tom Neal, Jan Wiley, Jane Adams
Released October 1, 1946
RT 58 min.
Home Video Amazon Prime (streaming)
Classic Horrors rating = 5 (out of 10)

I thought The Brute Man was all right, but it was only after watching it that I learned about its reputation. My first clue should have been that there was no Universal introduction; instead, the beginning read, “Producers Releasing Corporation.”   Apparently, Universal produced The Brute Man during a pending merger with International Pictures and adopted a policy against releasing any more B movies.

Or did they? Because Universal was still releasing other B movies in the months before the merger, film experts believe the studio simply wanted to distance itself from a film that would tarnish its corporate image.  Instead of taking a…