Man Made Monster is an American horror film that also includes elements of science fiction. It was directed by George Waggner and written by Joseph West (a pseudonym of George Waggner's) based on a story concept by H.J. Essex, Sid Schwartz and Len Golos. It was produced by Universal Pictures and released theatrically in the United States on March 28th, 1941. Although it may not be one of the most well-remembered of the Universal Classics era of films, it is otherwise notable for it's familiar cast which includes Lionel Atwill as Doctor Paul Rigas, Lon Chaney, Jr. as Dan McCormic, Anne Nagel as June Lawrence, Frank Albertson as Mark Adams and Samuel S. Hinds as Doctor John Lawrence.
The tagline for the film is, "The most amazing monster the world has ever known".
Man Made Monster is based on a story concept titled "The Electric Man". This title was used for the film's release in the United Kingdom.
The movie has also been released under the title The Mysterious Dr. R. and The Mysterious Dr. X.
Other actors considered for the role of Doctor Rigas include Univeral favorites Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff.
Man Made Monster was filmed in-studio at Universal Studios, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California. The entire shoot took a total of three weeks.
The film is known for being the cheapest movie Universal Pictures produced in 1941. It had a budget of $86,000.
Realart Pictures re-released Man Made Monster in 1953 where it shared double-billing with The Flying Saucer. Leaning on the sci-fi edge of marketing, Realart repackaged the film as The Atomic Monster.
Man Made Monster was first broadcast on syndicated television in 1957 by Screen Gems.
Man Made Monster is included on the Universal Horror: Classic Movie Archive along with The Black Cat, Horror Island, Night Monster and Captive Wild Woman. The collection was produced by Universal Studios and released on September 13th, 2009.
One of the most notable aspects of Man Made Monster is the fact that it launched the career of actor Lon Chaney, Jr. as a horror movie icon. He would immediately go on to achive cinematic immortality in his portrayal of Larry Talbot - the Welsh aristocrat-turned-werewolf in Universal's The Wolf Man.
Actress Constance Bergen is credited as Connie Bergen in this film.
