Me : "Grandpa Amoeba! You old so-and-so, how the heck are ya? Still dividing after all these years? Man, I'm impressed! Seriously, though, it's an honor to finally meet you, sir. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here".
Grandpa Amoeba : "Glub".
Man, I'm having fun with this! It began as a joke, something I thought up the other night. I think it would be great to have a comic strip with three main characters : myself, Charles Darwin, and "Grandpa Amoeba", whom the strip would be named after. We could have the trio pal around, discuss things and do all kinds of fun stuff. It'll be great! All I need is a graphic artist. I'll do all the quips.
Tonight's movie was "She Devil"(1957), another tale of Medicine Gone Wrong, in which two Well Meaning Doctors try out an experimental serum on a tuberculosis patient, with predictable science fiction results, meaning all hell breaks loose. "Dr. Dan Scott" (Jack Kelly) is a brilliant biologist. He's developed a serum, made from the glands of Fruit Flies, that promotes rapid healing. He's tested it on a variety of animals, the results are stunning and now he's ready for a human subject. His benefactor, "Dr. Richard Bach" (Albert Dekker), suggests caution. "You may want to conduct further trials", but Scott is confident. "No, Richard. I'm certain it is ready for human application".
They come to an agreement. If during his rounds, Dr. Bach comes across a "hopeless case", where no other treatment will work, and if the patient is conscious enough to sign a waiver, then he will refer the person to Dr. Scott and the serum will be tested.
Bach finds such a patient in Kyra Zelas (Mari Blanchard), who's dying of tuberculosis. Using the last of her strength, she signs the waiver and is referred to Dr. Scott. He administers the serum that very day. "How long til it starts working"?, asks Dr. Bach. "Come back in six hours", says Scott. The two men meet back in Kyra's room at the appointed hour and are astonished by what they see. Her temperature has dropped, from 105 to 99 degrees, but more importantly, the x-rays show her lungs to be clear. There is no trace of the disease that had her at death's door. "It's like a miracle", observes Dr. Bach.
"It's my serum", says Scott.
Kyra, a mild mannered, pleasant lady is grateful beyond words for the doctors' help. "You saved my life", she tells them. They ask if she'll volunteer for further study. "We've never had a case like yours. You could help us to learn more about how the serum works". Suddenly Kyra's demeanor changes, like the flip of a switch. "You want me to stay at your clinic, as your guinea pig"? The doctors are taken aback. Kyra ends up agreeing to work with them, but when they are alone, Drs. Scott and Bach discuss her abrupt change in personality. "Do you think it could be a side effect"? asks Dr. Bach.
"It's possible", says Dr. Scott. "She's been through an emotionally charged experience. The serum has flooded her system with hormones. It may have provoked her reaction. After all, consider that she doesn't really know us. She almost died, now we're asking her to stay when all she probably wants is to go home".
"Good point", says Dr. Bach.
But that's not all Kyra wants. Her personality does appear to have changed. On her first day at Bach's clinic, located at his house, she goes out shopping. "I really need new clothes", she says. At a boutique, she sees a number of beautiful dresses she'd love to have, if only she had the money. She hides in a dressing room, and when another lady comes in, Kyra bops her over the head with an ashtray. She opens the woman's purse, steals her money, then heads back into the shop to buy the clothes she wants. By now, the woman has recovered and is asking a salesgirl to call the police. She describes her assailant as a "dark haired young woman". Kyra returns to the dressing room to hide, and when the cops arrive, she changes her hair color - boom, just like that! Now she's a platinum blonde! Putting on one of her new dresses, Kyra is unrecognizable. She exits the boutique triumphant.
Back at Bach's house, the doctors are horrified to see what she's done, but they can't really blame Kyra. After all, she's their subject. They can't turn her over to the police, either. It wouldn't be fair to her, and it would mean the end of their research. So, they reach an agreement. Kyra is not to leave the house again unless one of the doctors is with her.
All of this is troublesome, but what shocks the docs is her hair. How did she change it? Bach puts a strand under the microscope. "It's not dyed or bleached", he concludes. They ask Kyra herself : "I guess I just willed it to happen. I was scared; I didn't want to go to jail".
Dr. Scott thinks about this and then a lightbulb goes off in his head. "Of course! It's the fruit flies! Their glands produce a secretion similar to that of reptiles. Think about it, when a chameleon feels threatened, it changes it's colors to camouflage itself. This is what Kyra did when the police arrived"!
Dr. Bach agrees. "Yes...yes.....we saw this with our leopard, remember? One day it's coat turned black. We thought it was age, or some genetic trait, but it was the serum all along"!
Of course it was the serum. This is a Mad Scientist movie.
The doctors are unnerved by this development but vow to press on. "I'll find a way to minimize the side effects", says Scott, "but the healing property is a miracle. Think of the benefits worldwide"! Ah yes, "think of the benefits". That's Mad Scientist 101.
Dr. Bach throws a party for his wealthy friends, where he means to show off Kyra to solicit funds. However, her aggressive traits return. While the doctors are busy, she strikes up a conversation with a tycoon, then comes on to him. When his wife objects, Kyra clocks her with a hard right. The party is instantly over. This time the doctors are furious. "My God, Kyra"!, fumes Bach. "That man is one of my biggest donors! What on Earth were you thinking"?
This time Kyra is not ashamed of her actions. She's proud of herself, downright snotty in fact. "I was thinking I wanted to marry him. I was thinking I'd like to be rich. I'm sorry if you don't like it, but there's nothing you can do to stop me. From now on, I'm doing what I want"!
Keep in mind that the movie is called "She Devil". Kyra is indeed gonna do what she wants. The doctors are just gonna have to lump it. There will be mayhem along the way and even murder as she climbs her way to the top of the social ladder. Drs. Scott and Bach have to find a way to revert Kyra, to turn her back into her old self. What they need is an antidote. But can they formulate one before the police close in?
Isn't that always the question, in the final analysis? Most Mad Scientists start out with good intentions (Whit Bissell excepted), then end up having to Fix Things before the cops arrive, because the cops are always Rational Minded (according to Cinematic Law), and are never gonna believe their explanations. I'm not gonna tell you what happens here, but it's in Kyra's favor that she was a sweet, tragic tuberculosis victim before she turned "She Devil".
The movie ran a tad too long (maybe 5-7 minutes), but I liked it. Mari Blanchard is great as Kyra, who ranges from sweet to sassy to savage in her various mood swings. Like her character, Blanchard went through her own medical woes, surviving polio as a child. Albert Dekker and Jack Kelly are also good as the two doctors. I give it Two Solid Thumbs Up. Add it to your Mad Science collection. ////
That's all for the moment. See you later tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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