Out-of-work archaeologists Steve Banning (Dick Foran) and Babe Jenson (Wallace Ford) discover the location of the tomb of princess Ananka. With funds from stage magician Solvani (Cecil Kellaway) and his daughter, Marta (Peggy Moran), they set out into the desert. But the tomb is guarded by an ancient cult, and the priest has the power to animate the mummy Kharis.
The second of Universal’s Mummy films, The Mummy’s Hand is not a sequel to 1932’s The Mummy, but a reworking of the Mummy concept, and the first of the four-film Kharis series (the others being The Mummy’s Tomb, The Mummy’s Ghost, and The Mummy’s Curse). The clichés that dominated mummy films till 1999 came from The Mummy’s Hand. There is the slow moving, mute, bandaged mummy, the controlling priest and magic tana leaves, and the curse on anyone who enters the Princess’ tomb.
The tone is a change from other Universal monster movies, being more of a romantic comedy for the first half, with Marta first disliking, then respecting, and finally loving Steve Banning. Foran and Ford come off as a toned down, mildly amusing but not funny, Abbott and Costello. It makes for an uneven picture.
Always-good character actor Cecil Kellaway elevates the proceedings and, unlike Ford, is funny. George Zucco is also a step above the leads and makes a rather silly villain enjoyable. The cast is rounded out by Tom Tyler in his only appearance as the Mummy. Lon Chaney Jr. would take over the role for the other Kharis films. Tyler was suffering from arthritis so badly that even the Mummy’s shambling was too much for him. His makeup was excellent; later films would use a mask.
Take this as rip-roaring, Saturday afternoon adventure fare. It’s fun, but not to be taken seriously.