Donovan's Brain (film)

Lore & Background

The story involves Dr. Patrick Cory and his wife Janice living in a mountain retreat, where Cory attempts to keep a monkey's brain alive after removal. When businessman Warren Donovan's plane crashes nearby, Donovan dies, and Cory removes his brain and keeps it alive in an electrified saline solution. Cory begins writing messages in Donovan's handwriting and later exhibits Donovan's personality traits, such as smoking cigars, using ruthless manipulation, and walking with a limp. Janice and friend Frank Schratt suspect Donovan's consciousness is using telepathic mind control to overpower Cory's free will. News photographer Yocum discovers the stolen brain and demands money to keep the secret. Donovan's brain grows increasingly powerful, using Cory to collect a fortune and forcing Yocum into a fatal car crash. After realizing Donovan can control only one person at a time, Janice and Frank plot to destroy the brain, but Frank's plan goes wrong when Donovan forces Frank to shoot himself. Ultimately, lightning strikes the Cory home and a fire breaks out, burning Donovan's brain. Frank survives, and Cory accepts the consequences for his actions, while Cory himself explains to authorities that it was his idea to connect the ranch's lightning rod to the power supply, resulting in the fire.

Reader's Guide

Donovan's Brain is a key entry in the 1950s cycle of science fiction horror films exploring themes of mind control and scientific hubris. Its premise—a preserved brain exerting telepathic influence—was adapted from Curt Siodmak's 1942 novel and had been previously filmed as The Lady and the Monster (1944). The film's independent production and black-and-white cinematography reflect the era's low-budget genre filmmaking. The cast includes Lew Ayres as the conflicted doctor and Nancy Davis (later Nancy Reagan) as his wife. The film's influence is acknowledged in later works, such as the 1983 comedy The Man with Two Brains, in which the protagonist cites Donovan's Brain as his favorite movie. While not a major box office hit, the film has endured as a cult classic and is often referenced in discussions of brain-transplant and mind-control cinema.

Did You Know?

• It was independently produced by Tom Gries for Allan Dowling Productions and distributed by United Artists.
• The cast includes Nancy Davis, who later became First Lady Nancy Reagan.
• The film's climax involves lightning striking the home and a fire burning Donovan's brain.