1955's "Manfish" is sometimes thought of as a horror film due to its title, the presence of second billed Lon Chaney, and the fact that not one but two Edgar Allan Poe stories were combined for the script, "The Gold Bug" and "The Tell-Tale Heart." As things go, it's one of the few decent efforts by the resolutely dull director W. Lee Wilder (Billy's elder brother), and his 4th of seven films written by his son Myles Wilder (the shooting title was "The Menfish"). 'Manfish' is actually the name of the Jamaican boat captained by John Bromfield's Brannigan, Chaney his first mate 'Swede,' in danger of losing their beloved vessel due to outstanding debts brought on by Brannigan's gambling. The pair earn their keep diving for sea turtles, one day discovering a skeleton on the bottom of the sea bed, still holding a map contained inside a bottle, revealing the hidden location of a French pirate's treasure chest. This brings them into contact with another greedy soul, Victor Jory's 'Professor,' forcing Brannigan's hand by memorizing the map's contents before burning it. They find the trinkets soon enough, heading back to port to finalize payment on their boat, but a second treasure map spells doom for those most desirous of instant wealth. In the end, the lone survivor is the one whose love for the sea proves to be his salvation. Nearly an hour goes by before the treasure is found, then "The Gold Bug" finally gives way to "The Tell-Tale Heart" in its depiction of a crazed killer desperately trying to cover up his crime by hiding the corpse in the drink, tied down by an oxygen tank that continuously gives way to bubbles that make it look like the dead is still struggling for air. Lon Chaney had worked on a previous Wilder title (1950's "Once a Thief..."), and continues to excel in sympathetic mode despite often being cast as wicked henchmen; it's another simple minded character like Lennie in "Of Mice and Men," but a sailor who genuinely cares about his vessel and the divers he employs (he had just finished Jack Palance's "I Died a Thousand Times," moving on to Kirk Douglas' "The Indian Fighter").
