“Well, I knew that he was using the machines, but I never dreamt that he was using them to commit murder.”
In an amusement park a man is found stabbed to death with a knife. Reporter Kirioka (Koji Tsuruta) becomes interested in the case when he finds a Cryotron transistor wire at the scene. Kirioka has a background in science and believes the transistor may be of importance. His childhood friend, Detective Kobayashi (Akihiko Hirata), is assigned to investigate the murder. At the scene the police find a metal name tag and a note instructing the victim to be at the park at a specific time.
Kobayashi believes that a nightclub owner, Onishi (Seizaburo Kawazu), may be involved. Onishi is already under investigation for suspicion of trafficking in drugs. After another man is killed, Onishi finally tells the police why he believes these murders are happening.
Fourteen years ago, near the end of WWII, a small group of Japanese soldiers are assigned the job of relocating a scientist, Dr. Kajuro Nikki (Takamaru Sasaki), and crates containing his top secret experiments and records. Instead they fill the crates with stolen gold bars.
One soldier, Lance Corporal Sudo (Tadao Nakamaru), objected stating the gold belonged to the people of Japan. The soldiers, Onishi, Tsukamoto, Taki and Takashi, refuse to leave the gold. The men stab Sudo, shoot Dr. Nikki and blow up the cave with the two men and the gold inside. They returned a year later, only to discover that both men's bodies and the gold are missing.
Now Sudo, having survived the murder attempt, is out to even the score. Nikki had also survived the murder and, even though he lost his legs, continued with his experiments. Nikki has created a teleportation machine. Sudo is now using that machine to transport himself so he can exact revenge on those who left him for dead.
“The Secret of the Telegian” was released in 1960 and was directed by Jun Fukuda. The movie was produced by TOHO. In the USA Herts-Lion International bought the rights to the film with the intent to distribute it theatrically. They got as far as dubbing the movie. Eventually the dubbed version went directly to TV.
It is considered to be the second entry in Toho's Transforming Human Series, after The H-Man and preceding The Human Vapor.
The special effects were done by Eiji Tsuburaya.
The movie is a fast paced science fiction thriller. It’s well done and the special effects are great. Everything about it is quite good. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
American dubbed
Japanese subtitled