Crime Doctor (1943)

Director:

Michael Gordon

Writers:

C. Graham Baker (screenplay)
Louis Lantz (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 June 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Radio's Top Crime Thriller AT LAST on the Screen!

Plot:

Amnesia victim, Robert Ordway, becomes the country's leading criminal psychologist. When he is hit on...

Plot Keywords:

Parole Board | Prison Reform | Trial | Psychiatrist | Amnesia

Cast

Warner Baxter	...	Dr. Robert Ordway, formerly Phil Morgan
Margaret Lindsay	...	Grace Fielding
John Litel	...	Emilio Caspari, the mystery man
Ray Collins	...	Dr. John Carey
Harold Huber	...	Joe Dylan
Don Costello	...	Nick Ferris alias Jim Warren
Leon Ames	...	William Wheeler

Runtime:

66 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16

Company:

Larry Darmour Productions

Trivia:

Fans of The Three Stooges may recognize the same cheap studio sets and on-the-quick lighting we associate with their B&W shorts. Typical of the B pictures Harry Cohn's Columbia Pictures Gower Street lot ground out in the 1940s, Crime Doctor (1943) and many of the best Stooges shorts were shot during the same World War II years. Crime Doctor (1943) is one of the first films directed by Michael Gordon, who was from the Yale Drama School and The Group Theater with Elia Kazan, and who, after many years of being blacklisted during the McCarthy red scare era, eventually directed the Doris Day / Rock Hudson hit Pillow Talk (1959).

Movie Connections:

Followed by Crime Doctor's Man Hunt (1946)

Not exactly original, but extremely well-constructed for a B-film

In the 1930s and 40s, Hollywood made a huge number of "B" detective series films. They were called "B" because they had lower budgets, were shorter than the average film and were meant to be the second film in a double feature--the lesser of the two films. In general, these films were a lot of fun to watch BUT they also were very formulaic and repetitive. I enjoy Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan, Boston Blackie and the Saint, but will gladly admit that once you've seen a few they all seem to blend together--particularly the Blackie series. It is because of this sameness that I really, really appreciate the Crime Doctor films--they are not so predictable and offer some nice innovations.

This movie is the first, and from what I've seen, the best of the Crime Doctor films. It sets the stage for future films by explaining how Warner Baxter became a psychiatrist and crime solver and is well-written and interesting throughout--even though this movie's plot isn't original--having been a variation on a film from 1936. The acting is very good and the film is played more seriously than the average film of the genre--with no goofy sidekick or stupid police investigator. And, frankly, this is a good thing as the others are clichés that just seem to permeate almost every B detective film. Give it a watch--it's very enjoyable and doesn't disappoint, as the characters behave intelligently and believably.