Crime Doctor (1943)

A new series to watch, 21 December 2020

After being thrown from a moving vehicle, a mysterious man wakes in the hospital with no memory.  As much as he’d like, the doctor that takes his case can’t help revive his memories.  The man, now known as Robert Ordway (Warner Baxter), decides to help himself and, ten years later, he’s a practicing psychiatrist.  Out of the blue, he meets a couple of men who refer to Ordway as Morgan.  Do these men know anything about Ordway / Morgan’s past?  And what of the $200,000 they claim Morgan stole?  

I’m a huge fan of the 30s and 40s era mystery programmers that all the studios were producing.  Whether it’s Chan, Holmes, the Falcon, or the Saint, there’s an appeal these films have to me.  I’m not sure why I’ve never seen any of the Crime Doctor movies, but I’m glad to have finally corrected that oversight.  Admittedly, I didn’t find this one, the first in the series, as entertaining as I’d hoped, but it was good enough to seek out the others in the series.  

I think my main issue with Crime Doctor is how long it took things to get going.  The first half is a drag.  It’s not until Ordway’s past starts to catch up with him and the mystery heats up that things get interesting.  I’d probably rate the first half a 4/10 and the second half a 6/10.  I’d probably rate the second half even higher if the ending didn’t feel so rushed.  I’d like to have known more about the location of the missing $200,000.

Baxter is fine, if not a bit underwhelming, in the lead role.  He’s joined by a surprisingly strong cast, including Margaret Lindsay, Harold Huber, Don Costello, and Leon Ames (always a favorite of mine).  But the best of the cast had to be John LItel.  He played a fantastic smart, threatening hood.  He had a way about him that made me uncomfortable to watch.  Nice going.

 

5/10