La sombra acusadora

This entry in the "Crime Doctor" series (based on the radio program of the same name) finds our protagonist in Paris giving a lecture on crime prevention. After the lecture, Dr. Ordway meets a Parisian colleague who takes him out for a night on the town "with no interruptions" (i.e., cases to solve). After visiting about half a dozen famous night clubs (identified by a series of neon logos), they arrive (apparently cold sober) at one where a knife thrower is performing, and where they actually engage in some dialog which sets the stage for the future "interruption".

The next day, Dr. Ordway is introduced by his colleague to an apparent manic-depressive who allegedly killed his father with a letter opener during an argument. While investigating the murder (the "interruption" we of course knew was coming), Dr. Ordway discovers that the case also involves the mysterious theft of art copies.

Like many another movie mystery, explanations that tie up loose ends are offered after the crime is solved, just in case the audience couldn't (or in this case, wasn't given the opportunity) to figure them out as it went along.

Connoisseurs of American film will recognize among a cast of generally unfamiliar French actors, Emory Parnell in a small but pivotal part as art dealer O'Reilly, and Steven Geray as the family attorney of the deceased.

The crime doctor, Dr. Ordway (Warner Baxter) gets involved in an art scam and murder in Paris in "Crime Doctor's Gamble." Because he's friendly with the prefecture of police, Ordway, in France to give lectures, is taken into his confidence about a troubling murder case, which may just involve a knife thrower appearing at a local club. The man is accused of killing his own father, and his attorney wants to go for an insanity plea. When two other murders occur, Ordway sets a trap to expose the true murderer.

I guess people take these Crime Doctor movies a little more seriously than I do. I found this entertaining, and I loved the wild dancing that took place at the nightclub. This is supposed to be Paris after the war, but we know it's a set at Columbia studios. There are some French actors to give it a little authenticity. In the nightclub, when the next act is announced, it's done in English, however! Baxter is his usual tired, relaxed self. I imagine, having suffered a nervous breakdown, that he was on medication; nevertheless, he gives a warm, kindly performance. Quite different from his manic portrayal in "42nd Street." As far as the psychological jargon being incorrect, it's incorrect in nearly every film from this era, including "The Greatest Show on Earth." Don't let it bother you.

While visiting an old friend in Paris, the Prefect of Police, the Crime Doctor gets involved with the complex stabbing murder of an old man supposedly by his son. The suspect is described as a worthless idler who suffers from some war-induced psychological problems. But is he capable of murder? The beautiful Micheline Cheirel (in her last film role) plays the love interest – married and loyal to the suspect but also the daughter of a knife-thrower who is an old friend of the murdered man.

The Crime Doctor always seems to know who is lying and telling the truth in the absence of any evidence to support his theories. The defendant's lawyer does not practice criminal law and the defendant does not appear to care whether he lives or dies. Is the only defense insanity? If he gets off the murder charge due to insanity, who inherits? What about a fourteen year-old contract between the murdered man and the knife-thrower? How many more murders? Intrigue in the art world leads the Crime Doctor to the solution.

Interesting dance apache sequences. Directed by future horror-meister William Castle. Fair.

Dr. Ordway, the Crime Doctor, is visiting a friend--a detective in Paris, France. While they say repeatedly that Ordway's visit is purely a vacation, the audience KNOWS that sooner or later a crime will occur and Ordway will be called in to solve it.

This movie is a real shame, as early on the Crime Doctor series was one of the best detective series of the 1940s--maybe even the best. The film really lets down on several levels. First, the acting of everyone is poor. Warner Baxter (Dr. Ordway) looks rather tired but the real problem were the French-accented extras. Many of them simply weren't good actors and I think they were chosen for their accents and other talents seemed incidental. Plus, it was very odd that not a single French person spoke French during the film. Also, the film was very talky and the plot just wasn't all that involving.

An added benefit of my watching the film (since I have significant training and experience with diagnosing mental illness) was that I knew that the psychological talk was mostly mumbo-jumbo. For example, at one point a man was accused of murder and Ordway said "(these are) actions of a typical Manic-Depressive"! Even by 1940s standards for psychiatry, this was a load of bull--Manic-Depression (Bipolar Disorder) is NOT related to murder nor did the man show symptoms of the disorder. I think they just pulled the diagnosis out of a hat! It's a shame, as in earlier Crime Doctor films, they seemed to try to get the psychiatric aspects of the film right.

All in all, a rather limp and pedestrian effort. Not bad, but far from the brilliance of the first few films of the series.

I have just now had another look at this to clear my mind on some points about it. That was no hardship as all films in the Crime Doctor series are re-watchable anyway. I suppose it may have been all the French names of the characters in this that threw my Anglo-Saxon sleuthing off-kilter the first time round. The characters and their motives are presented to us in a tantalizing way. The only complaint I would make is that this film kills off the most interesting of those characters too soon.

The Crime Doctor is in Paris for two weeks to give a couple of lectures and then spend the rest of the time vacationing. But as with all his vacations he soon finds himself entangled in a case. He is called upon to give his opinion on the sanity of a man who is convinced he has killed his father on a night shrouded under an alcoholic blur. Also this man has been in a concentration camp in the war so there is a question on whether some sort of neurosis in him has been caused by that.

Ordway is drawn further into the case when his old friend Inspector Morrell takes him on a tour of Parisian nightlife. The sleazy little cafe is the best of all the settings. Ordway wonders why Morrell has brought him to such a place after they have tasted the highlights of Parisian cabaret earlier in the night. Morrell wants Ordway to look at a knife-throwing act that he has his suspicions about. The knife-throwing is good as well as the Apache dancing we get to see at the cafe.