The Strange Case of Doctor Rx

In the 1930s and 40s, Hollywood made a ton of amateur detective films...ones in which supposedly ordinary folk solve crimes because they are brilliant and the cops total idiots. Because of this, "The Strange Case of Doctor Rx" is very familiar. Despite a few unusual twists here and there, the story is all too familiar...especially with the inclusion of Mantan Moreland was his usual scared black man routine.

There is a psychopath murdering people they think are worthy of death! And, these deaths are obviously related because with each victim is a letter from someone calling themselves 'Dr. Rx'. Jerry (Patric Knowles) is about to get married and keep his promise to his new bride--to give up crime-solving. But some of the baddies have a different idea.

Overall this is just a fair film to watch. This is because it ended poorly with a 'scene missing here' portion that disappoints. Additionally, the usual cliches abound.

In THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. RX, private detective, Jerry Church (Patrick Knowles) is drawn into the murder spree of the titular mad physician, in spite of his plans to the contrary.

One of the lesser-known horror films from Universal Studios, it's more of a crime-mystery movie. It's rather lighthearted considering the subject matter. Any real terror is saved for the finale. Mr. Knowles is a serviceable gumshoe. Both Shemp Howard and Mantan Moreland are on hand to help keep things from getting too serious. Lionel Atwill plays the mysterious Dr. Fish, hiding behind his ultra-thick eyeglasses.

A harmless timewaster...

Patrick Knowles has had it with being a private detective in New York, and is about to head back to Boston. However, when the fifth acquitted murderer is found strangled with a note signed "Doctor Rx", attorney Samuel Hinds, whose clients all the victims were, and old buddy Police Chief Edmund McDonald rope him in on helping out with the case. Adding to the complications is Knowles' estranged wife, Anne Gwynne, who comes back into his life. She wants him retired from his dangerous profession and he agrees.

It's a decent comedy-mystery with most of the humor provided by Mantan Moreland as Knowles' manservant and Shemp Howard as McDonald's assistant. There is also Lionel Atwill as a "Doctor Fish" who always seems to be near at hand, Ray Corrigan in a gorilla suit to spice up proceedings, and a tiny but compelling role for a sultry Jan Wiley as a gangster's moll.

William Nigh, who had been directing movies for thirty years, helms the movie; he was one of the many A-list directors of silent movies who retreated to the Bs and never raised their heads after that. In the 1920s he had directed Marion Davies for Cosmopolitan and Lon Chaney for MGM. By 1932, he was directing B westerns, and spent the last fifteen years of his career at Monogram and PRC. This decent Universal programmer was as rarefied as he got in the sound era. He retired in 1948.

1941's "The Strange Case of Doctor Rx" was part of Universal's popular SHOCK! package of classic horror films issued to television in the late 50s, turning up twice on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater, on May 8 1976 (following Cameron Mitchell's "Nightmare in Wax") and Jan 29 1983 (solo). Yes, Lionel Atwill is criminally wasted, but what's worse is how the ads promoted it as a horror film prominently featuring his countenance (billed second, as he also was in "The Mad Doctor of Market Street"). Patric Knowles is the actual star, before "The Wolf Man" and "Mystery of Marie Roget," and has no trouble carrying the picture, but the on again-off again sparring between his detective Jerry Church and new bride Kit (Anne Gwynne) wears thin very quickly. Church has just returned from South America, only to be bludgeoned by the recent series of murders committed by a mysterious Doctor Rx (not to be confused with Atwill's 1932 "Doctor X"), who executes criminals that escape the justice system. The couple are likable performers, but the 'Battling Churches' were mercifully not granted a sequel (it really is less a horror film than a domestic mystery/whodunit, certainly no THIN MAN). Still entertaining for those who encountered it long ago, particularly for the excellent cast, with Samuel S. Hinds, Paul Cavanagh, Mary Gordon, pretty Jan Wiley, and Ray 'Crash' Corrigan as the gorilla Nbongo, in the lone nightmarish sequence that climaxes the picture. The underrated Mantan Moreland, who always rose above his material, easily steals every scene he's in, which the better known Shemp Howard fails to do (some 5 years before he rejoined The Three Stooges).

Strange Case of Doctor RX, The (1942)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Here's another forgotten thriller/mystery from Universal. A mysterious man is killing off client's gotten off of serious crimes by a local attorney. There's really not too much here but director William Nigh keeps things moving pretty pace even though this thing contains the worst red-herring in film history. Patrick Knowles, Lionel Atwill, Anne Gwynne and Shemp Howard star.

This rare Universal film hasn't been released officially yet but there are 16mm copies floating around out there.