The Crime Doctor's Gamble

This Dr. Ordway story has to be one of the weaker entries in the series. First of all, there's too much exposition going on for the first half-hour, all talk and no action. The plot involves art forgeries, art dealers, a painter who specializes in making copies of original art, and a knife-throwing act--all of which take up a lot of time for WARNER BAXTER to unravel.

Through it all, we get an assortment of authentic French accents from most of the cast, with the exception of STEVEN GERAY who plays the art dealer.

But as in all the Dr. Ordway stories, his scheme to hold an auction is really a trap to catch the killer. Despite all the exposition, the plot is a murky one that seems a bit far-fetched when you stop to think about it.

The only other actor in the cast known to American audiences is EDUARDO CIANNELLI as the knife-thrower who becomes just one of the suspects until he unceremoniously dies in his sleep. This plot device doesn't leave much surprise in the revelation of the actual thief and murderer.

Summing up: The other crime doctor films are much better than this one.

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.

When an old man is stabbed in Paris, the visiting "Dr. Ordway" (Warner Baxter) is called upon by his policeman friend to investigate. It soon turns out that the man's son looks like he is the prime suspect. Thing is, he has a limited grasp on reality and isn't at all sure what could have happened. He just knows that he was furious with his father who disapproved of his new bride - the daughter of a cabaret performer. As "Ordway" uses his unique methods of detection, he begins to think that the killing is just the tip of an iceberg that will lead to a cunning plan to counterfeit famous and valuable works of art. This is a rather run-of-the-mill and predictable thriller that's let down by way too much dialogue and some seriously ropey French accents - all delivered by an ensemble (including Baxter) who didn't look particularly interested in the proceedings. This one also takes us into the realms of schoolboy psychology a little more clumsily than in some of the other "Crime Doctor" outings and some of the conclusions being drawn do stretch the imagination somewhat. It does try to up the ante for the genre, but there's not enough action and mystery to compensate for the drawbacks.

Dr. Ordway (Warner Baxter) goes on vacation, only to get involved in a bizarre crime. While on a lecture tour/vacation in Paris, the Crime Doctor finds himself looking into a case of supposed patricide. His French colleague believes the suspect to be neither insane nor guilty. Ordway must find the real killer, but the most likely suspects keep tuning up dead.

Knife throwing, seedy establishments of Paris, heavy French accents and paintings feature in this rather pleasantly diverting mystery that finds Dr Ordway doing what he does best and solving mysteries. The pace can be slow and sometimes there's too much exposition, however it's not enough to mar the pleasant entertainment which has a neat twist at the end.

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.