The Crime Doctor's Gamble

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.

Crime Doctor's Gamble (1947)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

William Castle directs this ninth entry in the Columbia series. This time Dr. Ordway (Warner Baxter) is on vacation in Paris when a man is accused of killing his father. Once again, this is on par with the rest of the series, although I'd place this one near the top. Just like the previous film in the series, it's a nice break getting out of the city and the Paris streets make for some nice moments. Baxter has his act down and the supporting cast is also a step above normal.

Pretty good considering this is the 9th film in the series.

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.

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.

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.