The Black Doll

A rich jerk is killed after receiving a black doll as a warning. A young detective and buffoon sheriff work to solve the crime. I love movies where a murder takes place in a house on a dark and stormy night and the detective(s) investigate all the suspects. This was released as part of Universal's Crime Club series and, in my opinion, it's the best of the bunch. Donald Woods is enjoyable and lovely Nan Grey is always worth watching, but the real scene stealer is Edgar Kennedy as the sheriff in over his head trying to solve the murder. Every scene with this guy is gold. The rest of the cast is good, too. A few familiar faces in there. This is the kind of picture that you feel like you've seen all of it before in various movies, but it doesn't really hurt your entertainment much. The humor helps elevate it above many similar films. It's a well put-together B movie of its type. A type which I happen to enjoy quite a bit.

Because they have good casts and a nice dosage of humor, I like the Crime Club murder mysteries and this entry is no exception. The wealthy and overbearing Nicholas Rood finds a Mexican voodoo like black doll on his desk. According to Rood's butler, this signifies an impending death. And sure enough, Rood is killed by a thrown knife. There are suspects galore - among them Rood's sister and wife, the butler and two former partners from whom Rood has been hiding for several years. Rood's daughter and clever boyfriend (the charming Nan Grey and the ever affable Donald Woods) take the lead in the investigation, which is a good thing because the cops investigating the crime, Sheriff Renick and his deputy are pretty dimwitted to say the least. Edgar Kennedy as the Sheriff provides most of the welcome humor. In fact, Kennedy has one of my all time favorite stupid remarks. He says to Woods, "I know something you don't know." "What?" "You're standing on my foot." Even with lines like this, it' a fun and an entertaining movie. Interesting to me is that Holmes Herbert who starred in a number of silent films has the role of Dr. Giddings in this movie. Herbert never rose above character roles in sound films.

This B-movie was the second entry in Universal's long-forgotten Crime Club series, based on a popular run of mystery books of the time. A few of the entries are well above-average, thanks mainly to strong source material (Jonathan Latimer wrote several of the originals) and fine, resourceful low-budget direction by the obscure Otis Garrett (who died just as his career was getting established). This one concerns a skein of murders presaged by a native doll, a revenge plot revolving around the discovery of a rich mine many years before.

This was Garrett's first directorial foray (he had edited the previous entry), and he shows plenty of enthusiasm early on with some clever camera setups (the first murder, by tossed knife, is seen reflected in a mirror). Comedy relief was de rigueur in the genre at the time, and unfortunately, Edgar Kennedy's low-humor bumbling cop is given far to much prominence, totally undermining the creepy atmosphere established before his appearance. Also, the always-nasty C Henry Gordon gets killed off early on in the proceedings. The plot never really gels, and it all ends with one of those Charlie-Chan-style all-the-suspects-in-one-room scenes, which is handled in a disappointingly pedestrian manner. In the leads, Nan Grey is very fetching and Donald Woods affable. Stanley Cortez, still trapped in B-land, was co-cinematographer. Unless you're a completist, you can give this one a miss and try the strikingly-edited "Lady in the Morgue" instead.

The Black Doll (1938)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Reporter Nick Halstead (Donald Woods) helps a rather dimwitted sheriff (Edgar Kennedy) investigate a series of murders, which are connected by a black voodoo doll that is left with the victim.

This is an entry in Universal's Crime Club series and for the most part it's an entertaining little "B" movie but at the same time there's no doubt that you'll forget about it soon after the end credits roll. This series was made on a very low budget as the studio tried to get some revenue back after their 1936 film SHOWBOAT lost so much money. With that in mind, you really don't have anything overly special here but if you enjoy these type of thrillers then you should enjoy it.

It certainly helps that you've got Woods in a fine and loose form. He certainly brings some energy to the role that helps keep the film moving at a nice pace. Kennedy plays the dimwitted by likable guy that he played throughout his career. The two of them actually have some nice chemistry and the humor works more times than not. The film also benefits from some nice direction by Otis Garrett who makes for some nice atmosphere and especially during the murder scenes.

THE BLACK DOLL runs just 66 minutes so it's not deep or filled with anything great but it does get its job done.

1938's "The Black Doll" was the second of seven Crime Club mysteries from Universal, and the first of two that starred Donald Woods and lovely Nan Grey. Although not included in Universal's popular SHOCK! package of classic horror films issued to television in the late 50's, it did air an amazing 4 times on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater- December 14 1968 (followed by 1961's "Creature from the Haunted Sea"), May 30 1970 (following 1958's "Invasion of the Animal People"), April 10 1971 (following 1942's "Bowery at Midnight"), and July 14 1973 (following 1936's "Bat Men of Africa"). The opening credits roll to the Franz Waxman score from "Bride of Frankenstein" (as does "The Lady in the Morgue"), with snatches throughout heard from "The Invisible Man," "WereWolf of London," "The Raven," "The Invisible Ray," and "Dracula's Daughter." The mystery is a solid one, featuring C. Henry Gordon as Nelson Rood, who receives a curious black doll as an unwanted reminder of his past murder of a colleague that discovered a rich mine. This ill omen is known only to Rood and his two partners, Walling (John Wray) and Mallison (Addison Richards), both of whom are summoned to Rood's remote country mansion, shortly before the host is killed in front of his daughter (Nan Grey), an eyewitness to the crime through her mirror, but who never saw the murderer. Her boyfriend is Nick Halstead (Donald Woods), who arrives on the scene before the moronic sheriff (Edgar Kennedy), plus the local doctor (Holmes Herbert) living nearby. Also residing in the victim's home are his sister (Doris Lloyd) and her son (William Lundigan), a gambler and forger caught in the act by the now dead Rood. Nan Grey is just adorable, and the climax finds our hero solving the crimes at the breakfast table (!). Plenty of suspects and good atmosphere, let down only by the increasingly irritating antics from the inept authorities, still perfect for late night viewing. The next Crime Club would be "The Lady in the Morgue."