Crime Doctor's Strangest Case (1943)

Top cast15

Edit

Warner Baxter

Dr. Robert Ordway

Lynn Merrick

Ellen Trotter

Gloria Dickson

Mrs. Keppler…

Barton MacLane

Detective Rief

Jerome Cowan

Mallory Cartwright

Reginald Denny

Paul Ashley

Rose Hobart

Diana Burns

Virginia Brissac

Patricia Cornwall

Lloyd Bridges

Jimmy Trotter

Constance Worth

Betty Watson

Sam Flint

Addison Burns
(uncredited)

Creighton Hale

Dr. Carter
(uncredited)

Thomas E. Jackson

Detective Yarnell
(uncredited)

George Lynn

Walter Burns
(uncredited)

Ray Walker

George H. Fenton
(uncredited)

Nice B movie, part of the Crime Doctor series

Warner Baxter is the "Crime Doctor," and here he is in the second film of the series, "Crime Doctor's Strangest Case," filmed in 1943. This one has a perk for baby boomers as it stars a very young Lloyd "Sea Hunt" Bridges as a man acquitted of killing his boss who consults Dr. Ordway (Baxter), the man who helped him in his case. Though he was found not guilty, he has had terrible trouble finding a new position. Now he's been offered a job working for a person instead of a company - a similar situation to his first job, and he wants to get married. Ordway recommends that he look instead for a corporate position, even if he has to leave town, and wait to get married.

The Bridges character doesn't take Dr. O's advice, and when his boss is killed, it does look as though he was given the job so he could be framed. Ordway steps in to investigate, dueling wits with the detective in charge of the case (Barton MacLaine).

This "Crime Doctor" has some comedy in it, with Jerome Cowan as a musician who is careless with matches. There's also a hilarious, very fast change of identity.

This is a good series, and I hope to see more of it on TCM.

blanche-2
Dec 7, 2008
Permalink

Photos1

More like this

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
In this movie, Gloria Dickson is married to a man, played by Jerome Cowan, who is habitually starting fires with carelessly discarded smoking materials. There are two scenes in the movie, including the final scene, in which he starts such fires. Her character comments, "I'm practically cremated." when describing living with him. Ironically, just two short years after this movie was released, Gloria was killed in a house fire - suspected to have been caused by a carelessly discarded cigarette.

Goofs
The suspect steals the doctor's car and drives off, no one knows where. However, the next morning, the doctor leaves his home and gets into his car, which is in its usual place.