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The Murder of Dr. Harrigan

  • 1936
  • Approved
  • 1h 7m
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
302
YOUR RATING
Mary Astor and Ricardo Cortez in The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (1936)
CrimeMysteryRomance

The head of a drug company mysteriously disappears, after taking credit for a new anesthetic that actually resulted from the work of several doctors, and his surgeon is found strangely murde... Read allThe head of a drug company mysteriously disappears, after taking credit for a new anesthetic that actually resulted from the work of several doctors, and his surgeon is found strangely murdered by a surgical instrument.The head of a drug company mysteriously disappears, after taking credit for a new anesthetic that actually resulted from the work of several doctors, and his surgeon is found strangely murdered by a surgical instrument.

  • Director
    • Frank McDonald
  • Writers
    • Peter Milne
    • Sy Bartlett
    • Mignon G. Eberhart
  • Stars
    • Ricardo Cortez
    • Kay Linaker
    • John Eldredge
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.6/10
    302
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Frank McDonald
    • Writers
      • Peter Milne
      • Sy Bartlett
      • Mignon G. Eberhart
    • Stars
      • Ricardo Cortez
      • Kay Linaker
      • John Eldredge
    • 18User reviews
    • 3Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos9

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    Top cast33

    Edit
    Ricardo Cortez
    Ricardo Cortez
    • George Lambert
    Kay Linaker
    Kay Linaker
    • Sally Keating
    John Eldredge
    John Eldredge
    • Dr. Harrigan
    Mary Astor
    Mary Astor
    • Lillian Cooper
    Joseph Crehan
    Joseph Crehan
    • Lt. Lamb
    Frank Reicher
    Frank Reicher
    • Dr. Coate
    Anita Kerry
    Anita Kerry
    • Agnes Melady
    Phillip Reed
    Phillip Reed
    • Dr. Simon
    Robert Strange
    Robert Strange
    • Peter Melady
    Mary Treen
    Mary Treen
    • Nurse Margaret Brody
    Bill Elliott
    Bill Elliott
    • Kenneth Martin
    • (as Gordon Elliott)
    Don Barclay
    Don Barclay
    • Jackson - the Drunk
    Johnny Arthur
    Johnny Arthur
    • Mr. Wentworth
    Joan Blair
    • Ina Harrigan
    Joan Barclay
    Joan Barclay
    • Nurse
    • (uncredited)
    Nick Copeland
    • Nestor - Policeman and Driver
    • (uncredited)
    Roger Gray
    Roger Gray
    • Herbert - the Morgue Attendant
    • (uncredited)
    Eddie Larkin
    • Intern
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Frank McDonald
    • Writers
      • Peter Milne
      • Sy Bartlett
      • Mignon G. Eberhart
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews18

    5.6302
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    Featured reviews

    5blanche-2

    A Warner Brothers "Crime Club" presentation

    "The Murder of Dr. Harrigan" is a short film in the Crime Club series, based on a story by Mignon G. Eberhart. Eberhart was a prolific mystery novelist, but I think this story made better reading than it did a film. This film stars Ricardo Cortez, Kay Linkater, John Eldredge, and Mary Astor.

    The plot concerns a formula for a new anesthetic - I never did get the name - it sounded like Slaypen - and a Dr. Melady lays claim as the primary owner, though others, like Dr. Harrigan, had helped to develop it. Melady wants Harrigan to operate on him and use the Slaypen, However, Harrigan is murdered, and Dr. Melady disappears.

    Most of the film revolves around the hospital elevator. For awhile, I couldn't figure out why the doctors and nurses kept manually closing the doors, and then I realized that although the elevator was automatic, apparently closing the doors was not yet automatic in 1936. Rather than use the elevator operator with that big wheel often seen in department stores years ago, they were just pulling the doors shut.

    Even coming in at just over an hour, this movie seems long because it's so talky, and most of the action is described rather than seen, The star, Ricardo Cortez, lays out the whole solution to the murder to the detective in charge at the end - but we didn't see much of it.

    The most entertaining things about this film are the old things: the elevator doors, the nurses' uniforms and caps, the rotary phones. As far as the acting, Cortez is an amiable presence, and Astor is very good. Mary Treen, a very familiar television face, has a small but showy role.
    5Doylenf

    Formulaic B-murder mystery notable only for Mary Astor...

    This is one of those typical fast-moving, harried murder mysteries involving the death of a doctor under unusual circumstances at a hospital full of suspects. Something about a formula he had developed in an uneasy partnership with another doctor--and his murder at the hands of someone who wanted that formula.

    Only of interest because of RICARDO CORTEZ in the leading role as one of the helpful doctors who leads the detective to solve the case, and, in a brief supporting role, MARY ASTOR, who manages to make an interesting impression as a nurse who knows more than she's willing to tell. She makes more of an impression than KAY LINAKER who plays Cortez's romantic interest.

    This is the sort of mystery fluff that played the lower half of double bills back in the '30s, watchable only for the fast pace and because of its "round up the usual suspects" kind of telling. Extremely dated, but amusing with enough plot complications to keep everyone guessing.
    6boblipton

    Could It Be A Mystery?

    Hospital administrator Robert Strange, who is claiming all the credit for a new anesthesia developed by several doctors, has an operation performed by John Eldredge. Strange disappears and Eldredge is murdered. Police detective Joseph Crehan shows up to solve the mystery, but it's Doctor Ricardo Cortez and nurse Kay Linaker who do the work.

    It's one of a dozen 'Clue Club' mysteries from Warner Brothers in the mid-1930s, and given it's from a novel by Mignon Eberhart, it's a decent enough mystery, if a trifle rushed at 67 minutes. The cast includes Mary Astor -- supposedly she turned down Miss Linaker's role and was made to play a lesser one as punishment, which makes no sense to me -- Mary Treen, Bill Elliott, and Don Barclay and Johnny Arthur as comic-relief patients. It's a trifle generic, but good.
    6MikeMagi

    Homicide Hospital

    "The Murder of Dr. Harrigan" is a glorious example of the sort of low-cost quickies Hollywood churned out in the 30s to satisfy the double feature pipeline. It is almost entirely set in what has to be the sloppiest hospital in America. Here, a doctor reschedules an operation for midnight without bothering to assemble a surgical team. Nurses haphazardly wander in and out of patients' rooms. And when the only elevator in the place stops running, nobody's much concerned until it starts up again -- and a dead body turns up inside. For comedy relief, the orderlies stomach pump the wrong patient. Oh, those wacky hospital staffers! The plot centers on an eccentric millionaire who arranges for a doctor who hates his guts to perform a delicate operation on him, using a new anesthetic that's better than ether; it puts patients out for three days so they can heal painlessly. Somewhere in this melange of mayhem and malpractice, there's Ricardo Cortez trying to save the nurse he loves from being charged with murder by the usual myopic cop. But the mystery zips along and as a throwback to a bygone era, it's at least entertaining. And for trivia buffs, there's Mary Astor in a relatively small, thankless role, purportedly her punishment for bucking the studio system.
    6coltras35

    Well made mystery

    Hospital administrator Peter Melady, self-proclaimed developer of a new wonder anaesthetic, is about to undergo a delicate operation to be performed by the disliked Dr. Leo Harrigan, Melady's longtime mutual adversary. Police are called when the murdered body of Harrigan is found in an elevator, and Melady, last seen being wheeled on a gurney to surgery by Harrigan, has disappeared.

    Well made mystery with some clear question methods, some good red herrings and a good hospital atmosphere which adds to the drama and suspense. It's formulaic but a fast paced mystery with some good suspects and a smart hero in Ricardo Cortez.

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    Related interests

    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery
    Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)
    Romance

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Film debut of Kay Linaker. The part of Nurse Sally Keating was originally intended to be played by Mary Astor. When Astor refused it, Warner Bros. signed Broadway actress Linaker to play it. As punishment, the studio forced Astor to play a supporting part in the film.
    • Goofs
      Dr. Harrigan tells Nurse Brody to take care of patient calls as he is wheeling Melady off to surgery. A close-up of the nurse call board is shown, but in the next longer shot, the pattern of lights on the board is different.
    • Quotes

      Nurse Sally Keating: What do you expect to find at the morgue?

      Doctor George Lambert: What do you usually find at a morgue?

      Nurse Sally Keating: A lot of your patients!

    • Connections
      Followed by Murder by an Aristocrat (1936)
    • Soundtracks
      The Lady in Red
      (1935) (uncredited)

      Music by Allie Wrubel

      Lyrics by Mort Dixon

      Sung a cappella by Don Barclay with modified lyrics

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 11, 1936 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Clue Club #6: The Murder of Dr. Harrigan
    • Filming locations
      • Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 7m(67 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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