The Crime Doctor's Warning

Dr. Robert Ordway, (Warner Baxter) plays another role as Crime Doctor and gets involved with a young man named Clive Lake, (Coulter Irwin) who has problems with black outs when he returned from WWII. Clive lives with his mother who is very domineering and is very unhappy about her son falling in love with a model and then her sudden death which was caused by a murder. The police get involved and Inspector Davis, (John Litel) wants to book Clive for the girls killing; however, Dr. Ordway feels that Clive is innocent of the crime and proceeds with his own investigation, meanwhile other murders are committed. There is a painting called "The Ring" which shows three models in the picture which will reveal some deep dark secrets about the murders Nice low budget film from the past. Enjoy.

Warner Baxter reprises his role as the "Crime Doctor" in "The Crime Doctor's Warning," one of the later entries into the series. The director this time is William Castle.

In this episode, Dr. Ordway is trying to help a young artist who has blackouts, during which one of his models is killed.

I have to disagree with those who found this fast-paced. For me, it moves slowly, though the story is interesting. These Crime Doctor films generally have off-beat stories, but not the budget or quality directors to bring them up a level. In this case, Castle is an effective director, all right, but some of the acting is awful particularly from Coulter Irwin, who apparently was told to act like a vegetable.

Warner Baxter, so frenetic in "42nd Street," is much more relaxed as Dr. Ordway, probably because he suffered a nervous breakdown. In any event, he's very natural and a likable character.

These movies aren't great, but they sure did come up with some wild plots.

The Crime Doctor films are always interesting and intriguing, and he comes very close to the Sherlock Holmes standard. This is about an art riddle, art models are being murdered one after another, and a poor young artist suffering from moments of amnesia is worried about the possibility of he being the subconscious murderer. It's not as simple as that, which Doctor Ordway soon finds out. His murder intrigues usually start with a loose thread, which compels him to pull it in, which usually leads him into an inextricable mess of mysteries. It's the same thing here. It is impossible to guess at the clue of the mystery, while you are left like Doctor Ordway hanging entangled in a nest of loose threads, until a jolly Scotsman brings him to a proper lead. Like the other Crime Doctor films, the cinematography and the music add to the atmosphere, keeping you agog until the final strike. This crime mystery would be especially interesting to artists, there are some splendid eccentric artists on parade here, and the intrigue is well sustained until the last minute.

This was another nice entry in the Crime Doctor film series and sharper and darker than those preceding, maybe partly thanks to Columbia b unit director William Castle who teetered on the edge of murky seediness throughout.

Engage your senses from the off: there's a puzzling opening with Dr. Ordway (Warner Baxter) and a police Inspector (John Litel) reviewing their case in the bedroom of a murdered woman who had been stabbed earlier in the day. The man suspected has "mental lapses" but Ordway doesn't believe he did it, meaning at this stage we haven't seen the crime or the victim and are rooting for the suspect we haven't seen yet either! Psychoanalysis is called for, along with the usual unhindered sleuthing from the good Doctor. There's a descent into the Bohemian world of artists, models and paintings - most regrettably of gorgeous young women instead of ugly old men, plenty of lovely creeping about in the dark usually with pointy shadowy hats on, and an outlandish plot – great stuff! Favourite bits: the meeting between Baxter and art dealer Miles Mander – the epitome of succinct and scholarly sinisterness; the busy traffic up on the roof at night and those fabulous apartment windows; the hurried snack Baxter and Litel have after the second murder – what was that all about?

Well worth while to a fan of the genre, the effort will probably be too much for non-fans. I was concentrating so hard I missed what the Warning of the title was (if there was one), but my own warning is if you watch it be careful not to blink near the end because they closed this one down fast.

A struggling artist seeks help from the Crime Doctor (Warner Baxter). He's been suffering from blackouts and short term memory loss. When two models (one of which is his fiancee) are murdered, he's an immediate suspect. The Doctor isn't so sure. There are others with motive, including the artist's overprotective mother and a very misogynistic male model.

An efficient and solid mystery that is suspenseful and absorbing from beginning to the end. Coulter Irwin as the suspect who suffers from blackouts is excellent as is Warner Baxter as the hero. There's a dreamy quality to this great entry, it's well-paced and has a good, though unusual finale.