The Crime Doctor's Warning (1945)
1h 10m | PG-13
A criminal psychologist treats an artist whose blackouts coincide with a series of murders.
Director: William Castle
Studio: Larry Darmour Productions
Genre: Mystery, Crime
Video: 720p
Cast
Warner Baxter
as Dr. Robert Ordway
John Litel
as Inspector Dawes
Dusty Anderson
as Connie Mace
Coulter Irwin
as Clive Lake
Miles Mander
as Frederick Malone
John Abbott
as Jimmy Gordon
Reviews
Warner Baxter takes the established radio sleuthing doctor "Ordway" into a perplexing mystery where an artistic wealthy young heir is accused of murdering one of his models. He is working with "Insp. Dawes" (John Litel) trying not just to get to the bottom of the crime, but to save the young man "Clive" (Coulter Irwin) from being certified insane by his own mother who doesn't much like the idea that he associates with "models" in the first place! It doesn't help that the young man is also prone to amnesia and has no real idea whether he did or didn't do anything! What now ensues is not the most difficult of puzzles for us to get to grips with - not least because the casting does rather point to an obvious suspect! That said, though, it's quite a well written and paced drama that makes more of the psychology of crime rather than just a follow-the-breadcrumbs exercise. This fits into the mould of many other serial-style features featuring a detective character taking on a variety of not so sinister foes and if you watch it in the spirit that nothing here is particularly original nor well produced, then it will easily pass an hour or so.