Borserie it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Bumpy Chip It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

kidboots When Warner Baxter won an Academy Award for his performance in "In Old Arizona" he embarked upon a solid career that only faltered at the beginning of the 1940s when he was off the screen for two years due to a nervous breakdown. He returned as the Crime Doctor, a popular CBS radio series bought to the screen by Columbia. Ray Collins (who in this movie played Dr. Carey) was radio's Dr. Ordway but Columbia was thrilled to sign Baxter, once one of the most prestigious and best actors in Hollywood. Baxter was never happy with the series (but it was definitely one of the better ones) - he hoped it would pave the way for character parts but unfortunately (for him) the series provided the bulk of his employment for the rest of his days. This was an excellent introduction to the series as it traced the origins of the "Crime Doctor".A man is bought to the hospital assumed to be the victim of a hit and run but in reality he has been thrown from a moving car. He is suffering from amnesia and takes the name Robert Ordway from the hospital wing he is bought to. Taken under the wing of kindly Dr. Carey, he believes that the only way he can get to the truth of who he is, is to become a doctor himself and ten years later, as Dr. Ordway, he has the reputation as one of the nation's most renowned psychiatrists. He has never stopped searching for his identity and a thug by the name of Caspari (John Litel) may know the answer - he seems to have an unhealthy interest in the doctor.Helping Robert is a social worker, Grace Fielding (the always welcome Margaret Lindsay) who decides to follow Caspari after he pays a particularly nasty visit to the confused doctor. This is a tightly paced crime drama - it turns out Robert is in reality Phil Morgan, mastermind of a jewelry heist ten years before. Only he knows where the money is but a crack on the skull by Caspari causes him to lose his memory and he is tossed from a moving car because his accomplices believe him dead. As Dr. Ordway he is given the job of Governor of Parole after his inspiring work with a returned serviceman in prison for manslaughter (Leon Ames) but another voice from his past causes him to have a breakdown and realise his past life. A re-enactment of the events leading up to his hospitalization forces him to remember the hiding place for the stolen money and the ending sees his acquittal by a jury so he can continue his sterling work.Margaret Lindsay had just finished a sleuth series of her own, "Ellery Queen" but unfortunately she only appeared in the first of the Crime Doctor films. I am sure I spotted Bruce Cabot as a background extra in the nightclub scene.

Gangsteroctopus Let me start off by saying that I actually like a lot of the old B-movie cheapie film series, like 'Boston Blackie,' 'The Falcon,' 'The Saint,' et.al. - just so you know that I'm not some ADD-addled kid who can't sit still unless a movie is edited like it's been thrown into a blender by Michael Bay.But, c'mon, let's be serious: this is a pretty terrible film, on almost every level.First off, Warner Baxter looks awful. Every time one of the women in the film talks about how he's "good-looking," you have to laugh. I realize that in real life Baxter had had a nervous breakdown and was suffering terribly from arthritis (so much so that he eventually had a lobotomy - ! - to relieve the pain). But then the writers should have either cut the lines where women comment on his looks, or the producers should have cast a different actor in the role.And to be honest, appearance aside, Baxter is a really underwhelming screen presence: his voice quavery, his manner hesitant, his whole demeanor uncommitted. He looks and acts a LOT older than 54. He seems to be barely able look any of the other actors in the eye. (Pretty everyone else in the entire film comes off better than Baxter, in terms of their performances - it's astonishing to think that he once won an Oscar.) I know I should feel sorry for the guy, but that's no reason to let him ruin what might have been a memorable recurring character.The only reason that I didn't give this film a one-star rating is because it DOES have an initially intriguing premise, one that seems to anticipate "A History of Violence," among other more interesting films. But the writers quickly botch any sense of intrigue, completely throwing the story off the rails with all kinds of irrelevant tangents and sub-plots (how can a 64-minute film have this many sub-plots?), like the various criminals (female thief, disgraced Air Force officer) with whom Dr. Ordway deals with in the course of his work. These little side-stories have NO relevance whatsoever to the main story, adding nothing at all to it and, to boot, are uninteresting and insipid. Get back to the amnesia thread, you idiot writers! This is not to mention all of the improbabilities and convenient 'coincidences' that occur throughout the story, further stretching credulity well past the breaking point. (Two of Ordway's former cronies just happening to be in a nightclub where Ordway is with his fiancé, then one of them breaks a glass accidentally, requiring medical attention and, of course, Ordway is the only doctor present - yeah, right.) And why, for example, do Ordway's former partners in crime keep insisting to themselves that Ordway is faking the amnesia? For TEN YEARS he keeps up this charade, goes through medical school, gets a psychiatry degree, sets himself up in private practice, instead of just absconding with the loot and skipping town - say WHAT? How in the hell does that make any sense at all? I'll only mention in passing how poorly directed this film is, especially in regards to the pacing in the dialogue. Actor A, for example, says something, Actor B ponders these words for what feels like an eternity, then eventually, slowly responds - aaaarrrgh! Another reviewer has said that this is actually the least of the 'Crime Doctor' series, so maybe I'll give the next installment a chance (I recorded a bunch of them off of TCM), although I am not overly sanguine, and I still think that Warner Baxter is TERRIBLE.

bkoganbing One of the wilder premises involving a movie series was in the Crime Doctor films that starred Warner Baxter. We are asked to believe that Baxter was once gentleman crook Phil Morgan who held out the loot from his gang and who slugged him and threw him from a moving car and left him for dead. He didn't die, but has a case of amnesia. In any event ten years go by and in those ten years we are asked to believe that Baxter has acquired the eduction and training to become criminal psychologist Robert Ordway a most respected gent. The Crime Doctor character came from radio and I assume that radio provided a lot of background so that the Ordway character became more believable. Given the fact that the movie-going public had been used to the Crime Doctor radio program the whole premise was easier to swallow in 1943 than it is today.Baxter who is now a successful criminal psychologist and engaged to Margaret Lindsay is visited by old gang member John Litel who wants to know where the stashed loot is. He's not buying the amnesia story. He assembles the rest of the gang and the film is a battle of wits between Baxter and the rest. Need I tell you who wins?Future Crime Doctor films gradually left out the part that Baxter was a convict and as a result they have not become as dated and are more believable than the first film. Some are actually pretty good with the simple premise that Baxter with his psychological training is a pretty good criminologist, better in many cases than those who carry a badge. In fact Jeff Goldblum's character on Law and Order: Criminal Intent who does carry a badge can trace his origins back to Warner Baxter's Robert Ordway. A good screen character with too much unbelievable baggage.

jpickerel This film is much better than what one might expect, given the studio that made it and the other films of this type put out at the time. Warner Baxter was a good actor, the supporting cast is able, and the writing is taut, uncomplicated and well-done. Direction, lighting and photography are professional. In short, there are few, if any, faults, and the film is well worth a watch. Leon Ames makes an early appearance in a somewhat far fetched sequence involving the rehabilitation of a hardened, bitter convict, but this is a minor, minor flaw in an otherwise very well constructed film. As another reviewer wrote, there are, thankfully, no dumb cops or simple minded assistants, just a well thought out plot and good acting.