SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

calvinnme ... because they usually have nothing to do with the actual subject of the film. You also have to make sure you don't blink during these short fast-paced films or else you'll miss something important. Here the film opens on a young man stumbling around an amusement park in a fog of amnesia. He's had several of these spells lately and goes to Dr. Robert Ordway (Warner Baxter in the title role) for help. Ordway goes to the place where the young man says he found himself stumbling about. After walking around awhile what does he see but a couple of men coming out of a boarding house carrying the body of the young amnesiac man who came to see him that day, a bullet wound to his head. The bad guys spot Ordway so he has to feign drunkenness and pretend that he thinks the dead body they are carrying is actually another drunk or he's afraid that he'll share the young man's fate. The henchmen buy the act and let Ordway go. Ordway goes straight to the police and together they raid the boarding house. Nobody has ever seen the men Ordway saw, nobody every heard a shot, and no sign of violence is to be found anywhere in the boarding house. Police Inspector Harry B. Manning (William Frawley) obviously respects Ordway from his past help in solving crimes, but this time thinks maybe the good doctor is imagining things.Ordway knows that he saw what he thought he saw, so he first has to prove there was a crime then find the criminals. In the process Ordway runs across the young man's fiancée, a mousy and wealthy girl who's so meek she's almost invisible, a boarded up old mansion that for some reason has a master bedroom that is still completely furnished, and the dead bodies of the two henchmen Ordway saw carrying the young man's body. They've been asphyxiated in their sleep by gas, only they're not in their own apartment at the time of their deaths. Who is going about causing all of this mayhem? Watch and find out.William Castle directed several Crime Doctor films, and they always have that touch of the macabre. Thus this film has not only the well constructed mystery typical of the Crime Doctor films, it has lots of atmosphere as well. Highly recommended.

whpratt1 This film was a very short low budget film running only sixty-one minutes and Dr. Robert Ordway once again gets involved with a case dealing with a dual personality. Irene Cotter, (Ellen Drew) plays the role as a very pretty but timid person who was devoted to her sister Natalie who left her family and went away three years ago. There are two men who visit the home of Irene and talk to their landscaper and ask about Natalie because they wanted to speak to her, these two guys were hoods and were looking for money from Natalie. After this incident, a murder is committed and Police Inspector, (William Frawley) gets involved and gives a great supporting role. This is a great film with an unusual story line of mystery.

Neil Doyle This time amnesia is woven into the theme of CRIME DOCTOR'S MAN HUNT with WARNER BAXTER again essaying the title role. ELLEN DREW is the young woman who comes to see Dr. Ordway about her fiancé who has lapses of memory after suffering from shock. It's interesting to note how casually Ordway treats both her fears and the man's confession about lapses before getting involved in the case when his patient is murdered. WILLIAM FRAWLEY is the police inspector investigating the case (Fred Mertz to "Lucy" fans). The story only begins to pick up steam midway with Ordway creeping around a deserted house before being bonked on the head by the two "strong arm boys" who had something to do with his patient's murder. Ordway survives and the investigation leads to a luxurious house in the country where ELLEN DREW resides. It soon becomes clear that Drew is not well at all and has something to do with the strange affair. To divulge any more would be to give away too much of the plot which takes a twist at this point. Mystery fans can spot the psychological clues that explain the outcome, near the beginning of the story, largely due to a simplistic performance by Ellen Drew that is never wholly convincing. She's a very pretty woman but no actress of depth. One of the least complicated of the "Crime Doctor" stories, it makes for an entertaining little mystery.

Jim Tritten Fair entry in the Crime Doctor series with some interesting plot twists by screenwriter Leigh Brackett and direction by future horror master William Castle. Plot involves Dr. Robert Ordway (Warner Baxter) taking on a walk-in patient with amnesia-type symptoms and the dread of an occultist's prediction of a violent death. There is a creaky abandoned house, a dysfunctional family with a meek sister that was engaged to the victim, and William Frawley as a credible police inspector.Although sometimes billed as the best of the series, I found the acting somewhat dull and the short 61-minute film did not capture my imagination. I thought the Crime Doctor's Courage better. Menacing characters are presented and not developed – perhaps left on the cutting room floor. Interesting ending that is unlikely to be anticipated but explains all. Sixth in the series. Recommended.