Actuakers
One of my all time favorites.
Afouotos
Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.
Kaydan Christian
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
alexanderdavies-99382
Lionel Atwill lifted a few average horror films to the status of being tolerable. Luckily, he was able to achieve this by being a theatre- trained actor who was a genuine talent. "The Mad Doctor of Market Street" is a typical example. He plays another mad scientist who is forced to leave the United States after causing the death of a patient whilst conducting some bizarre experiments. Lionel Atwill finishes up by being shipwrecked on a desert island along with other people and then attempts to conquer the island's inhabitants. Strictly speaking, this is routine stuff but worth seeing...just.
Mikel3
I've been on a Lionel Atwill kick lately, watching some of his less famous films. Luckily I can find some of them on youtube to view for free. Last night I watched 'The Mad Doctor of Market Street. Youtube had a pretty decent copy. I'd never seen this one before. The title was intriguing. Turns out it really wasn't much of a horror movie or worthwhile except for Lionel Atwill fans. He does always play a good villain. The story starts out in the the city, San Francisco I think, where a "Mad Doctor' is conducting illegal experiments in suspended animation. He believes he can eventually conquer death. Unfortunately he kills a test subject who submits to the experiment in order to get money to feed his hungry family. The police know of his experiments and are after him. The story quickly moves from the city to an ocean liner where he is hiding out and then to a south seas tropical island, castaway style. I really wasn't expecting that. The plot as I said, is nothing to write home about...oh wait I am writing about it. To me the best part was the use of well known sound track music to effectively make a scene much scarier than it has a right to be. I believe it's the music from 'Son of Frankenstein' or one of the other Frankenstein Films. Also, Mr. Atwill is fun to watch as always. The down side besides the predictable story was the annoying characters in the film for comic relief. The IMDb gave the film an average rating of 5.2 out of 10. In my opinion it's barely a 3.
AaronCapenBanner
Lionel Atwill is the whole show here(practically) as he plays an unethical doctor whose experiments in suspended animation fail miserably. Now wanted for murder by the San Francisco police, he flees the city and boards a ship bound for the South Pacific. Unfortunately, there is a fire on board, and the ship sinks, leaving him and other survivors stranded on a remote island populated by primitive natives who come to worship him after he saves the life of the tribal chief's wife, though the worship goes to his head, really making him power "mad"! Can the other survivors expose him as a fraud? Despite Atwill's lively performance, this film is incredibly dull and forgettable.
Michael_Elliott
Mad Doctor of Market Street, The (1942) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Decent Universal horror film has a mad doctor (Lionel Atwill) experimenting with bringing the dead by to life through frozen animation. Your entertainment level will depend on whether or not you like comedy mixed in with your horror. I think the two genres can go together in certain cases and I found the comedy here to be pretty good. Nothing great but nothing bad either. The film's story certainly isn't original but it is fun enough to keep the short film going strong until the end. Atwill, in his final lead role, turns in a fun performance, which is something we've all come to expect out of him.
