Strangest Case (1943)
"The Crime Doctor's Strangest Case" (original title)

Director:

Eugene Forde

Writers:

Max Marcin (radio series characters), Eric Taylor

Stars:

Warner Baxter, Lynn Merrick, Gloria Dickson

Cast

Cast overview:
Warner Baxter	...	Dr. Robert Ordway
Lynn Merrick	...	Ellen Trotter
Gloria Dickson	...	Mrs. Keppler / Evelyn Fenton Cartwright
Barton MacLane	...	Detective Rief
Jerome Cowan	...	Mallory Cartwright
Reginald Denny	...	Paul Ashley
Rose Hobart	...	Mrs. Diana Burns
Virginia Brissac	...	Patricia Cornwall
Lloyd Bridges	...	Jimmy Trotter
Constance Worth	...	Betty Watson

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

ladder | psychiatrist | dance hall | poison | murder | 

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Taglines:

PRIMITIVE PASSIONS THAT LED TO Murder! (original ad - mostly caps)

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 December 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dilema de Médico

Company Credits

Production Co:

Larry Darmour Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

68 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In this movie, Gloria Dickson is married to a man, played by Jerome Cowan, who is habitually starting fires with carelessly discarded smoking materials. There are two scenes in the movie, including the final scene, in which he starts such fires. Her character comments, "I'm practically cremated." when describing living with him. Ironically, just two short years after this movie was released Gloria was killed in a house fire, suspected to have been caused by a carelessly discarded cigarette.

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Connections

Followed by Crime Doctor's Man Hunt (1946)

User Reviews

Interesting B-film with Lloyd Bridges as the "fall guy"...

A young LLOYD BRIDGES plays a man whose wealthy employer is found dead of poisoning. Bridges needs the help of crime doctor WARNER BAXTER to prove that he's not the murderer. When Bridges makes a quick getaway, we have Baxter left with a household of prime suspects, including REGINALD DENNY, LYNN MERRICK, ROSE HOBART and, later on, JEROME COWAN as a man who lights too many careless matches.

VIRGINIA BRISSAC is good as a loyal but suspicious housekeeper who takes Baxter into her confidence, but it's young up and coming actor LLOYD BRIDGES who manages to make the strongest impression among the supporting cast. He was a more than capable actor even then.

Based on characters created in a radio play, the nice thing about CRIME DOCTOR'S STRANGEST CASE is that all the loose ends are neatly tied up by Baxter's sleuthing abilities.

Summing up: Mystery buffs should find this fast moving B-film a very enjoyable crime drama from Columbia.