Crime Doctor's Man Hunt (1946)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

William Castle

Writers:

Leigh Brackett (writer)
Max Marcin (radio series characters)

Release Date:

24 October 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

HUNTING A Killer THRU THE JUNGLES OF A WOMAN'S MIND! (original ad - mostly caps)

Plot:

The Crime Doctor comes up against a criminal with a dual personality.

Plot Keywords:

Shooting Gallery | Gun | Psychiatrist | Carnival | Murder

Cast

Warner Baxter	...	Dr. Robert Ordway
Ellen Drew	...	Irene Cotter
William Frawley	...	Police Inspector Harry B. Manning
Frank Sully	...	Bigger
Claire Carleton	...	Ruby Farrell
Bernard Nedell	...	Waldo
Jack Lee	...	Police Sgt. Bradley
Francis Pierlot	...	Gerald Cotter

Runtime:

61 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #11730, General Audience)

Company:

Larry Darmour Productions

Quotes:

Marcus Le Blaine: Do you have a search warrant?
Police Inspector Harry B. Manning: You wanna get technical?
Marcus Le Blaine: No, no, I just dream of someday a policeman having a search warrant.

Movie Connections:

References The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1946)

Warner Baxter in still another "Crime Doctor" role...

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.