Crime Doctor's Gamble (1947)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

William Castle

Writers:

Raymond L. Schrock (story) and
Jerry Warner (story) ...

Release Date:

27 November 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

A SPREE in GAY PAREE ends up in MURDER! (original poster)

Plot:

On a lecture/vacation visit to Paris, Dr. Ordway drops in on his friend, the Prefecture of Police. He...

Plot Keywords:

Killing | Paris | Cabaret | Painting | Investigation

Cast

Warner Baxter	...	Dr. Robert Ordway
Micheline Cheirel	...	Mignon Duval Jardin
Roger Dann	...	Henri Jardin
Steven Geray	...	Jules Daudet
Marcel Journet	...	Inspector Jacques Morrell
Eduardo Ciannelli	...	Maurice Duval
Maurice Marsac	...	Anton Geroux
Henri Letondal	...	Louis Chabonet
Jean Del Val	...	Theodore - Butler
Leonardo Scavino	...	Brevoir - Auctioneer (as Leon Lenoir)
Wheaton Chambers	...	Brown
Emory Parnell	...	O'Reilly
George Davis	...	Paul Romaine

Also Known As:

Doctor's Gamble (UK)

Runtime:

66 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #12549) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Company:

Larry Darmour Productions

Goofs:

Continuity: At the auction, the painting's top horizontal panel was detached on the left side (on the back) to reveal the date of the canvas. The next scene shows the right side of the panel detached.

Movie Connections:

Follows The Crime Doctor's Courage (1945)

Dr. Ordway can't take a vacation from crime in Paris...one of the weaker entries...

This Dr. Ordway story has to be one of the weaker entries in the series. First of all, there's too much exposition going on for the first half-hour, all talk and no action. The plot involves art forgeries, art dealers, a painter who specializes in making copies of original art, and a knife-throwing act--all of which take up a lot of time for WARNER BAXTER to unravel.

Through it all, we get an assortment of authentic French accents from most of the cast, with the exception of STEVEN GERAY who plays the art dealer.

But as in all the Dr. Ordway stories, his scheme to hold an auction is really a trap to catch the killer. Despite all the exposition, the plot is a murky one that seems a bit far-fetched when you stop to think about it.

The only other actor in the cast known to American audiences is EDUARDO CIANNELLI as the knife-thrower who becomes just one of the suspects until he unceremoniously dies in his sleep. This plot device doesn't leave much surprise in the revelation of the actual thief and murderer.

Summing up: The other crime doctor films are much better than this one.