Who Killed Doc Robbin (1948)

A group of people find themselves trapped in a creepy mansion, complete with secret passageways, a mad doctor and a murderous gorilla.

Director:

Bernard Carr

Writers:

Dorothy Davenport, Maurice Geraghty,

Stars:

Larry Olsen, Eilene Janssen, Peter Miles

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Larry Olsen	...	William 'Curley' Benson
Eilene Janssen	...	Betty
Peter Miles	...	Dudley (as Gerald Perreau)
Ardda Lynwood	...	Ardda
Dale Belding	...	Speck Jones
Virginia Grey	...	Ann Loring
Don Castle	...	George, Defense Attorney
George Zucco	...	Doc Hugo Robbin
Paul Hurst	...	Jailer
Whitford Kane	...	'Fix-it' Dan Cameron
Wilton Graff	...	Prosecutor
Claire Du Brey	...	Housekeeper (as Claire Dubrey)
Rene Beard	...	Dis (as Renee Beard)
Donald King	...	Dat
Grant Mitchell	...	Judge

Storyline

When Dr. Hugo Robbin's laboratory is blown up, his nurse Ann Loring is charged with murdering the doctor. During her trial, a group of children continually disrupts the courtroom, claiming to have important evidence. The children are finally allowed to testify, but as a result of their testimony, their friend Dan, who runs a repair shop, is now charged with the crime instead of the nurse. The children are now determined to prove Dan's innocence, and they go to the abandoned laboratory to look for evidence, leading to a series of hazardous adventures.

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Plot Keywords:

nurse | laboratory | series | gorilla | secret | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 April 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

Curley and His Gang in the Haunted Mansion

Filming Locations:

Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

55 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Cinecolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of two attempts by Hal Roach to revive his Our Gang (Little Rascals) films. The other was Curley.

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Goofs

Speck's burning candle is longer in one shot than it was in previous shots.

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Connections

Follows Curley (1947)

User Reviews

Tedious nonsense

The enigmatic Doc Robbin is murdered when one night his laboratory explodes. The Fix-It Man gets unfairly blamed, so his friends, a gang of little kids, set out to prove his innocence.

This tiresome movie is like a live action version of a Scooby Doo cartoon without any of the good bits. It recalls the mystery films of the 1930's where a group of people navigate around an old dark house trying to solve some murder-mystery. Like those films too, this house is replete with secret passageways and a man in a gorilla suit. What kind of sets this one apart I suppose is the fact that it was shot in colour. There really isn't anything else interesting about it. Although I suppose in fairness it is a kids movie, so it isn't really meant for the likes of me.