Black comedy about a brilliant Park Avenue doctor who becomes a criminal in order to do research into the criminal mind.
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Title: The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1938)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Edward G. Robinson | ... | Dr. Clitterhouse | |
| Claire Trevor | ... | Jo Keller | |
| Humphrey Bogart | ... | 'Rocks' Valentine | |
| Allen Jenkins | ... | Okay | |
| Donald Crisp | ... | Inspector Lane | |
| Gale Page | ... | Nurse Randolph | |
| Henry O'Neill | ... | Judge | |
| John Litel | ... | Prosecuting Attorney | |
| Thurston Hall | ... | Grant | |
| Maxie Rosenbloom | ... | Butch | |
 |
Bert Hanlon | ... | Pat |
| Curt Bois | ... | Rabbit | |
| Ward Bond | ... | Tug | |
| Vladimir Sokoloff | ... | Popus | |
|
|
Billy Wayne | ... | Candy |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Dr. Clitterhouse is fascinated with the working of the criminal mind. His interest is so deep that he finds the best way to observe criminals in action is to become one himself. Whilst robbing a safe at an exclusive party he stumbles across an organized gang trying to do the same thing. He teams up with the gang to observe them in action but one of the members, Rocks Valentine would like nothing better than to see Clitterhouse out of the way. Written by Col Needham <col@imdb.com>
Taglines:
. . . a thunderbolt of thrills and intrigueParents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
30 July 1938 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Amazing Doctor Clitterhouse See more »Filming Locations:
Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USACompany Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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(1938) (uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Played on the radio
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Ronald Reagan's voice can be heard as a radio announcer, a job that Reagan held before he started as a film actor. See more »Goofs
In the final newspaper to appear in the newspaper montage, the subheading misspells the word "clue." The subheading reads "Harbor Police Hunt for Murder Motive as Surgeons Find a Puzzling Clew." See more »Soundtracks
I Wanna Go Back to Bali(1938) (uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Played on the radio
See more »
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This film is an excellent gangster film. The negative reviews I've read here are the remarks of mere quibblers, people who don't have a true appreciation for the 1930's Gangster Film. I used to have a 16mm print of this film. And every time I screened it people would come up afterward and say how much they liked it. No self respecting fan of Warner's gangster films would dare say a bad word about this film and others I've seen poorly reviewed on this site. Perhaps people brought up on Good Fellas and The Godfather cannot help but try holding older films up to current sensibilities. I don't know. But I see it a lot.
Anyway, don't believe the hype: Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart are great as are the rest of the cast. Character roles are well cast. Writing is solid. There's a great scene where Bogart gets slapped for misinterpreting a double entendre.
This film has something that I think is significant for the time. It deals with possible psychological reasons for crime. The good doctor who is doing experiments to fully understand the criminal mind was probably represents some sort of extension of public interest as well as paying lip service to the growing acceptance of psychology as we currently know it. The fact that the doctor is actually corrupted by the excitement and challenge of crime and getting away with it are interesting to note and may, again, parallel public interest.
The ending has an irresistible twist as the doctor incorrigibly revels in his bizarre circumstances as the camera closes in on an excited Robinson as chaos ensues all around.
I rate this film a strong 8 and recommend that Ivars give this film another chance.