Konterr Brilliant and touching

Hulkeasexo it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Mabel Munoz Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

blanche-2 Think of the highly energetic Warner Baxter in "42nd Street" and then watch the lethargic Baxter here in "Crime Doctor," and you'll swear it's two different people. After the actor suffered a breakdown, he came back in these kinder, gentler roles such as Crime Doctor where he projects a naturalness before the camera and also warmth."Crime Doctor's Diary" is the last of the series, as Baxter approached the end of his life. It's actually quite an interesting film. The premise is around a sort of early Itunes, where people call into a place and a requested song is played. Really fascinating! Here, Dr. Ordway attempts to help a parolee (Stephen Carter) who is suspected of murder.As others have mentioned, Whit Bissell gives an excellent performance as a disturbed songwriter. Broadway performer Adele Jergens is on hand as Inez, and she's quite beautiful as the femme fatale, and Lois Maxwell plays the ingénue. Both of them are interested in Stephen, but he's in love with Inez.Imagine calling a business today, requesting a song, and a person puts a record on a turntable. Sort of a human jukebox. Times have changed.

Robert J. Maxwell An inexpensive and unpretentious murder mystery. Steven Dunn has just done three years on an arson charge for which he claims he was not responsible. He's sullen and resentful. But at least he appears to have the support of pert Lois Maxwell, who fawns over him. He may or may not have gotten over his pre-slam fling with sultry Adele Jurgens. He has another friend too, Warner Baxter as The Crime Doctor. As far as I could tell, the Crime Doctor keeps no diary in this movie. If he is, he's keeping it a secret. I thought over the conundrum in this title for a while and concluded that there was in fact a diary, only it wasn't a diary BY the Crime Doctor but rather ABOUT the Crime Doctor. It was being kept by one of the other characters, although it's impossible to tell which one because the word "diary" never appears in the movie. A dead body turns up, one of the men responsible for Dunn's sentence. Dunn is naturally Suspect Number One but there are a number of other likely suspects. Among the juicier is Whit Bissel, whom you will recognize. He's a loopy employee who thinks he's a composer. Want to see some of his lyrics?In the little town where I was born There's a little brass French horn I used to toot when I was just a boy, Toot toot. Toot toot. Toot toot.Well, I told you he was a little unbalanced. Whit Bissel never played such a colorful character again. He was continually cast as a timid clerk or something. But if Bissel's character is unusual, the Big Reveal is nothing less than astonishing. You'll never guess who the heavy is. Not even the Crime Doctor has a hint. He's confined to standing around and commenting on what he observes, with everyone's best interests at heart. You'd never know he was a doctor because he never practices any medicine, nor is his profession in any way underlined. They could as easily have called the movie "The Crime Reporter's Diary."The movie stands as a mild divertimento with some amusing moments. Toot toot.

sol1218 **SPOILERS** Released from prison after serving three years of a ten year sentence for the arson fire that burned down his boss' music studios Steve Carter, Stephen Dunne, is determined to find out who the real arsonist was who also ended up framing him for the crime. Carter's girlfriend at the music studio Jane Darrin, Louis Maxwell, whom he two-timed before he was sent up the river is still crazy about him. Jane wants Dr. Robert Ordway, Warner Baxter, who testified to Carters sanity at his trial to talk some sense into his hot head before he does something foolish. Like killing the person whom he thinks famed him co-worker Carl Anson, George Meeker, and end up in the Sign Sing electric chair.Given his job back by a grateful Phillip Bellem, Dan Deddoe, who's business he was convicted in burning down but who always felt that he was innocent Carter make it a point to confront Anson and Bellems rival in the music business jukebox king George "Goldie" Harrigan, Robert Armstrong. Carter feels their the two persons most responsible for burning down the Bellem Stuidos.Carter going to see Harrigan for a job, even though he already has one, so he can find out if he, an ex-gangster, was the one who had Bellem's place torched. Later when Carter plans to meet with Anson a his place of business at the Bellem Studios things go a bit screwy for him: Anson is found found shot death with Harrigan, who Carter asked for a job, mad as hell at him for sealing his lover and private secretary Inez Gray, Adele Jergens, from under his nose and out of his office.On the run for almost half of the movie Carter now wanted for Anson's murder knows that he's been framed for a second time by whoever framed him in the Bellem Studio arson. Carter now more then ever needs Dr.Ordway, who always felt that he's innocent, to come to his aid. Shot by the cops in an escape attempt from Jane's apartment Carter is left in limbo and on the run with all the evidence pointing to him as being Anson's murderer. It turns out that Anson's killer overlooked a record being recorded by Bellems brother Pete, Whit Bissell,a engineer at his business establishment. Pete was thrown out of the studio by Anson, for playing his personal insipid and annoying record, just before he was murdered. The record not only exposed who murdered Anson but also exonerated Carter of the earlier Bellem Studio arson.The last of the "Crime Doctor" series that had a very tired Warner Baxter looking as if he wanted to retire, which he was in the movie. Baxter died two years later in 1951 at the age of 62, in peace and quite and away from all the stress and demands as both a crime fighter and crime solver.

Hans J. Wollstein In his final case Dr. Ordway (Warner Baxter) attempts to solve a murder in a highly interesting place: a sort of call-in jukebox where bar customers may request a particular record to be played. (The same gimmick, incidentally, used in the 1945 Republic serial "Federal Operator 99.") Although Baxter looks near exhausted (the veteran actor died less than 2 years later), the whodunit zips along nicely and the solution to the puzzle is not telegraphed too far in advance. Acting honors this time go to Whit Bissell as a slightly demented song-writer and, especially, future Miss Moneypenny of 007 fame, Lois Maxwell, as the decidedly active ingénue. Based on a popular radio show by Max Marcin, the 1943-1949 "Crime Doctor" thrillers were typical of series-happy Columbia, produced with economy but generally well-written and peopled by the studio's great (and very busy) stock company.