Of all the B-detective series films of the 30s and 40s, one of my favorites has been the Crime Doctor films starring Warner Baxter. Most of this is because the basic premise and style of the films is different enough from the average film of the genre to make unique and worth seeing. However, despite my enjoyment of most of these films, I must say that I agree strongly with Neil Doyle's review that found this particular film to be interesting but also very bizarre and confusing due to its strange plot--making it one of the lesser entries in the series.
The film begins with a man on his honeymoon. His new wife tells him that she just discovered that he'd been previously married and there were accusations he'd murdered his first wife. Then, in a case of lousy acting and poor directing, the second wife falls off a cliff accidentally--leaving a groom who has had two wives die quickly after the wedding and both suspiciously.
A short time later, you see the husband now married to his third wife! I found myself wondering WHY this guy kept getting married--especially when his first brother-in-law kept following him and accusing him of being a murderer! A short time later, the husband is murdered but HOW the murderer was able to escape from a locked room without being detected is a real mystery. I really liked this aspect of the plot a lot--the classic "how did they kill a man and escape undetected" plot line is exciting. However, where the film went next is just bizarre and was too much of a weird distraction that involved a couple of dancers who MAY just be vampires!!! This just left me baffled and confused and resulted in a less than satisfying conclusion.
Don't take the silliness of this film convince you the series is bad--it isn't. It's just that this particular film, though interesting, is also pretty silly and confusing. I guess you can't win 'em all!
The film begins with a man on his honeymoon. His new wife tells him that she just discovered that he'd been previously married and there were accusations he'd murdered his first wife. Then, in a case of lousy acting and poor directing, the second wife falls off a cliff accidentally--leaving a groom who has had two wives die quickly after the wedding and both suspiciously.
A short time later, you see the husband now married to his third wife! I found myself wondering WHY this guy kept getting married--especially when his first brother-in-law kept following him and accusing him of being a murderer! A short time later, the husband is murdered but HOW the murderer was able to escape from a locked room without being detected is a real mystery. I really liked this aspect of the plot a lot--the classic "how did they kill a man and escape undetected" plot line is exciting. However, where the film went next is just bizarre and was too much of a weird distraction that involved a couple of dancers who MAY just be vampires!!! This just left me baffled and confused and resulted in a less than satisfying conclusion.
Don't take the silliness of this film convince you the series is bad--it isn't. It's just that this particular film, though interesting, is also pretty silly and confusing. I guess you can't win 'em all!