Crime Doctor's Man Hunt (1946)

Perfect cast and a good story

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

When Warner Baxter returned to the screen after a two year absence his first role was as Robert Ordway - Crime Doctor. He was initially happy, hoping it would lead to character roles but it didn't and he was virtually a prisoner of the role for the rest of his life. But the series was one of the better ones and often featured actresses up and coming or soon to be on their way down.This entry has Ordway on a man hunt to find the killer of a returned soldier who seeks the Crime Doctor's help to cure him of complications arising from combat fatigue. Dr. Carey is now obviously by the wayside and Ordway is now working alongside gruff Inspector Harry Manning (William Frawley).The search starts at a boarding house where one of the tenants is the manageress of the shooting gallery where the murder weapon was stolen from. Meanwhile the two thugs who were seen with the body take their orders from a sultry dame who is a dead ringer for Barbara Stanwyck in "Double Indemnity". The shooting gallery gal turns Ordway's attention to a boarded up house where things go bump in the night and which also happens to belong to the family of the dead man's fiancée, Irene. Suddenly the focus is turned to Irene's sister Natalie who had disappeared a few years before. Where Irene is weak and indecisive, Natalie is strong willed and dominating and had left the house after an argument with her father, who wanted to free Irene from Natalie's domination.After a false start William Castle soon found himself one of the top directors in Columbia's B unit (he directed a few in the Whistler series as well as the superb "When Strangers Marry") and 15 years later he returned to the same startling story twist (sort of) in "Homicidal". Irene was played by Ellen Drew who found most of her splashier roles at the beginning of her career - after that she drifted into Bs but she definitely gave the character of Irene an aura of "other worldliness"!!

Warner Baxter is again the "Crime Doctor" in "Crime Doctor's Man Hant," a 1946 entry into the series, this one directed by William Castle.In this one, Dr. Ordway (Baxter) deals with a returning serviceman who seems to be blacking out at times and winding up in an unfamiliar place in town. Ordway actually goes to this area and discovers the man murdered. The man's fiancée (Ellen Drew) has a sister who completely disappeared three years ago but once dominated her life.This is a pretty good Crime Doctor mystery, given style by Castle. What brings it down is the lousy acting by Ellen Drew and other characters introduced and not fleshed out. William Frawley plays a smart police inspector.As usual, Baxter, who early in his career was so hyper, is very relaxed and natural in his performance. Sometimes he's a little too relaxed, but the actor had suffered a nervous breakdown. He actually creates quite a likable character.Nice twist ending that I figured out. Recommended.

This film was a very short low budget film running only sixty-one minutes and Dr. Robert Ordway once again gets involved with a case dealing with a dual personality. Irene Cotter, (Ellen Drew) plays the role as a very pretty but timid person who was devoted to her sister Natalie who left her family and went away three years ago. There are two men who visit the home of Irene and talk to their landscaper and ask about Natalie because they wanted to speak to her, these two guys were hoods and were looking for money from Natalie. After this incident, a murder is committed and Police Inspector, (William Frawley) gets involved and gives a great supporting role. This is a great film with an unusual story line of mystery.

While this isn't the best B-detective film ever made, it is different enough from the usual style that it's well worth watching. Warner Baxter's detective is a psychiatrist and instead of following the usual formula employed by Boston Blackie, The Falcon and MANY other film detectives, his films are a little more cerebral as well as more believable. There is also a real plus because the usual cop investigating the case isn't a total idiot, so I am very thankful for the role William Frawley played. The film itself is well-paced (being only 61 minutes long), interesting and offers a fun twist ending (though psychologically speaking, it was VERY far-fetched). Not a great film, but a welcome film since it is different enough that it doesn't just blend in with the crowd.