Really Surprised!

An Exercise In Nonsense

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

The crime doctor, Dr. Ordway (Warner Baxter) gets involved in an art scam and murder in Paris in "Crime Doctor's Gamble." Because he's friendly with the prefecture of police, Ordway, in France to give lectures, is taken into his confidence about a troubling murder case, which may just involve a knife thrower appearing at a local club. The man is accused of killing his own father, and his attorney wants to go for an insanity plea. When two other murders occur, Ordway sets a trap to expose the true murderer.I guess people take these Crime Doctor movies a little more seriously than I do. I found this entertaining, and I loved the wild dancing that took place at the nightclub. This is supposed to be Paris after the war, but we know it's a set at Columbia studios. There are some French actors to give it a little authenticity. In the nightclub, when the next act is announced, it's done in English, however! Baxter is his usual tired, relaxed self. I imagine, having suffered a nervous breakdown, that he was on medication; nevertheless, he gives a warm, kindly performance. Quite different from his manic portrayal in "42nd Street." As far as the psychological jargon being incorrect, it's incorrect in nearly every film from this era, including "The Greatest Show on Earth." Don't let it bother you.

Crime Doctor's Gamble (1947) ** 1/2 (out of 4) William Castle directs this ninth entry in the Columbia series. This time Dr. Ordway (Warner Baxter) is on vacation in Paris when a man is accused of killing his father. Once again, this is on par with the rest of the series, although I'd place this one near the top. Just like the previous film in the series, it's a nice break getting out of the city and the Paris streets make for some nice moments. Baxter has his act down and the supporting cast is also a step above normal.Pretty good considering this is the 9th film in the series.

This entry in the "Crime Doctor" series (based on the radio program of the same name) finds our protagonist in Paris giving a lecture on crime prevention. After the lecture, Dr. Ordway meets a Parisian colleague who takes him out for a night on the town "with no interruptions" (i.e., cases to solve). After visiting about half a dozen famous night clubs (identified by a series of neon logos), they arrive (apparently cold sober) at one where a knife thrower is performing, and where they actually engage in some dialog which sets the stage for the future "interruption".The next day, Dr. Ordway is introduced by his colleague to an apparent manic-depressive who allegedly killed his father with a letter opener during an argument. While investigating the murder (the "interruption" we of course knew was coming), Dr. Ordway discovers that the case also involves the mysterious theft of art copies.Like many another movie mystery, explanations that tie up loose ends are offered after the crime is solved, just in case the audience couldn't (or in this case, wasn't given the opportunity) to figure them out as it went along.Connoisseurs of American film will recognize among a cast of generally unfamiliar French actors, Emory Parnell in a small but pivotal part as art dealer O'Reilly, and Steven Geray as the family attorney of the deceased.

**SPOILERS** Talky and boring "Crime Doctor" movie that showed, being the next to last of the series, that the "Crime Doctor" Dr. Robert Ordway was running out of patients and stories. Dr. Ordway had to go so far as to have the almost incomprehensible story explained during a rest period in a fight, that he had with the villain. Then after the Paris Police came to his rescue come up with another explanation and even later, as the movie ended, explain what happened again in the police station. With him getting a foot warmer from what turned out to be the partner, an art dealer, of the killer!Giving a lecture on crime and mental illness Dr. Ordway is invited by his friend inspector Morrell to examine Henri who claimed that he killed his father but can't remember when or how. Henri had married against his fathers wishes Mignon Duval and he thinks that's why he murdered him. Still he can't remember how it happened and want's to now plead guilty and divorce Mignon in order to avoid her from having the stigma of being married to a convicted murdered.The movie gets even more confusing with Dr. Ordway and Henri's lawyer Jules Davdel feeling that he's either innocent or insane which will at least, if Henri did in fact murder his dad, spare him from being executed. Just when you think you got a handle to whats happening there's this artist Anton Geroux thrown into the mix who's a friend of both Henri and Mignon. Geroux is involved in copying masterpieces and selling them through his fence art dealer Louis Chebonet as originals.Everything starts to go haywire in the movie with Mignon's father Jules a professional knife thrower who's suspected in killing Henri's father, he was stabbed to death, who's himself later found dead in his apartment under the covers and under somewhat mysterious circumstances! Later artist Geroux, who's suspected in Henri's fathers murder by Dr. Ordway, is brutally murdered when this unknown assailant breaks into his studio and hacks him to death! This leaves Henri, whom Dr. Ordway is certain is innocent, off the hook since it would have been impossible, with him under 24 hour police observation, for him to have murdered them. This also proves that that since he had nothing to do with Jules & Geroux, who were suspected in his fathers murder, murders he couldn't have murdered his father either!The big expose in the film to who murdered not only Henri's father but Jules & Geroux as well comes in this long and pointless auction, secretly set up by Dr. Ordawy, of one of the paintings that Henri's father owned that we find out was either a phony or the real deal! The painting was switched by his killer who, feeling that it would be left to him in Henri's fathers will, now has to come out in the open to buy it and thus expose himself.Just too many subplots to keep up with what's going on and by the time you finally find out who killed Henri's father, together with Jules and Geroux, you couldn't even care less! By the time the movie is over you feel just like like the "Crime Doctor" who, after the mental and physical beating he took in the movie, just wanted to take the first plane home and forget that he had anything at all to do with this mess.