Calling Dr. Death (1943)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Reginald Le Borg

Writer:

Edward Dein (writer)

Release Date:

17 December 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Horror

Tagline:

SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HIS MINDS "BLACKS OUT"! (original ad - all caps; includes grammatical error)

Plot:

Losing his memories of the last few days, neurologist Dr. Steele is told that his wife has been brutally murdered...

Plot Keywords:

Nurse | Governor | Bartender | Psychoanalyst | Murder

Cast

Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Dr. Mark Steel (as Lon Chaney)
Patricia Morison	...	Stella Madden
J. Carrol Naish	...	Inspector Gregg
David Bruce	...	Robert 'Bob' Duval
Ramsay Ames	...	Maria Steele
Fay Helm	...	Mrs. Duval
Holmes Herbert	...	Bryant, the Butler
Alec Craig	...	Bill, the Watchman
Frederick Giermann	...	Marion's Father
Lisa Golm	...	Marion's Mother
Charles Wagenheim	...	Coroner
Mary Hale	...	Marion
George Eldredge	...	District Attorney
John Elliott	...	Priest
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Earle Hodgins	...	Bartender (scenes deleted)
Charles R. Moore	...	Prisoner (scenes deleted)
Norman Rainey	...	Governor (scenes deleted)

Runtime:

63 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (Certificate #9813) | USA:Unrated (DVD) | Sweden:15

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

This was the first film in Universal's "Inner Sanctum" series.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Son of Svengoolie: Calling Dr. Death (1943) (#1.61)" (1980)

Good evening friends of the creaking door.

Dr. Mark Steele (neurologist) finds that his wife is being unfaithful and would love to divorce her and marry his nurse, Stella Madden, but Maria Steele would continue to be married to the doctor in order to keep her position and financial standing. Dr. Steele chases his wife to their upstate cabin, but the next thing Dr. Steele knows is waking up in his office and the police questioning him about the murder of his wife, especially Inspector Gregg, who is convinced that Dr. Steele killed his wife. Maria's lover, Robert Duval, becomes arrested and convicted of Maria's murder even though he swears his innocence. Dr. Steele, who is becoming convinced that he killed his wife during his amnesia, hypnotizes himself to find the truth. The film is very similar to the radio show, with the main character having the mind game with his conscience, but like the show, Calling Dr. Death suffers from a weak and factless climax. Chaney is good (considering he was in a couple of the OTR shows) and Morrison is adequate as Stella. Naish is very convincing as Gregg. This film could have used a script that rounded up more of the plot holes and explained itself better. Rating, 6.