''The Black Doll'' is a 1938 American mystery film directed by

Otis Garrett Otis Garrett (1905–1941) was an American film editor, screenwriter and film director.Shelley p.150 Filmography Director * ''The Last Express'' (1938) * '' Danger on the Air'' (1938) * '' The Black Doll'' (1938) * ''Personal Secretary'' (1938) ...

and starring Donald Woods and Edgar Kennedy. The film was the second in Universal's Crime Club series following ''

The Westland Case ''The Westland Case'' is a 1937 American mystery film directed by Christy Cabanne and starring Preston Foster, Frank Jenks, and Carol Hughes. Cast * Preston Foster as Bill Crane * Frank Jenks as Doc Williams * Carol Hughes as Emily Lou Martin ...

''.

Production

In 1937,

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

made a deal with Crime Club, who were publishers of

whodunnits A ''whodunit'' or ''whodunnit'' (a colloquial elision of "Who asdone it?") is a complex plot-driven variety of detective fiction in which the puzzle regarding who committed the crime is the main focus. The reader or viewer is provided with the ...

. Over the next few years Universal released several mystery films in the series. The film was the second in Universal's Crime Club series following ''

''. ''The Black Doll'' was based on the novel ''The Black Doll'' by William Edward Hayes.

Release

''The Black Doll'' was distributed by

on January 30, 1938. The film was followed with eight more films in the Crime Club series in the next two years.

Reception

From contemporary reviews, Wanda Hale of '' The New York Daily News'' described the film as "an absorbing mystery story" that will "stir your admiration, wrack your nerves, tickle your funny bone and, if you don't watch out, deflate your pride in your sleuthing ability." ''

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...

'' declared the film as "a combination of suspenseful mystery and comedy that furnishes a lot of laughs makes this an enjoyable murder picture of the regular program variety." ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' found that the Crime Club series "cannot make up its mind whether to be a mystery or a farce. Harold Buckley's screenplay is excellent, but it is difficult to understand how the presence of low comedy, which borders on actual farce, can be justified by a director in a picture dealing with murder."

References

Footnotes

Sources

External links

''The Black Doll''
at TCMDB
''The Black Doll''
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

1938 films American mystery films 1938 mystery films American black-and-white films Films directed by Otis Garrett Universal Pictures films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films {{mystery-film-stub