''The Mad Doctor'' is a 1941 American

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

crime thriller Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

film from

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

, produced by George M. Arthur, directed by

Tim Whelan Tim Whelan (November 2, 1893 – August 12, 1957) was an American film director, writer, producer and actor best remembered for his writing credits on ''Harold Lloyd'' and ''Harry Langdon'' comedies, and his directing of mostly British films (e.g ...

, and starring

Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was a South African-born English actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume ...

as a physician whose successive wealthy wives die.

Ellen Drew Ellen Drew (born Esther Loretta Ray; November 23, 1914 – December 3, 2003) was an American film actress. Early life Drew, born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1914, was the daughter of an Irish-born barber. She had a younger brother, Arden. Her ...

plays his latest bride.

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the s ...

plays her ex-fiancé, who grows increasingly suspicious of her new husband.

Plot

A sophisticated but murderous physician (Basil Rathbone) woos, weds, and murders several of his wealthy women patients for their fortunes. The women appear to have died prematurely, with their above-suspicion doctor husband diagnosing their deaths as coming as a result of disease. The doctor's loyal male assistant (Martin Kosleck) tampers with the victims buried bodies in order to hide the incriminating evidence. The ex-fiancé of the doctor's latest bride (Ellen Drew) is able to save her from suffering the same fate of her predecessors, while also informing the authorities of just how the women died. With the police coming for him, the doctor has no recourse but suicide, in the form of a fatal plunge from a skyscraper.

Cast

as Dr. George Sebastian / Dr. Frederick Langamann *

as Linda Boothe *

as Gil Sawyer *

Barbara Jo Allen Barbara Jo Allen (born Marian Barbara Henshall; September 2, 1906 – September 14, 1974) was an American actress. She was also known as Vera Vague, the spinster character she created and portrayed on radio and in films during the 1940s and 19 ...

as Louise Watkins (as Barbara Allen) *

Ralph Morgan Raphael Kuhner Wuppermann (July 6, 1883 – June 11, 1956), known professionally as Ralph Morgan, was a Hollywood stage and film character actor, and the older brother of Frank Morgan. Early life Morgan was born in New York City, the eig ...

as Dr. Charles Downer *

Martin Kosleck Martin Kosleck (born Nicolaie Yoshkin, March 24, 1904 – January 15, 1994) was a German film actor. Like many other German actors, he fled when the Nazis came to power. Inspired by his deep hatred of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, Kosleck made ...

as Maurice Gretz *

Kitty Kelly Kitty Kelly (born Sue O'Neil; April 27, 1902 – June 29, 1968), was an American stage and film character actress. Biography Born in New York City in 1902, Kelly was best known as a member of the Ziegfeld Follies and her radio hosting with C ...

as Winnie *Hugh O'Connell as Lawrence Watkins

Production

''The Mad Doctor'' was in production from January 22 until mid-March 1940, and was released February 14, 1941. Paramount Pictures credits Howard J. Green for the screenplay, but early drafts titled ''The Monster'' and ''Destiny'' were written by

Ben Hecht Ben Hecht (; February 28, 1894 – April 18, 1964) was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, journalist, and novelist. A successful journalist in his youth, he went on to write 35 books and some of the most enjoyed screenplay ...

and

Charles MacArthur Charles Gordon MacArthur (November 5, 1895 – April 21, 1956) was an American playwright, screenwriter and 1935 winner of the Academy Award for Best Story. Life and career MacArthur was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the sixth of seven chil ...

. Before he accepted a role in the film, Basil Rathbone required changes to the script.

Reception

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 ...

'' called the film "one of the top efforts of its type", which it attributed to the "beautifully imaginative direction of

and the stunning performance of Basil Rathbone".

References

External links

* * * 1941 films American crime thriller films American black-and-white films Films scored by Victor Young Films directed by Tim Whelan Paramount Pictures films 1940s crime thriller films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films {{crime-thriller-film-stub