Why so much hype?

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

When Warner Baxter won an Academy Award for his performance in "In Old Arizona" he embarked upon a solid career that only faltered at the beginning of the 1940s when he was off the screen for two years due to a nervous breakdown. He returned as the Crime Doctor, a popular CBS radio series bought to the screen by Columbia. Ray Collins (who in this movie played Dr. Carey) was radio's Dr. Ordway but Columbia was thrilled to sign Baxter, once one of the most prestigious and best actors in Hollywood. Baxter was never happy with the series (but it was definitely one of the better ones) - he hoped it would pave the way for character parts but unfortunately (for him) the series provided the bulk of his employment for the rest of his days. This was an excellent introduction to the series as it traced the origins of the "Crime Doctor".A man is bought to the hospital assumed to be the victim of a hit and run but in reality he has been thrown from a moving car. He is suffering from amnesia and takes the name Robert Ordway from the hospital wing he is bought to. Taken under the wing of kindly Dr. Carey, he believes that the only way he can get to the truth of who he is, is to become a doctor himself and ten years later, as Dr. Ordway, he has the reputation as one of the nation's most renowned psychiatrists. He has never stopped searching for his identity and a thug by the name of Caspari (John Litel) may know the answer - he seems to have an unhealthy interest in the doctor.Helping Robert is a social worker, Grace Fielding (the always welcome Margaret Lindsay) who decides to follow Caspari after he pays a particularly nasty visit to the confused doctor. This is a tightly paced crime drama - it turns out Robert is in reality Phil Morgan, mastermind of a jewelry heist ten years before. Only he knows where the money is but a crack on the skull by Caspari causes him to lose his memory and he is tossed from a moving car because his accomplices believe him dead. As Dr. Ordway he is given the job of Governor of Parole after his inspiring work with a returned serviceman in prison for manslaughter (Leon Ames) but another voice from his past causes him to have a breakdown and realise his past life. A re-enactment of the events leading up to his hospitalization forces him to remember the hiding place for the stolen money and the ending sees his acquittal by a jury so he can continue his sterling work.Margaret Lindsay had just finished a sleuth series of her own, "Ellery Queen" but unfortunately she only appeared in the first of the Crime Doctor films. I am sure I spotted Bruce Cabot as a background extra in the nightclub scene.

Crime Doctor (1943) ** (out of 4) First film in Columbia's Crime Doctor series has a man (Warner Baxter) thrown out of a car, which leaves him with amnesia. Not knowing who he is, the man decides to start a new life as a doctor but then learns that in his previous life he was a gangster. This was the first film from the series that I watched and I certainly hope they get better. I suspect this film just tells a backstory, which could have been told in the first five minutes of another movie. I found the film incredibly dull and the story itself really wasn't all that involving. Baxter was good in his role but I still wouldn't rank him very high among the countless mystery/detective films of the 30's and 40's.

This film is much better than what one might expect, given the studio that made it and the other films of this type put out at the time. Warner Baxter was a good actor, the supporting cast is able, and the writing is taut, uncomplicated and well-done. Direction, lighting and photography are professional. In short, there are few, if any, faults, and the film is well worth a watch. Leon Ames makes an early appearance in a somewhat far fetched sequence involving the rehabilitation of a hardened, bitter convict, but this is a minor, minor flaw in an otherwise very well constructed film. As another reviewer wrote, there are, thankfully, no dumb cops or simple minded assistants, just a well thought out plot and good acting.

This was the opening chapter in the Crime Doctor series from Columbia, and as usual the first cut is the deepest. The other nine films veered from lightly sparkling to slightly insipid but all lovely to see - this one was strikingly thought provoking with many memorable scenes scattered throughout. Additionally the production values, acting and plots were of a consistently high standard, and basically Columbia allowed Warner Baxter a six year holiday with the filming of them to help him recover his dodgy health.A man is tossed out of a moving car as one dead in 1932, turns out an amnesiac who is nursed back to good health by a good doctor who encourages him to become a good friend, good citizen and ultimately a good psychiatrist. He achieves all this by 1943, by which time his shady past is starting to catch up with him, 3 dumb guys eager to reclaim USD 200,000 stolen in his previous life. How it all unfolds and is resolved is as ingenious as the b picture format and the Hays Office could allow. Favourite bits: The 4 of them sitting round the table in Frankie's, all wondering what was going off; Margaret Lindsay – almost too exquisite too watch here; Leon Ames, the violent patriot in prison for life then out in a twinkling; the trial of Phil Morgan and Robert Ordway.It should be an incredibly rewarding 65 minutes to fans of this genre of film, if you find yourself unmoved by it my advice is don't bother with the rest and do yourself and the fans a favour.