Humphrey Bogart is credited with seven films in 1939, Warner Brothers kept him pretty busy back in the day before he attained A list stardom. The films vary in quality from a superb supporting performance in Dark Victory, to a gangster classic like The Roaring Twenties, right down to Bogey's one excursion into science fiction of sorts.
As Bogey put it he was in a part better cast by Bela Lugosi or Boris Karloff. With that pasty make up and streak of white in his hair to signify his lack of hemoglobin, Bogey never looked more ridiculous on screen. He'd have to wait until the following year to sound his most ridiculous as a Mexican bandit in Virginia City.
The heroes of this piece are reporter Wayne Morris and doctor Dennis Morgan. Morris goes for an interview with stage star Lya Lys and finds her quite dead. Now this lunkhead decides not to call the police, but instead to scoop the other papers and calls his boss to get out an extra. When the police in the form of Charles Wilson arrive, no Lya Lys dead or alive is to be found. Of course Morris gets fired, especially after Lys shows up threatening lawsuit.
Puzzled Morris brings in a consult his good friend Dr. Morgan and this leads them to John Litel, another doctor working on some ghoulish experiments. He's brought back to life another doctor played by Humphrey Bogart who was also doing some experiments along the same lines.
Litel's created some synthetic blood, but it just ain't as good as the real item and Bogey's on a never ending quest for folks with compatible blood like Lys and nurse Rosemary Lane who Morgan's been seeing.
If you're thinking this plot sounds ridiculous it's just as ridiculous seeing it on the screen big or small. The film certainly did need a classic horror actor like Lugosi or Karloff to give it some life, them not their blood.
Was Jack Warner thinking that maybe if successful this would broaden Bogey's casting range? Who knows because Humphrey Bogart hated this one almost as much as the film he considered his worst, Swing Your Lady.
The Return Of Doctor X has to be seen, especially by fans of Humphrey Bogart, to see just how bad some of his films were before High Sierra and The Maltese Falcon.
As Bogey put it he was in a part better cast by Bela Lugosi or Boris Karloff. With that pasty make up and streak of white in his hair to signify his lack of hemoglobin, Bogey never looked more ridiculous on screen. He'd have to wait until the following year to sound his most ridiculous as a Mexican bandit in Virginia City.
The heroes of this piece are reporter Wayne Morris and doctor Dennis Morgan. Morris goes for an interview with stage star Lya Lys and finds her quite dead. Now this lunkhead decides not to call the police, but instead to scoop the other papers and calls his boss to get out an extra. When the police in the form of Charles Wilson arrive, no Lya Lys dead or alive is to be found. Of course Morris gets fired, especially after Lys shows up threatening lawsuit.
Puzzled Morris brings in a consult his good friend Dr. Morgan and this leads them to John Litel, another doctor working on some ghoulish experiments. He's brought back to life another doctor played by Humphrey Bogart who was also doing some experiments along the same lines.
Litel's created some synthetic blood, but it just ain't as good as the real item and Bogey's on a never ending quest for folks with compatible blood like Lys and nurse Rosemary Lane who Morgan's been seeing.
If you're thinking this plot sounds ridiculous it's just as ridiculous seeing it on the screen big or small. The film certainly did need a classic horror actor like Lugosi or Karloff to give it some life, them not their blood.
Was Jack Warner thinking that maybe if successful this would broaden Bogey's casting range? Who knows because Humphrey Bogart hated this one almost as much as the film he considered his worst, Swing Your Lady.
The Return Of Doctor X has to be seen, especially by fans of Humphrey Bogart, to see just how bad some of his films were before High Sierra and The Maltese Falcon.