The Mad Doctor (1940)

★ 6.2 1h 30m IMDb
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A reporter sleuths the mystery behind an oft-married Viennese doctor whose wives met mysterious fates.

The Mad Doctor

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Cast

Basil Rathbone
Basil Rathbone as Dr. George Sebastian / Dr. Langamann Died 1967 · Johannesburg, South African Republic Sir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967), was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily c...
Ellen Drew
Ellen Drew as Linda Booth Died 2003 · Kansas City, Missouri, USA Ellen Drew (born Esther Loretta Ray; November 23, 1914 – December 3, 2003) was an American actress. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ellen Drew, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of cont...
John Howard
John Howard as Gil Sawyer Died 1995 · Cleveland, Ohio, USA John Howard (born John Richard Cox Jr.) was an American screen and television actor. He made his movie debut in a bit part in Paramount's One Hour Late (1934) before moving up the Hollywood ladder to...
Barbara Jo Allen
Barbara Jo Allen as Louise Watkins (as Barbara Allen [Vera Vague]) Died 1974 · New York City, New York, USA From Wikipedia Barbara Jo Allen (September 2, 1906 – September 14, 1974) was an actress also known as Vera Vague, the spinster character she created and portrayed on radio and in films during the 194...
Ralph Morgan
Ralph Morgan as Dr. Charles Downer Died 1956 · New York City, New York, USA Ralph Morgan (July 6, 1883 – June 11, 1956) was a Hollywood film, stage and character actor, and the older brother of Frank Morgan (who played the title role in The Wizard of Oz, 1939). Description a...
Martin Kosleck
Martin Kosleck as Maurice Gretz Died 1994 · Barkotzen, Province of Pomerania, German Empire (now Barkocin, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 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...

Audience Reviews

CinemaSerf 7/10 Apr 16, 2023
There is something really quite sinister to Basil Rathbone's title performance in this rather intimidating psychological thriller. We know from the outset that he has disposed of his wife "Ida" - ostensibly pneumonia - but the local physician "Dr. Downer" (Ralph Morgan) is suspicious. Shortly after cleaning up on the inheritance, he moves with his friend "Maurice" (Martin Kosleck) to start afresh. Now you don't have to be Einstein to recognise that these two men are more than just roomies, and that causes a bit of consternation when "Dr. Sebastian" finds new prey. This time, in the guise of the deeply troubled "Linda" (Ellen Drew). With a marriage and a trip to Quito on the cards, might history be about to repeat itself? Well, fortunately for "Linda" reporter "Sawyer" (John Howard) is also a bit suspicious of the man, and after a bit of investigation and a chat with "Downer", the two begin to piece together quite a different persona for Rathbone than the one he has been successful peddling thus far. Can they act in time to thwart his malevolent plan? Tim Whelan allows his star to exude menace here. The script is really only adequate, but the pace is good and the gradually accumulating sense of peril - and a wonderfully seedy contribution from the increasingly envious "Maurice" leads us towards a conclusion where nothing is predictable. Actually, on that front I was a little disappointed, but all in all, this is a dark and effective tale of manipulation that is well worth a watch.

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