Calling Dr. Death (1943) dir. Reginald LeBorg, Universal Pictures, Inc.
Moving into the special feature section, this year we look at the work of Lon Chaney, Jr. By the mid-40's Universal was using Lon in every horror feature at least once. He is, after all , the only other man to play a vampire, a mummy, the Frankenstein's Monster, and a werewolf besides Paul Naschy.
In 1930 Inner Sanctum Mysteries debuted first as a magazine then later a radio show. Hosted by the sardonic Raymond, the show went to the movies the first time with this entry, with Lon Chaney featured as the lead in every entry. No makeup, no transformations; just all Lon all the time.
Dr. Mark Steele (Chaney) is a hypnotist. He's good too, curing patients left and right. While his professional life is perfect, his personal is the exact opposite. His wife Maria (Ramsay Ames) has been having affairs behind his back, although recently she's moved to having them in front of him too.
Her current beau is Robert Duvall (David Bruce). His dropping her off at three in the morning leads to a very chilly reception. Steele makes it clear he wants her dead, with Maria laughing it off. Her counter is he lacks the guts, among other attributes, to do anything.
The next day, Friday, Steele closes his down his office and heads home early. His butler, Bryant (Holmes Herbert), informs him that Mrs. Steele has skipped town and may not be back until Monday. This puts Steele in a funk. He gets in his car and drives. He doesn't stop until he comes to at his desk Monday morning with exactly zero memory of the past weekend.
This is bad, as Inspector Gregg (J. Caroll Naish) arrives and informs him that his wife was found in their country home, stone dead. Steele's assistant Stella (Patricia Morrison) jumps in and claims Dr. Steele was with her the whole weekend, as she's harbored a crush on the good doctor for a while.
The police, in a surprise move, arrest Duvall and charge him with the murder. But is he guilty? What secrets are hidden in Dr. Steele's mind?
When the twist is uncovered, you may give yourself a concussion from the slap. Rarely have I seen an ending so out of left field and so utterly devoid of sense. If they revealed everyone was an alien it might have made more sense. Chaney tries but bless his heart; he mostly stares with a slightly befuddled look on his face.
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