JUST BEFORE DAWN
US, 1946, 65 minutes, Black-and-white.
Warner Baxter, Adele Roberts, Martin Kosleck, Mona Barry, Martin Miller, Robert Barrat.
Directed by William Castle.
This is the seventh film in the Crime Doctor series with Warner Baxter. Baxter had won the Oscar for his role in In Old Arizona and had appeared in some prestige films including Adam Had Four Sons. However, for the rest of his career, he appeared in small budget films, achieving success and popularity with his Dr Robert Ordway.
This is a complex story, an initial murder, the audience having seen a sinister mortuary director and the substitution of poison for insulin in a diabetic injection. There is quite a range of suspects, Dr Ordway pursuing investigations along with the police because he had been called in to help the diabetic in his collapse but had, unknowingly, injected the poison.
There is a background to criminals, having plastic surgery on their faces, eliminating their fingerprints, all in connection with the mortuary. There are further deaths, the doctor being made up like a criminal to infiltrate the mortuary. There is an Agatha Christie-like gathering of everyone as suspects – and, one of the suspects being revealed as the sinister plastic surgeon.
Directed by William Castle who directed number of these films and was to go on to a range of B-budget experiments in horror films in the 1950s.
1. The Crime Doctor series? Mysteries? Detective work? The doctor as a psychiatrist? The development of the series?
2. The settings, the city, the doctor and his office, home, socials, the mortuary? The musical score?
3. The introduction, the insulin substitution? Ganss, the criminal and the substitution?
4. Dr Ordway, the invitation to the social, the collapse, the injection, the recovery, death? The reaction of the guests?
5. The inspector, the investigation, the autopsy and information? Dr Ordway and his investigation? Meeting the various suspects, the manager of the estate and his story, the possibility of greed? The real estate manager and the selling of the houses? The host couple, Walter and his flirtation, wanting money, the possibility of divorce? Claire, concern about her brother, his not allowing her to marry, the manager of the gym, her supplying the funds? The servant and suspicious?
6. Walter, the quotation about the face, the search in the Bible, Hamlet? Claire and her disappearance? The contact with Connie Day? At the mortuary? Her relationship with Walter, giving him information, blackmail? Her death?
7. The criminal, with Louie, the bond with the doctor, Louie shooting, the criminal throwing him out the window? Dr Ordway pretending to be blind? The interviews with the various suspects? The party and gathering together? Indicating that he was still suspicious?
8. Dr Ordway, the make up like the criminal, going to the mortuary? The criminal and their discussions, hearing the news? The threats, the police arriving? Free?
9. The confrontation with the estate agent, it emerging that he was the doctor, criminal, conducting all the plastic surgery for criminals?
