The Black Doll

Last updated
The Black Doll
The-black-doll-movie-poster-md.jpg
Directed by Otis Garrett
Screenplay byHarold Buckley [1]
Based onThe Black Doll
by William Edward Hayes
Produced by Irving Starr [1]
Starring
Cinematography
Edited byMaurice Wright [1]
Production
companies
Crime Club Productions, Inc. [2]
Distributed by Universal Pictures Co.
Release date
  • 30 January 1938 (1938-01-30)
Running time
66 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States [2]

The Black Doll is a 1938 American mystery film directed by Otis Garrett and starring Donald Woods and Edgar Kennedy. The film was the second in Universal's Crime Club series following The Westland Case .

Contents

Plot

Production

In 1937, Universal Pictures made a deal with Crime Club, who were publishers of whodunnits. [1] Over the next few years Universal released several mystery films in the series. [1] The film was the second in Universal's Crime Club series following The Westland Case . [3] The Black Doll was based on the novel The Black Doll by William Edward Hayes. [1] [2]

Release

The Black Doll was distributed by Universal Pictures on January 30, 1938. [1] [2] The film was followed with eight more films in the Crime Club series in the next two years. [4]

Reception

From contemporary reviews, Wanda Hale of The New York Daily News described the film as "an absorbing mystery story" that will "stir your admiration, wrack your nerves, tickle your funny bone and, if you don't watch out, deflate your pride in your sleuthing ability." [4] The Film Daily declared the film as "a combination of suspenseful mystery and comedy that furnishes a lot of laughs makes this an enjoyable murder picture of the regular program variety." [4] The Hollywood Reporter found that the Crime Club series "cannot make up its mind whether to be a mystery or a farce. Harold Buckley's screenplay is excellent, but it is difficult to understand how the presence of low comedy, which borders on actual farce, can be justified by a director in a picture dealing with murder." [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Son of Frankenstein</i> 1939 film by Rowland V. Lee

Son of Frankenstein is a 1939 American horror film directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. The film is the third in Universal Pictures' Frankenstein series and is the follow-up to the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein. Son of Frankenstein stars Rathbone as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein who, with his wife Elsa and son Peter, returns to his late father's estate. Near the castle lives Ygor, a crazed blacksmith whose neck was broken in an unsuccessful hanging attempt. Among the castle's remains, Frankenstein discovers the remains of the Monster and decides to try to save his family name by resurrecting the creature to prove his father was correct. He finds, however, the Monster only responds to Ygor's commands.

<i>The Invisible Man Returns</i> 1940 film by Joe May

The Invisible Man Returns is a 1940 American horror science fiction film directed by Joe May. The film stars Cedric Hardwicke, Vincent Price, Nan Grey and John Sutton. The film is a sequel to the 1933 film The Invisible Man, and the second film in the Invisible Man film series. The film is about Sir Geoffrey Radcliffe (Price) who is condemned for a murder he did not commit, which leads to him begging Dr. Frank Griffin (Sutton) to inject him with the invisibility serum despite Griffin's warning that the serum will drive him mad.

<i>The Black Cat</i> (1941 film) 1941 film by Albert S. Rogell

The Black Cat is a 1941 American comedy horror and mystery film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Basil Rathbone. The film was a hybrid of style: being inspired by comedy "Old Dark House" films of the era as well as the 1843 short story "The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe. It stars Basil Rathbone as Montague Hartley, the head of a greedy family who await the death of Henrietta Winslow so that they can inherit her fortune. When she is found murdered, an investigation begins into who might be the culprit. Alongside Rathbone and Loftus, the film's cast includes Hugh Herbert, Broderick Crawford, and Bela Lugosi.

<i>House of Horrors</i> 1946 film by Jean Yarbrough

House of Horrors is a 1946 American horror film released by Universal Pictures, starring Rondo Hatton as a madman named "the Creeper".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Classic Monsters</span> Horror and science fiction films made by Universal Studios (1930s–1950s)

Universal Classic Monsters is a home video line based on a series of horror films primarily produced by Universal Pictures from the 1930s to the 1950s. Although not initially conceived as a franchise, the enduring popularity and legacy of the films and the characters featured in them has led the studio to market them under the collective brand name of Universal Studios Monsters. Steve Jones of USA Today described Universal's most famous monsters as "pop culture icons", specifically Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy, and the Wolf Man.

The Crime Club was an imprint of the Doubleday publishing company, which later spawned a 1946-47 anthology radio series, and a 1937-1939 film series.

Shock Theater is a package of 52 pre-1948 classic horror films from Universal Studios released for television syndication in October 1957 by Screen Gems, the television subsidiary of Columbia Pictures. The Shock Theater package included Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man and The Wolf Man as well as a few non-horror spy and mystery films. A second package, Son of Shock, was released for television by Screen Gems in 1958, with 20 horror films from both Universal and Columbia.

<i>The Secret of the Blue Room</i> 1933 film by Kurt Neumann

The Secret of the Blue Room is a 1933 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Kurt Neumann and starring Lionel Atwill, Gloria Stuart, Paul Lukas, and Edward Arnold. A remake of the German film Geheimnis des blauen Zimmers (1932), it concerns a group of wealthy people who stay at a European mansion that features a blue room that is said to be cursed, as everyone who has stayed there has died shortly after. Three people suggest a wager that each can survive a night in the blue room.

<i>The Mystery of Marie Roget</i> (film) 1942 film by Phil Rosen

The Mystery of Marie Roget is a 1942 mystery film starring Patric Knowles. The story was adapted from the short story "The Mystery of Marie Rogêt" written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1842. The film, directed by Phil Rosen and produced by Universal Pictures, is set in 1889.

<i>The Cat Creeps</i> (1946 film) 1946 film

The Cat Creeps is a 1946 American film directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring Noah Beery, Jr., Lois Collier, and Paul Kelly. It follows a journalist and his photographer who attempt to research an unsolved death and locate a missing fortune, with the help of a black cat that appears to be possessed by the spirit of a dead woman.

<i>Secret of the Chateau</i> 1934 film by Richard Thorpe

Secret of the Chateau is a 1934 American mystery film directed by Richard Thorpe. The film stars Claire Dodd, Alice White, Osgood Perkins, Jack La Rue, George E. Stone and Clark Williams. On its release, reviews from Variety, The Film Daily and The Motion Picture Herald all commented that the film was a typical mystery film. On retrospective reviews, the book Universal Horrors stated the film had little to distinguish itself from others mystery films of the 1930s and 1940s and has justly been forgotten.

<i>The House of Fear</i> (1939 film) 1939 film by Joe May

The House of Fear is a 1939 American mystery film directed by Joe May and starring William Gargan, Irene Hervey and Dorothy Arnold. After an actor is killed during the middle of a play the theatre is closed. A year later a young producer re-assembles the cast and re-opens the theatre, intending to the stage the same play performed on the night of the murder.

<i>The Witness Vanishes</i> 1939 American film directed by Otis Garrett

The Witness Vanishes is a 1939 American mystery film directed by Otis Garrett and starring Edmund Lowe, Wendy Barrie, and Bruce Lester.

<i>Inside Information</i> (1939 film) 1939 film directed by Charles Lamont

Inside Information is a 1939 American mystery film directed by Charles Lamont. The film stars Dick Foran, Harry Carey, and June Lang. It was released on June 2, 1939. During production, the working title of the film was Metropolitan Police.

<i>The Westland Case</i> 1937 American film directed by Christy Cabanne

The Westland Case is a 1937 American mystery film directed by Christy Cabanne and starring Preston Foster, Frank Jenks, and Carol Hughes.

<i>The Missing Guest</i> 1938 film directed by John Rawlins

The Missing Guest is a 1938 American mystery-comedy film directed by John Rawlins. It is a remake of the 1933 film Secret of the Blue Room.

<i>The Last Express</i> (film) 1938 film by Otis Garrett

The Last Express is a 1938 American mystery film directed by Otis Garrett and written by Edmund Hartmann. It is based on the 1937 novel The Last Express by Baynard Kendrick. The film stars Kent Taylor, Dorothea Kent, Don Brodie, Paul Hurst, Addison Richards, Greta Granstedt, Robert Emmett Keane and J. Farrell MacDonald. The film was released on October 28, 1938, by Universal Pictures.

<i>The Lady in the Morgue</i> (film) 1938 film

The Lady in the Morgue is a 1938 American mystery film directed by Otis Garrett and written by Eric Taylor and Robertson White. It is based on the 1936 novel The Lady in the Morgue by Jonathan Latimer. The film stars Preston Foster, Patricia Ellis, Frank Jenks, Thomas E. Jackson, Wild Bill Elliott, Roland Drew and Barbara Pepper. The film was released on April 22, 1938, by Universal Pictures.

<i>Gambling Ship</i> (1938 film) 1938 crime film directed by Aubrey Scotto

Gambling Ship is a 1938 American mystery film directed by Aubrey Scotto and written by Alex Gottlieb. The film stars Robert Wilcox, Helen Mack, Edward Brophy, Irving Pichel, Joe Sawyer and Selmer Jackson. The film was released on December 16, 1938, by Universal Pictures.

<i>The Last Warning</i> (1938 film) 1939 American film

The Last Warning is a 1938 American mystery film directed by Albert S. Rogell and written by Edmund Hartmann. It is based on the 1938 novel The Dead Don't Care by Jonathan Latimer. The film stars Preston Foster, Frank Jenks, Kay Linaker, E. E. Clive, Joyce Compton and Frances Robinson. The film was released on January 6, 1939, by Universal Pictures.

References

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 175.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "The Black Doll". American Film Institute . Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  3. "The Westland Cast". American Film Institute. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 179.

Sources

  • Weaver, Tom; Brunas, Michael; Brunas, John (2007) [1990]. Universal Horrors (2 ed.). McFarland & Company. ISBN   978-0-7864-2974-5.