In 1939, well after Humphrey Bogart made a name for himself playing thugs and gangsters, He found himself signed on to star in what he would consider his absolute worst film, nearly tied in his esteem with the earlier film Swing Your Lady. In Swing Your Lady Bogart was cast against type in a comedy, something he would later perfect in such films as We’re No Angels and, to a lesser extent, Beat the Devil. In The Return of Doctor X, Bogart tackles a genre that he would never be involved in again, horror. Whether this is from his personal dislike of the picture or studio mandated is unknown. What is known is that it is the only such film in his filmography and is thus an oddity.
In 1939, well after Humphrey Bogart made a name for himself playing thugs and gangsters, He found himself signed on to star in what he would consider his absolute worst film, nearly tied in his esteem with the earlier film Swing Your Lady. While Swing Your Lady was a comedy film devoid of comedy, The Return of Doctor X is a horror film devoid of horror. Instead you get a murder mystery with dead bodies that disappear only to reappear alive but pale and cold. You get some pseudo science gibberish about artificial blood and a doctor who could have mentored Herbert West from Re-animator. All of this is juxtaposed with some mildly amusing moments lead by a news reporter and his unlikely doctor friend, stumbling through a mystery that is much too transparent to quality as a true mystery. Also, there is a totally gonzo performance by Bogart that is the only real highlight of this picture. It is so bizarre for the usually serious actor that it simply must be seen.
The film begins with an apparent murder. Actress Angela Merrova (Lya Lys) is found by reporter Garrett (Wayne Morris), dead on the floor of her apartment, a surgical cut to her torso and her body apparently drained of all blood. When the police arrive at the scene her body has vanished and, without any signs of foul play, Garret’s story of murder isn’t taken seriously. He had already arranged for the story to be published so when Angela shows up, very much alive, at the paper with the intent of suing them for slander and damage to her reputation, Garret is promptly fired.
Garrett knows what he saw though and takes his observations to Dr. Rhodes (Dennis Morgan), a friend of his who deals with blood transfusions. Rhodes is skeptical but agrees to consult with a colleague, Dr. Flegg (John Litel), the leading specialist on all things blood related. Upon hearing the story, Dr. Flegg is quick to dismiss it as the delusions of an alcoholic, yet he seems troubled by the details of the case.
A second body is found with the same sort of surgical cut to the torso and blood loss. When Garrett and Rhodes examine the crime scene they discover blood on the floor that doesn’t match the victim. The police identify it as type 4 blood but Rhodes is certain that is incorrect. It has properties that don’t match anything he has ever seen. Furthermore, the victim has the same type of rare blood as Angela Merrova. Rhodes takes a sample of the blood to Dr. Flegg for further analysis but Flegg is once again dismissive, insisting that there is nothing special about the sample. Flegg’s assistant, Marshall Quesne (Bogart) appears to assist in the examination but something seems off with him. For starters he is very pale, almost like the victim drained of his blood. His mannerisms also seem odd but Flegg claims this is just because he has suffered a severe shock and has not yet fully recovered. We immediately know he is involved in the killings in some way.
All of this is setup to a premise that would blend well in with the myriad of other B-film horror/science fiction films of the day. Many of these have long since been forgotten to all but the genre fans who seek them out, starring the likes of Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, Jr., and a great number of other B-list Universal stars. If it weren’t for Humphrey Bogart’s presence in it, this one too would suffer the same fate. There is just nothing otherwise to make it stand out amongst its piers. Worse than being unremarkable though, is that it is boring at times, too. The mystery isn’t really a mystery and the journey to the big reveal is plodding at best. The film is barely an hour long and is fifteen minutes too long at that. It would have worked better as a fifty minute television episode broken up by commercials.
Humphrey Bogart is the sole stand-out amongst the cast. His portrayal of Marshall Quesne (pronounced, a little on-the-nose, as Cane) is odd indeed. He is made up to look pasty faced with a streak of white in his hair. Bogart seems a little at a loss on how to play Quesne, and thus what we get is a little one note but certainly memorable in its oddity. Everyone else, however, are as generic as you can get. Garrett is the fast talking reporter who knows he is right despite the evidence. He serves a little more than comic relief and to inexplicably move the plot along. His friend, Rhodes, is the loyal friend who stands by Garrett even when the story he is being told seems ludicrous. We don’t get told the back story between these two men that would allow Rhodes to follow Garret along on this ridiculous investigation. Flegg, the blood specialist, is one step removed from the doctors in other such films, convinced that what they have done is all in the name of science.
This film is not horrible. There are plenty of like films that fall into that category. But it is not good in any way, either. Like Marshall Quesne, it is odd. Watching the story play out, it is not hard to see why Bogart would rather forget he was ever in it. He was a bigger star, even then, then this film would have you believe. You can tell he is trying to elevate it but you can also tell that he didn’t want to be there and doesn’t know how to do it justice. It is worth watching to see him in this performance, but not much else about this is worth the time.
Release Date: December 2, 1939
Running Time: 62 minutes
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, , Wayne Morris, Dennis Morgan, John Litel, Lya Lys
Directed By: Vincent Sherman
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