The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse

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source: The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse

Great 30's flick, there's nothing quite like it, which is why this film is a true must-see. I think some reviewers tried to take this one a bit TOO seriously - obviously that wasn't the intention. Suspenseful, intriguing, and very wry. There are just SO many top-notch actors in this one, and they each play the part convincingly. A LOT of eye-candy here, and VERY familiar faces. I just found this to be such a treat on an otherwise gloomy day. If this one doesn't make you grin, you totally missed something. I'm still surprised at how serious and confused some reviewers here are on this one. Come on ! The name of the flick is The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse ! Wake-up, people !

The prominent Dr. Clitterhouse (Edward G. Robinson) becomes a burglar to study the criminal mind. After four heist, he meets the fence Jo Keller (Claire Trevor) that has a hotel to cover-up her activities. He decides to team-up with her gang to observe the thieves in action using the alias The Professor and becomes close to Jo. However the gangster "Rocks" Valentine (Humphrey Bogart) decides to get rid of The Professor and double-crosses him up during the heist of a store. When Rocks discover the true identity of The Professor, he blackmails Dr. Clitterhouse that sees only the ultimate crime to resolve the situation: murder. What will happen to Rocks and Dr. Clitterhouse? "The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse" is a cynical black-humor comedy with Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart and screenplay by John Huston. The plot is funny, with hilarious situations of Dr. Clitterhouse, a prominent doctor that uses his relationship with the high-society and the chief of police to rob and understand the criminal mind. In the end, is Dr. Clitterhouse sane or insane? My vote is seven. Title (Brazil): Not Available on Blu-Ray or DVD.

This one just doesn't come off. Director Anatole Litvak had done good work in films, but handled this one with kid gloves. The play it was adapted from is just so-so, and featured Cedric Hardwicke in the title role, played here by Edward G. Robinson. From what I can gather it was a stylish piece, depending apparently on the brisk, ironic and very British delivery of Mr. Hardwicke, or someone similar. Robinson is all wrong for this, speaking his lines sincerely, with none of the deadpan irony the part requires. Without a center, the rest cannot hold, and though the rest of the cast,--Claire Trevor, Humphrey Bogart, Ward Bond--is good, this is bottom shelf stuff, and a terrible waste of terrific acting talent at or near the peak of their powers.

John Huston co-authored the script for THE AMAZING DR. CLITTERHOUSE and whatever fun he was having with the concept of a respected doctor who turns to crime in order to become a method criminologist by joining a hoodlum gang of thieves, it doesn't quite jell. At no time does director Anatole Litvak let us know that this is supposed to be a comedy or spoof of Warner gangster films. However, audiences must have found the idea more than a little offbeat to be taken seriously. Making things further unbelievable is the way CLAIRE TREVOR plays the gun moll with such intensity, but immediately takes a liking to the amazing doctor after opposing his very presence among them. Her shift to tender romantic feelings is blatantly unrealistic. HUMPHREY BOGART's role at least makes sense. He's the only gang member to take an instant dislike to the good doctor when he sees how assured he is in taking charge of things the moment he lands in the den of thieves. But the story takes a grim twist toward the end, dealing with Bogart's fate. Another absurd angle is the gang's willingness to have the doctor performing his blood tests on them as a part of his research project every time they go on a heist. Add to this the courtroom ending with some unbelievable happenings and you have a crime drama (or is it a crime comedy?), that rarely makes any sense and strains credibility at every turn. EDWARD G. ROBINSON is fine as the doctor and has one especially good scene where he plays cat-and-mouse with THURSTON HALL to find out whether the man will be willing to represent him at trial. Robinson, Bogart, Trevor and director Huston would all reunite ten years later for a much finer film--KEY LARGO--which utilized Trevor's talent in a much more rewarding way. At best, this is a curiosity that holds the interest but can make you impatient with the absurdity of it all.

Highly enjoyable WB gangster movie with Edward G. Robinson as the title character, a doctor who becomes so obsessed with understanding the criminal mind he becomes a criminal himself. It's somewhat difficult to categorize this movie. It definitely has a lot of comedy with Max Rosenbloom and Allen Jenkins especially. Not to mention all of Robinson's deadpan lines. But the overall tone is that of a straightforward gangster drama. It's a fun movie either way. Robinson is terrific, as always. He disliked doing gangster pictures but that's all WB wanted him in. So he compromised by doing gangster movies that were different from the norm. A solid cast backs him up. In addition to Jenkins and Rosenbloom mentioned before, there's Claire Trevor, Donald Crisp, and Humphrey Bogart as Rocks Valentine (what a name!). Bogart reportedly hated this role and considered it his worst. I'm not sure why that would be. It's not that different from a dozen similar gangster roles he played in the '30s. I can think of at least a couple of movies where his part was worse than this.

Dr. T.S. Clitterhouse (Edward G. Robinson) is a cultivated and distinguished Park Avenue doctor, with a respectable list of clients. He's also obsessed with the workings of the criminal mind, and begins a research project that will help advance the cause of science and the medical profession in understanding the scientific basis for criminal action. As the film opens, the good doctor has just committed his fourth robbery, all jewel heists, and is now about to ingratiate himself with a mob, hoping to gain further insight. I found "The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse" to be a blast, owing largely to Robinson's understated, almost casual performance as a master criminal. His random choice of a gang to work with leads him to Jo Keller (Claire Trevor), and a short list of Warner stock players, including Allen Jenkins, Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom, and Ward Bond as members of the mob. He's generally well received by all, especially after making Lieutenant Johnson (Robert Homans) sweat it out in a routine interrogation. The one thorn in Clitterhouse's side is Rocks Valentine (Humphrey Bogart), who doesn't take kindly to the doctor's high society manner and scientific method. The fact that Jo might be falling for the doc is also a factor, though there is no chemistry to speak of between Jo and Rocks, their relationship primarily focused on the next big heist. What might have begun as scientific research begins to look a lot like enjoyment for the doctor, so after robbing a fur vault Clitterhouse decides it's time to take a break. He doesn't find it so easy though, as Bogie's character traces his identity back to it's Park Avenue origins and attempts to blackmail him. However the doc's knowledge of drugs give him the upper hand, and slipping Rocks a paradol chloride cocktail is enough to take him out of the picture. The cat and mouse game that follows between Police Inspector Lane (Donald Crisp) and Clitterhouse is well conceived; as the doc is about to be arrested, the chance arrival of his lawyer offers an intriguing exchange that offers him a legal way out. With surprising calm, Clitterhouse learns that he's a megalomaniac, and as mad as a hatter if he thought he could get away with murder. The courtroom scene that follows turns into a three ring circus as the jury finds that Clitterhouse must be insane. One thing that surprised me though, is there such a thing as a "State Lunacy Commission"? There are enough elements of each for this movie to be considered both a comedy and a crime film, with about equal parts of both taking center stage. Robinson's role is uncharacteristic of his typical gangster performances, here he's a cool and sophisticated operator; he doesn't really believe he's doing anything wrong in his quest to advance medical science. Presiding over the final court room scene having given way to utter chaos, Clitterhouse calmly surveys the madness and can only comment - "Amazing, really amazing."

The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1938) Don't get your hopes up for a lost Warner Bros. classic. This is good stuff, fun and all, and it does star Edward G. Robinson in his prime, but the plot is too clever and cute for its own good, and the lighthearted feel makes it sometimes almost trivial. As if the movie makers themselves know this is a throwaway. Not to knock it too hard. It does have Humphrey Bogart about to become a famous star, and it has Claire Trevor in the role as a moll (which is a bit odd for her, but you should see her in "Born to Kill" for her best at this). Robinson plays a doctor who is so detached from reality he decides to research the physiology of criminals while they are committing a crime (pupil dilation, blood pressure, etc.). And since that's hard to do, he starts doing his own crimes. And since he's a celebrated doctor, he gets away with all of them. At first you think, how fun! And you expect it to really wind up into either a crazy comedy or a real crime thriller with the downfall of this great man. It avoids either and ends up in a kind of compromise. It's sometimes funny, and it has elements of watching this man get himself cornered by his own activities. There is no pathos here, however, and the humor is breezy, not hilarious. Bogart and Trevor are the more serious side, but they are used to offset Robinson in his slightly silly role. In all, the plot churns along and you end up enjoying the details, the acting, the dark Warner Bros. filming. The director is worth noting. Anatole Litvak, whose style using dramatic light and moving camera is evident here. He also had a tendency for melodrama, which is not apparent at all. He had just come to the US for a four year contract with the huge Warner Bros. and this was his second film with them. I assume that required adjustment. You can, oddly, still (perhaps) feel his style in the way scenes are laid out and shot. A well-made but trivial film? There were lots of them, and this is completely enjoyable. And Robinson, as always, is wonderful.

With a name like Dr. Clitterhouse, he should have been a gynecologist instead of an evil genius. I saw this title while looking up an old movie that I was watching, and, after guffawing, I wondered if those responsible for titling this picture were just having a go at the censors. It really sounds like it should be the corny title of a porno flick, no? Oh well, I thought Edward G. Robinson did a very good job, and my girl friend thought that he looked very much like her doctor, who is also very amazing, but not quite as amazing as Dr. Clitterhouse. I hope that someone considers doing a re-make of this movie just so I could gauge public reaction to the title. It sounds like it could be a good Steve Martin vehicle.