If they hadn't used the title in the Crime Doctor series of films two years earlier, this one probably could have gone down as his 'Strangest Case'. Because this one had me going with it's interesting plot and Gordon Carson's (Stephen Crane) alleged 'suicide' right up until the word 'vampire' was introduced into the story. With that 'huh?' moment, one can only hope to stay attentive long enough to scramble together a host of disparate elements in order to close out this baffling murder mystery.It didn't start out so confusing. You had a wealthy businessman who's first two wives died mysteriously within days of their respective weddings under unusual circumstances. Coincidental enough to cast doubt on Carson's innocence, sure, but having him wind up dead shortly after marrying the third time was turning the tables on the story. Eventually it becomes clear that wife number three (Hillary Brooke) did it for the money, so even if she were to be a suspect, the fact that her husband died of a gunshot wound in his locked study with no means of entry or exit to be found, seems to make this an open and shut case for suicide.But then you have the brother and sister dance team (Anthony Caruso, Lupita Tovar) who's publicity guru (Jerome Cowan) suggests they're never seen during the day, don't have mirrors in their dressing room, and sleep in coffins. Well then, the vampire angle gains some traction and the crime doctor has one more bizarre hurdle to overcome to solve the crime of Carson's murder. It all hinges on the idea that one or the other of the Bragga's can 'disappear' at will, thereby suggesting that one of them could have killed Carson while invisible.Well I won't give it all away here, but the resolution to the mystery is a whole lot more mundane than anything that went before. I think if you watch this film a second time after knowing how the story ends, it would make more sense and not seem so bizarre with the vampire angle thrown in. Still, questions remain, like why was it necessary for Miguel Bragga to give Ordway the knockout drink? And why, even if they went along with the vampire pretense, would the Braggas sleep in coffins? Who would ever know?

In "The Crime Doctor's Courage," Dr. Ordway investigates the death of a man thought of as a black widower - both his wives plunged to their deaths on their honeymoons. The investigation leads to brother and sister Spanish dancers who might be vampires - no mirrors, one of them disappears during their dance number, and no one sees them during the day. The third wife of the black widower becomes engaged to the male dancer, and the plot thickens.The plot is all over the place, but it's quite entertaining nonetheless. The other mysteries I've seen in this series have been pretty good. This one features, besides Warner Baxter as Dr. Ordway, Jerome Cowan and Hillary Brooke.Baxter, who at one point made more money than any other star of his era, suffered a nervous breakdown, and these films offered him a chance to work without killing himself. He's so laid back and casual with his speech - it almost seems like he's ad-libbing. He lived for another six years after this film was made and after a lobotomy, developed pneumonia and died.These films were made very quickly, so little details were often missed. These Spanish dancers supposedly have this amazing act where the female disappears in the midst of it and then reappears - yet they're doing it in this little club. They receive polite applause, and afterward, the host gets up and says that the audience may be wondering about the disappearance mid-dance, but it's no trick. The dancers have the ability to make themselves invisible. Tepid applause. A statement like that deserved a little more!

As Doctor Robert Ordway, the Crime Doctor, Warner Baxter gets involved in all kinds of mysteries. But one usually doesn't get invitations to dinner like this even from beautiful women like Hillary Brooke.Brooke married Stephen Crane whose two previous brides both had accidental deaths. For some odd reason, she's beginning to have second thoughts about the marriage. So the famous Crime Doctor is invited for dinner and a consultation to observe the behavior of her husband.In true murder mystery style the husband is shot to death last night in a locked room with the house still full of guests. Baxter calls the police and Captaine Emory Parnell arrives on the scene. Of course Baxter is no small help in eventually arriving at the identity of the culprit though another murder takes place.We've even got the supernatural involved because one of the suspects is half of a mysterious Spanish dancing team of Anthony Caruso and Lupita Tovar. They're suspected of being vampires.The Crime Doctor's Courage I'm sure didn't people running for the exits when it played the bottom half of double bills in the Forties. One thing I will say though, the behavior of one of the suspects during a scene that didn't involve Baxter kind of gave away the identity of the murderer. Still it's a passable enough murder mystery.

I saw this on TCM recently and, through the IMDb I found that there were seven "Crime Doctor" movies with Warner Baxter as the psychiatrist-detective. Baxter is a bit long in the tooth compared to his stolid performance in 42nd Street a decade earlier. Not noir, and a bit campy today, the movie also has a touch of the possible supernatural. The plot, black and white cinematography and characters are far more complex than those of the Mr. Moto and Charlie Chan series. There are subplots, unexpected twists and appearances by a number of B movie stalwartly we all should recognize immediately (none ever made it to the A status). It is a wonderfully unpredictable 70 minutes.I would love to see a boxed DVD series of these films.