Humphrey Bogart Blood Sucker

THE RETURN OF DOCTOR X-1939-Walter Garrett (Wayne Morris), a dumb reporter breaks the news of the death of an actress Angela Merrova (Lya Lys) but her body disappears and when she winds up alive, Garrett's fired. He goes to his friend Dr. Rhodes (Dennis Morgan) for advice. Rhodes does an operation with the brilliant Dr. Flegg (John Litel). When a body is found drained of blood the police think Rhodes is the murderer. Strange bloodstains are found on the scene. Rhodes visits Flegg and meets his weird assistant Quesne (Humphrey Bogart), a soft spoken pale guy with a white streak in his hair. When Merrova suddenly dies (for real), Garrett and Rhodes investigate along with the doc's nurse/girlfriend Joan (Rosemary Lane) in tow. Later Garrett discovers that Quesne is actually Dr. Xavier, a whacko who let a baby die as an experiment and was executed years before. They dig up his coffin and it's empty. Flegg admits that after bringing a rabbit back to life he did the same for X/Quesne and knows Quesne is a murderer and he is to blame. X/Q kills Flegg and kidnaps Joan for her blood (he has a book with the names of all blood donors who have his type). Before he can kill her he's shot and killed in NJ. 

Olin Howland plays an undertaker. Two interns are played by William Hopper and Glen Langan. Huntz Hall is Pinky and Ian Wolfe is a caretaker. 

This is a typical Warner Bros type “stand alone” horror/murder mystery with an untypical horror lead. The casting of Bogart is the only reason it's probably remembered today! It was directed by former actor Vincent Sherman who later worked with Bogart on ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT.

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Pre-Super Reeves

TEAR GAS SQUAD-1940-Druggist Joe McCabe (pre-Superman George Reeves) captures gangster Rocks Dawson. Joe's brother is a nightclub singer named Tommy McCabe (Dennis Morgan) who impersonates a singing cop in his act. He really doesn't like policemen but manages to win over a woman, Jerry Sullivan (Gloria Dickson) who's whole male family are police officers (Edgar Buchanan plays one of them). John Payne (MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET) is Morrissey, another policeman who becomes a rival to Tommy for Jerry's affections. McCade joins the police training school (where future Perry White John Hamilton is the police commissioner) to impress Jerry. He becomes leader of the Police Glee Club but after punching out Morrissey he's drummed out of the force. When brother Joe is killed for revenge Tommy wants back in. When Morrisey is taken hostage by a gang tear gas comes into play...sort of. Tommy rescues Morrisey and together they arrest the gang. Tear gas really doesn't have much to do with it except maybe all the songs caused a lot of gas and tears?? Who knows? It just got my attention because Reeves was in it. Mary Gordon is Jerry's mother and Frank Wilcox and Ben Weldon (a future frequent guest villain on TV's Superman) have small roles.

Lead actress Gloria Dickson had a promising career hampered by alcoholism. In 1945 she died in a house fire at age 28,

Director Terry Morse also made BRITISH INTELLIGENCE (with Karloff), FOG ISLAND and UNKNOWN WORLD. He also edited many films.

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