The Return of Doctor X (1939)

As colorless as Humphrey Bogart's skin in this D grade Warner Brothers' horror film. this has as much connection to the 1932 science fiction classic "Doctor X" as the Universal series of 1940's mummy films had in common with with the 1932 Karloff classic. There is a slight connection, but it is completely unbelievable. Good scientist/doctor Dennis Morgan must discover why nearly bloodless corpses of the same blood type keep turning up and why one alleged victim turns up alive, only to die for real out of the blue. This brings him and detective Wayne Morris to blood specialist John Litel who has some answers, some of which make this preposterous film more convoluted and hardly suspenseful, especially when they meet Litel's seemingly anemic assistant (Bogart), made up to resemble Karloff in 1934's "The Black Cat". Bogart has never looked so embarrassed on screen, and with good reason. After all, what movie star can say that they were made up to look like both Karloff AND Pepe le Peu in the same film? If Hollywood ever starts a wax museum of the most bizarre looking people on screen, Bogart's character here should be the first created!

This film is without a doubt the most frightening vampire movie that Humphrey Bogart ever made. Bogie is much more of a gangster then a vampire mad scientist in this opus. Supposedly given to Bogart because he had complained about the choice of roles he was being given, he plays it as though he were being punished. Intended for Karloff as a follow up to "The Walking Dead" Dr X was put in production with Vincent Sherman directing. It was Sherman's first directorial effort. Wayne Morris leads a cast of dependable Warner's regular's such as John Litel and Dennis Morgan. Beautiful Lya Lys has a memorable role as one of the vampire's victims, and Rosemary Lane is the film's scream queen.It's obvious that Dr X went through some heavy editing and retakes. Several actors credited don't appear in the final cut . Several have character name changes and there are scenes in the trailer that don't appear in the film.1939 was a golden year for Hollywood but certainly not for Bogart. Swing Your Lady ,Men are Such Fools ,The Oklahoma Kid and Return of Doctor X are the four least favorite films of Bogart and they were made in that 1938-39 periodReturn of Doctor X is not a horrible film but it's not a horror film either.It's a curio that Bogart fans should see at least one time.

Vincent Sherman directed this in-name-only sequel to "Doctor X", then played by Lionel Atwill, now played by...well, let's just say there are two doctors here. The first, played by John Litel, is researching a synthetic blood that could potentially save lives, the other is his assistant, played by Humphry Bogart(who notoriously hated this film!) who is creepy, with white-streaked hair and pale face. Newspaper reporter Walter Burnett(played by Wayne Morris) is investigating a series of murders where the victims were drained of blood...Could either of the doctors be responsible, or could it be someone/something else? Ridiculous and pointless film is worthy of the disdain shown to it by Bogart, though he is still easily the best thing about it!

The title character was supposed to be played by Boris Karlof, which would have actually made sense. Instead, they put in Humphrey Bogart, proving the old adage there are no bad actors, just bad casting.THis movie was also hawked as a sequel to 1932's "Doctor X", but really, it wasn't. Totally different character named Doctor Xaiver. But he did return (from the dead) and he was Dr. X, so let's go with that. Hollywood's assumption that we are all stupid didn't start in the modern era.The plot gets rolling when a reporter finds a dead actress in her hotel room, and then she vanishes. Then she turns up again alive. After losing his job, he goes to his doctor friend, and the investigation is afoot.And here's the problem. Bogey was best in character driven film noir. He just doesn't work here, he doesn't create the sense of either menace or sympathy Karlof would have created in the same character.