Product Details

• Actors: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Lee Tracy, Preston Foster, John Wray
• Directors: Michael Curtiz
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: Unrated
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Warner)
• VHS Release Date: September 1, 1998
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301966287
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #285,694 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tracy and Wray Make it Fun, April 6, 2010

By 

Bobby Underwood "starlighthotel" (Manly NSW, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Doctor X [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This stylish early sound entry in the mystery/horror genre has been a late night favorite of film buffs for many years. Michael Curtiz directs with his usual flair this wildly entertaining film about a killer on the loose who may be one of the group of scientists under Dr. Xavier's direction. Based on a play from the time by Howard Comstock and Allen Miller, adapted for Curtiz by Robert Tasker and Earl Baldwin, it has everything any fan of the genre could possibly want, inculding a great cast. Lionel Atwill is excellent as Dr. Xavier, holding off the police while he makes his own investigation. Lee Tracy is quite fun as reporter Lee Taylor of The Daily World, trying to get the scoop on the Moon Killer and keep his boss happy. It is the presence of Fay Wray's ethereal loveliness, however, which gives it a special spark, making it a must see film.

Fay Wray's delicate Canadian beauty graced many silent films and she was a star long before King Kong and The Most Dangerous Game. She would eventually be relegated to the feminine lead in "B" films, but was beloved by many. In the late 1950's and early 1960's she was still active, appearing on TV's Perry Mason. When the lamp inside her which radiated such a luminous glow onscreen slipped into the eternal night not long before she was slated to appear in Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong, the world lost one of its great stars. Two days after her quiet passing, the Empire State Building she and Kong had once stood upon became a darkened shadow on the skyline for fifteen minutes in her memory. In Doctor X she adds a spark to an already fun film as Dr. Xavier's young and alluring daughter.

The sets are terrific and stylish as well in this much underrated classic. Tracy is marvelous skulking around Atwill's place trying to get the scoop, deterred only by his daughter Joan, who catches him at it more than once. Lee and Joan have some innocent banter in contrast to the more serious task at hand. Reenacting one of the Moon Killer's crimes goes haywire and the Moon Killer strikes again. With police pressuring Dr. Xavier for answers, he attempts it again, this time with Joan acting as the victim, while nearly everyone else is strapped in. On a bed in her nightgown, a very sexy Joan realizes only at the last moment the real Moon Killer is playing his part for real. Fortunately Lee is still on the loose, and jumps in to battle a truly mad scientist while the others, chained helplessly to their seats, watch on.

The wrap up is pleasant and everything movie endings are supposed to be. Origuinally filmed in early color, the film was restored beautifully for the boxed DVD Legends of Horror set which my wife bought. Though it is nice to look at, I remember watching this in black and white and turning the color off on the VHS I had back home years ago as it made it more fun. For the cost, picking up a used VHS copy seems the best bet if you're just a Fay Wray fan and aren't enamored of some of the other films on that boxed set. It certainly offers an hour of fun for classic movie fans. Don't miss the beach scene with Wray and Tracy. A fun movie and a delightful way to remember Fay Wray.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dr. Jerry Xavier, December 5, 2011

By 

Annie Van Auken (Planet Earth) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Doctor X [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This historic frighter was restored by UCLA, apparently from two separate prints, one of which was in dreadful condition. From what remains, it's evident that director Michael Curtiz skillfully applied the limited spectrum of two-strip Technicolor to enhance the story's eerie mood. Natural fleshtones, glowing pastel blues and warm grays predominate. Backdrops, lighting and props are ideally suited to this minor work.

A genuine treat for fans of '30s Hollywood.
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CAST--

LEE TRACY was assigned a role he was familiar with, that of a smooth-operating fast-gab newshound, who in this situation is also the hero that wins the girl's heart at the end. Tracy's career was damaged by an incident that occurred on location for VIVA VILLA! (1934). He got very "gassed" and urinated out an upper floor hotel window onto a parade of passing Mexicans.

London-born son of wealth, LIONEL ATWILL is famous for being in five of the first eight "Frankenstein" movies, and infamous for a 1942 morals conviction stemming from the legendary wild parties he hosted in his home.

FAY WRAY, who is Atwill's daughter here, would soon don a blonde wig at the insistence of producer/directors Ernest B. Schoedsack and Merian C. Cooper for her most famous part, that of the terrified girl at the top of the Empire State Building in KING KONG (1933).

Although best known for macho cop and military man roles, here 6' 2" PRESTON FOSTER is a doctor confined to a wheelchair. Foster was a guitarist, songwriter and expert deep sea fisherman.

MAE BUSCH, who is seen briefly as a "madam," is fondly remembered for playing Oliver Hardy's wife in several classic Hal Roach comedies.

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Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 IMDb viewer poll rating.

(6.5) Doctor X (1932) - Lionel Atwill/Fay Wray/Lee Tracy/Preston Foster/Robert Warwick/Mae Busch/Tom Dugan

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moo-hoo-hoo-hah-hah-hah!!!, December 14, 2002

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Doctor X [VHS] (VHS Tape)

A delightfully campy MGM horror film, featuring Lee Tracy as a fast-talking news reporter on the trails a moonlight serial killer to a special research academy headed by the lofty Dr. Xavier (Lionel Atwill). An interesting, if uneven, mix of horror and comedy, balancing over-the-top scenery chewing by a truly bizarre collection of mad scientists with Tracy's slapstick interludes. (By the way, is it just me, or does he remind anyone else of Edward Norton?) Fay Wray is completely dishy as Dr. Xavier's sassy, wise-cracking daughter. Best of all, though, is the pioneering early version of Technicolor, which perfectly accentuates the beautiful German-influenced impressionistic cinematography. A fun film, and a total hoot.