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The Murder of Dr. Harrigan

  • 19361936
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 7m
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
248
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
172,561
25,885
Mary Astor and Ricardo Cortez in The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (1936)
CrimeMysteryRomance
The head of a drug company mysteriously disappears, after taking credit for a new anesthetic that actually resulted from the work of several doctors, and his surgeon is found strangely murde... Read allThe head of a drug company mysteriously disappears, after taking credit for a new anesthetic that actually resulted from the work of several doctors, and his surgeon is found strangely murdered by a surgical instrument.The head of a drug company mysteriously disappears, after taking credit for a new anesthetic that actually resulted from the work of several doctors, and his surgeon is found strangely murdered by a surgical instrument.
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
248
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
172,561
25,885
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Frank McDonald
    • Writers
      • Peter Milne(screen play)
      • Sy Bartlett(screen play)
      • Mignon G. Eberhart(story)
    • Stars
      • Ricardo Cortez
      • Kay Linaker
      • John Eldredge
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Frank McDonald
    • Writers
      • Peter Milne(screen play)
      • Sy Bartlett(screen play)
      • Mignon G. Eberhart(story)
    • Stars
      • Ricardo Cortez
      • Kay Linaker
      • John Eldredge
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 16User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • Photos12

    The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (1936)
    Mary Astor and Ricardo Cortez in The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (1936)
    The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (1936)
    Kay Linaker in The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (1936)
    Ricardo Cortez and Kay Linaker in The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (1936)
    Ricardo Cortez, Kay Linaker, and Phillip Reed in The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (1936)
    Mary Astor, Joseph Crehan, Ricardo Cortez, Phillip Reed, and Mary Treen in The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (1936)
    Ricardo Cortez and Kay Linaker in The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (1936)
    Mary Astor and Frank McDonald in The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (1936)
    Mary Astor in The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (1936)
    Ricardo Cortez and Kay Linaker in The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (1936)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ricardo Cortez
    Ricardo Cortez
    • George Lambert
    Kay Linaker
    Kay Linaker
    • Sally Keating
    John Eldredge
    John Eldredge
    • Dr. Harrigan
    Mary Astor
    Mary Astor
    • Lillian Cooper
    Joseph Crehan
    Joseph Crehan
    • Lt. Lamb
    Frank Reicher
    Frank Reicher
    • Dr. Coate
    Anita Kerry
    Anita Kerry
    • Agnes Melady
    Phillip Reed
    Phillip Reed
    • Dr. Simon
    Robert Strange
    Robert Strange
    • Peter Melady
    Mary Treen
    Mary Treen
    • Nurse Margaret Brody
    Bill Elliott
    Bill Elliott
    • Kenneth Martin
    • (as Gordon Elliott)
    Don Barclay
    Don Barclay
    • Jackson - the Drunk
    Johnny Arthur
    Johnny Arthur
    • Mr. Wentworth
    Joan Blair
    • Ina Harrigan
    Joan Barclay
    Joan Barclay
    • Nurse
    • (uncredited)
    Nick Copeland
    • Nestor - Policeman and Driver
    • (uncredited)
    Roger Gray
    Roger Gray
    • Herbert - the Morgue Attendant
    • (uncredited)
    Eddie Larkin
    • Intern
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Frank McDonald
    • Writers
      • Peter Milne(screen play)
      • Sy Bartlett(screen play)
      • Mignon G. Eberhart(story)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Film debut of Kay Linaker, NOTE: The part of Nurse Sally Keating was originally intended to be played by Mary Astor. When Astor refused it, Warner Bros. signed Broadway actress Linaker to play it. As punishment, the studio forced Astor to play a supporting part in the film.
    • Goofs
      Dr. Harrigan tells Nurse Brody to take care of patient calls as he is wheeling Melady off to surgery. A close-up of the nurse call board is shown, but in the next longer shot, the pattern of lights on the board is different.
    • Quotes

      Nurse Sally Keating: What do you expect to find at the morgue?

      Doctor George Lambert: What do you usually find at a morgue?

      Nurse Sally Keating: A lot of your patients!

    • Connections
      Followed by Murder by an Aristocrat (1936)
    • Soundtracks
      The Lady in Red
      (1935) (uncredited)

      Music by Allie Wrubel

      Lyrics by Mort Dixon

      Sung a cappella by Don Barclay with modified lyrics

    User reviews16

    Review
    Top review
    Fair Murder-Mystery From Warner
    The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (1936)

    ** (out of 4)

    Fast paced Warner mystery has Dr. Harrigan being murdered in a hospital right before he's about to do surgery on a man who has also disappeared. Dr. Lambert (Ricardo Cortez) and Nurse Keating (Kay Linaker) decide to do some investigating on their own and realize that just about everyone in the hospital is a suspect and that Harrigan was working on a new form of anesthetic. THE MURDER OF DR. HARRIGAN isn't the best murder-mystery out there from Warner but even with all its flaws it's still worth watching thanks in large part to the nice cast of characters. Cortez is always hit and miss among film buffs but I thought he was rather charming here. The actor certainly didn't have to over extend himself but he did enough to at least keep you entertained in his character. Linaker, just signed off of Broadway, is actually very good in her part but sadly the screenplay gives her very little to work with. Character actor Joseph Crehan does a fine job at the main detective investigating the case and we also get fine support from Robert Strange, Phillip Reed and Anita Kerry. Then there's Mary Astor who according to the trivia section of IMDb turned down the lead part and to punish her the studio gave her a supporting bit. The role is certainly below her talents but she's good in the part and certainly helps make the film better. With that said, the plot here just isn't interesting enough to really pull you in and I'd argue that the direction isn't up to par either. Still, fans of the cast members will still want to check it out.
    helpful•4
    1
    • Michael_Elliott
    • May 14, 2012

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 11, 1936 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Clue Club #6: The Murder of Dr. Harrigan
    • Filming locations
      • Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • First National Pictures
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 7 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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