Movie Review: Who Killed 'Doc' Robbin? (1948)
Synopsis: After local physician Hugo 'Doc" Robbin is declared dead following an explosion at his office, his nurse, Ann Loring, is accused of murder. A group of children hear her testifying on the witness stand and call her a liar, resulting in them being called as witnesses. Their testimony ends up clearing Loring but implicating their friend and mentor 'Fix-it' Dan Cameron. With him behind bars, the kids decide to re-visit the scene of the explosion and find evidence to clear him.
Who's in it? The movie stars George Zucco, Virginia Grey, Don Castle, Whitford Kane, Larry Olsen and Peter Miles.
Review: I've been on the fence about watching Who Killed 'Doc' Robbin? since adding it to my library because, while the plot sounded interesting and the movie had some familiar names, I have a long history of not liking films that are centered around cute kids. I finally decided to watch it this morning, and it turned out not to be as bad as I feared.
It was much worse.
I think the best way to describe this film is there is too much cute-kid comedy and not enough plot/story. The film is less than an hour and I am almost certain nearly half of that time was spent showing the kids chasing after a monkey while simultaneously chased by an ape (or at least someone dressed like an ape). It was a bit like watching someone repeat a joke over and over again because you didn't laugh the first time.
I will admit the courtroom scene in the beginning, while a bit chaotic, was decent. However, it was also something I thought the film abandoned too soon, using it to fill in some of the story leading to that point and then moving on to the goofier, repetitive stuff.
It also didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what really happened to 'Doc' Robbin (Zucco). I am assuming this film was geared more toward kids when it came out but even then, I've seen Scooby Doo! episodes that weren't as predictable.
One thing that would have helped this film significantly would have been taking the time to fill in some of the many blanks regarding the characters. This starts with who the heck those children even were, including who their parents were, and why were people OK with them hanging out with 'Fix-it' Dan (Kane).
I know it was the 1940s but even if they were orphans, it seemed a little strange to me the only parental figure in their lives was an unmarried, middle-aged man who was making explosives in his laboratory. There are quite a few red flags there, in my opinion.
I am also still admittedly a little confused about why Ann (Grey) was the first one the police suspected, other than she was his nurse and it was convenient. Of course, I'm even more confused about how the police decided it was murder in the first place, especially since, based on the ending, they didn't even find a body. This movie only happens because of incompetent police work.
Final Opinion: The movie does have some funny moments, especially in the courtroom early on. However, cute kids doing funny things can only get you so far. This film was in desperate need of substance to go with that.
My Grade: D
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Here are some reviews of other 1940s comedies:
Movie Review: Up in the Air (1940)
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