It was entirely coincidental that I watched "Doctors Don't Tell" shortly before watching "Undercover Doctor"....but it was a fortunate coincidence. This is because both films are very similar...even though they were brought out by different studios. If I didn't know that one was a Republic film and the other from RKO, I might have assumed that "Doctors Don't Tell" was a remake or re-working of the other movie.
When the story begins, Dr. Morgan (J. Carroll Naish) is an alcoholic but despite this, he seems to be a decent man. So, when he's asked to patch up a crook and NOT alert the police, he informs the gang that he WILL report the shooting to the authorities. But somehow he decides not to report it and you wonder why. Later, however, you realize it's because the doctor wants to do more business with these hoods. After all, it's very profitable doing work with criminals. Much of the story is about the FBI efforts to stop him and his new 'friends'.
While these two films are very similar, I prefer "Undercover Doctor". The story is a bit more exciting and Naish provides a surprisingly understated performance...something rarely seen with Naish and his tendency to overplay ethnic types. An interesting B-movie...one that is a notch or two better than average.
When the story begins, Dr. Morgan (J. Carroll Naish) is an alcoholic but despite this, he seems to be a decent man. So, when he's asked to patch up a crook and NOT alert the police, he informs the gang that he WILL report the shooting to the authorities. But somehow he decides not to report it and you wonder why. Later, however, you realize it's because the doctor wants to do more business with these hoods. After all, it's very profitable doing work with criminals. Much of the story is about the FBI efforts to stop him and his new 'friends'.
While these two films are very similar, I prefer "Undercover Doctor". The story is a bit more exciting and Naish provides a surprisingly understated performance...something rarely seen with Naish and his tendency to overplay ethnic types. An interesting B-movie...one that is a notch or two better than average.