Years Before Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart Made His Only Sci-Fi Movie

Humphrey Bogart is remembered as one of the greatest stars of classic American cinema. Famed for his roles as Rick Blaine in "Casablanca," as well as detectives Philip Marlowe in "The Big Sleep" and Sam Spade in "The Maltese Falcon," Bogart made his name in the world of film noir. After getting started on Broadway, his first film appearance was in 1930's "A Devil with Women," launching a career that saw the actor appear in over 75 movies. However, it was 1941's "High Sierra" that marked Bogart's big break though, catapulting him to new levels of fame.

Of course, most people will recognize Bogart for his turn in "Casablanca," or at least its iconic closing scene. His long coat and fedora became the defining look of 1940s film noir and of the actor himself. The film also saw Bogart earn his first Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Mr. Blaine, which paved the way to his eventual Oscar win for "The African Queen." In the decades since, Bogart's "Casablanca" protagonist has come in fourth on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 greatest screen heroes and villains.

Above all else, his roles in "Casablanca," various film noir thrillers, and Academy Award-winning dramas earned Bogart a reputation as a serious actor most closely associated with the dramatic classics of cinema ... which is to say, most people wouldn't associate the actor with campy sci-fi B-movies. And yet, before making it big, Bogart appeared in the title role of the schlocky 1939 sci-fi/horror flick, "The Return of Doctor X."

Seemingly — though not really — a sequel to 1932's "Doctor X," "The Return of Doctor X" sees Humphrey Bogart playing a twisted scientist who has been brought back from the dead. Bogart's Dr. Maurice Xavier had been sent to the electric chair after word got out he had killed a child over the course of one of his dangerous experiments, but he's later resurrected by Dr. Francis Flegg (John Litel), a hematologist. A series of murders, in which the victims have been drained of blood, then lead reporter Walter Garrett (Wayne Morris) and Dr. Mike Rhodes (Dennis Morgan) to turn to Flegg for help. In time, though, they notice his assistant, a man called Quesne, bears a striking resemblance to the recently departed Dr. Xavier. Sure enough, the true nature of Flegg's dastardly experiments soon emerges, and Quesne is revealed to be the resurrected Xavier.

Xavier, we learn, was resurrected with the use of synthetic blood, but his continued survival depends on securing rare, real Type One blood. This sets Xavier on a killing spree in which he, naturally, drains his victims of their blood. Drawing on elements of "Frankenstein," "Dracula," and what we now recognize as zombie movie tropes, "The Return of Doctor X" proved to be less than the sum of its parts and was generally poorly reviewed upon its initial release. Its reputation hasn't improved much since then either, with the one standout element of this early sci-fi B-movie being Bogart's appearance in a genre role before he found his niche. It's certainly an odd glimpse into his pre-"Casablanca" acting career.