The Mad Genius

The Mad Genius 1931 is an alltalking precode horror drama film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. and directed by Michael Curtiz. The film stars John Barrymore, Marian Marsh, Donald Cook, Charles Butterworth, and in small roles, Boris Karloff and Frankie Darro. The film is based on the play The Idol 1929 by Martin Brown, which opened in Great Neck, New York but never opened on Broadway.

In the film Svengali, released earlier the same year, Barrymore played the title character who similarly manipulated the life of a female singer, also played by Marsh.Warner Bros. was so pleased by the box office returns for Svengali 1931, also starring Barrymore and Marsh, and their first talking feature The Terror 1928, that they rushed The Mad Genius into production, and released it onNovember 1931. ........

Source: Wikipedia