EugeniaH Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 Medical dramas - they are both an important part of a good movie plot, or the entire basis of a great film. What are your favorite "medical films" or medical subplots? Why do you think they are well made? Here is a short list of some of the more memorable ones as a "jumping off" place (and the focus can be either physical or mental): The Snake Pit: Olivia de Havilland, one of my favorite actresses, in a harrowing performance on her time in an insane asylum Dark Victory: the legendary Bette Davis struck down by a terminal illness Awakenings (1990): Though not a studio-era film, I found it to be incredibly moving and powerful. Magnificent Obsession - Sirk soaper starring Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyphils31 Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 Would "The Story of Louis Pasteur" qualify? I like Paul Muni a lot. Too bad he was not more prolific. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EugeniaH Posted December 20, 2013 Author Share Posted December 20, 2013 Sure would! I like Paul Muni, too, and agree that he was a good actor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traceyk65 Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 In The Lady is Willing , Marlene Dietrich and Fred MacMurray marry for convenience and adopt a baby. The baby gets mastoiditis (I think) and there's a big hospital drama with MacMurray (who's a pediatrician) operating on his own baby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 How about the old "Dr Kildaire" films? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyphils31 Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 It's hard to pinpoint many strictly medical films. There aren't too many I can recall other than the "Dr. Kildare" type that are unfortunately cliched to me. The mad doctor Universal horror films of the 30s and 40s or the 50s sci-fi films had plenty of doctors and research, but I doubt if those are what you had in mind, and I certainly don't think Dr. Hackenbush qualifies either. It is an interesting homework assignment, Eugenia. I'll work on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EugeniaH Posted December 20, 2013 Author Share Posted December 20, 2013 I've never heard of that movie, tracey. Marlene Dietrich and Fred MacMurray? I have a hard time imagining that odd pairing. Yeah, ham, the Dr. Kildare series, this thread wouldn't be complete without mention of them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EugeniaH Posted December 20, 2013 Author Share Posted December 20, 2013 *It's hard to pinpoint many strictly medical films.* Hi tommy - it doesn't need to be strictly a medical film. It could be a movie about something entirely different, and then some "medical crisis" comes up that's particularly moving or memorable. I don't know - I'm just freewheeling here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredCDobbs Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EugeniaH Posted December 20, 2013 Author Share Posted December 20, 2013 Lol (watch out if he tries to give you a horse pill!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredCDobbs Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 "Here, smoke a few of these cigarettes tonight and call me in the morning." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredCDobbs Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 "It's true! He swallowed the microphone!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyphils31 Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 "D.O.A". with Edmond O'Brien has a medical diagnosis that leads to plenty of suspense. That was a terrific picture. Another fine film that focuses on mental illness if "Fear Strikes Out" about baseball player Jimmy Piersall starring Anthony Perkins and Karl Malden. Although I consider this one an excellent drama, perhaps a little over the top at times, as an ex-ballplayer, I think Tony Perkins is a terrible centerfielder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EugeniaH Posted December 20, 2013 Author Share Posted December 20, 2013 Reminds me of an old sitcom I saw where the doctor walks in to see his patient, he's got a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and he's hacking away like crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyphils31 Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 Take a look at Dr. Flicker, the doctor Alvy Singer's mother took him to in "Annie Hall". Remember, Brooklyn is not expanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EugeniaH Posted December 20, 2013 Author Share Posted December 20, 2013 Here's a great "doctor" joke from *Annie Hall*: "...I was in analysis. I was suicidal as a matter of fact and would have killed myself, but I was in analysis with a strict Freudian, and if you kill yourself, they make you pay for the sessions you miss." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyphils31 Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 At least now Alvy doesn't have to wear the lobster bib. Sorry, Grammy Hall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyphils31 Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 It's not really classic, and I must admit, I cannot stand it, "Love Story". "Love means never having to say you're sorry" BLECH! Premiered on network TV Christmas night, 1971 right after the Dolphins beat the Chiefs in the longest NFL game ever. A bad day got worse. Edited by: tommyphils31 on Dec 20, 2013 12:26 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dabb Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 I think this a great topic, Eugenia. I'm really attracted to biographical or semi-biographical medical and science films. Here's a few of my favorites: Sister Kenny (1946) Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940) Madame Curie (1943) Green Light (1937) Dive Bomber (1941) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EugeniaH Posted December 20, 2013 Author Share Posted December 20, 2013 Thanks, Kid! Tommy, I've never seen "Love Story". Somehow I'm not motivated to, either, after reading your post. Turning to a more serious film, I like the lesser-known Carole Lombard drama *Vigil in the Night* (1940). Without giving the movie away, the incident that causes the Anne Shirley character to lose her job was particularly sad. Edited by: EugeniaH on Dec 19, 2013 8:46 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 "Doctor In The House" (1954) British comedy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dabb Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 Not exactly old Hollywood.. I'd like to include *The Hospital (1971)* as a small work of art. If you've spent enough time in a hospital, you know what's going on with this film. This is funny and scary at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo2 Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 And, who can forget... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faceinthecrowd Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 In *The Shadow Boxer,* a doctor has a lighted cigarette in his mouth as he's examining a newborn baby. It's not supposed to be funny, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tikisoo Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 I recently watched PANIC IN THE STREETS expecting some kind of film noir from the title. Instead of gangsters, the enemy was an epidemic! Generally my favorite medical films center around the warped mind rather than an ailing body. I love NOW VOYAGER, 3 FACES OF EVE, SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER, that sort of film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts