This film probably could have been a dud if not for one reason: Fredric March, who outshines everyone as the crusty Dr. Pearson, head of pathology at a big-city hospital. The movie, like many hospital dramas, has a number of plots going on at the same time, and it takes quite a bit of attention to keep them straight.
When the hospital hires Dr. Coleman (Ben Gazzara) as his assistant, March has quite a hissy-fit, feeling that his lab has been invaded, and picks fights with the meticulous Gazzara at every chance. Gazzara can't stand March's sloppy housekeeping, and tries to clean things up, much to March's outrage.
The ultra-dedicated and hard-driving Gazzara meets a pretty hospital nurse, Cathy Hunter (Balin) and falls hard for her, although he thinks she is faking her supposed knee problems. It turns out that March diagnoses her with bone cancer, and recommends that her leg be amputated. This causes all sorts of emotions, and Gazzara actually becomes human toward the end of the movie.
There's also a subplot about Dr. Alexander (Dick Clark) and his wife, who are expecting a baby. March screws up a lab test on the mother, and heroic obstetrician Eddie Albert must save the newborn's life through some pretty tense and sweaty hospital scenes. Remember, this was about four years before "Green Acres", so don't laugh.
Because of his screw-up with the Alexander baby, March resigns and turns the pathology lab over to Gazzara, with a few elderly words of advice, of course. March walks away, movie ends.
Besides March, Gazzara, Albert, Clark, and Balin, the cast is sprinkled with notable actors, including the perfectly cast Edward Andrews (March's chief lab technician), intern George Segal (in his film debut), kindly doctor Aline MacMahon, and harried hospital administrator Arthur Hill. Ronald Reagan provides voice-over narration during the opening scenes! This movie was filmed in B&W and perfectly captures the early 1960s. Great cast, acting, and story place this above most hospital dramas. Worth seeking out.
When the hospital hires Dr. Coleman (Ben Gazzara) as his assistant, March has quite a hissy-fit, feeling that his lab has been invaded, and picks fights with the meticulous Gazzara at every chance. Gazzara can't stand March's sloppy housekeeping, and tries to clean things up, much to March's outrage.
The ultra-dedicated and hard-driving Gazzara meets a pretty hospital nurse, Cathy Hunter (Balin) and falls hard for her, although he thinks she is faking her supposed knee problems. It turns out that March diagnoses her with bone cancer, and recommends that her leg be amputated. This causes all sorts of emotions, and Gazzara actually becomes human toward the end of the movie.
There's also a subplot about Dr. Alexander (Dick Clark) and his wife, who are expecting a baby. March screws up a lab test on the mother, and heroic obstetrician Eddie Albert must save the newborn's life through some pretty tense and sweaty hospital scenes. Remember, this was about four years before "Green Acres", so don't laugh.
Because of his screw-up with the Alexander baby, March resigns and turns the pathology lab over to Gazzara, with a few elderly words of advice, of course. March walks away, movie ends.
Besides March, Gazzara, Albert, Clark, and Balin, the cast is sprinkled with notable actors, including the perfectly cast Edward Andrews (March's chief lab technician), intern George Segal (in his film debut), kindly doctor Aline MacMahon, and harried hospital administrator Arthur Hill. Ronald Reagan provides voice-over narration during the opening scenes! This movie was filmed in B&W and perfectly captures the early 1960s. Great cast, acting, and story place this above most hospital dramas. Worth seeking out.