Movie review - Doctor#4 - "Doctor in Love" (1960) **

Dirk Bogarde refused to return for the fourth doctor film as he was sick of the role so Rank replaced him with another handsome lout, Michael Craig. Craig was a very fine actor, and good looking, but he never became a star and you can sort of tell here - he simply doesn't have Bogarde's charisma. There was always something compulsively watchable about Bogarde - the hidden joke and smirk he seemed to be smiling, the air of soulfulness, etc. - which Craig doesn't have. Also Bogarde's Sparrow never seemed that interested in woman, giving him a ambiguous, romantic and/or flustered air as he admired from afar or ran away from those who pursued him - Craig's doctor here is very interested in women, which as written makes him come across as sleazy at times.

The script is episodic as usual, following Doctor at Large more than the first two: first episode has the doctor sick, then he works in various jobs, having adventures, often involving amorous patients and wacky other doctors - being a testing dummy for the common cold, running a small town general practice, meeting a female doctor, having a serious medical plot. The finale involves Craig operating on Sir Lancelot Spratt, which gives this film a strong finale.

Craig's doctor has the obligatory skirt-chasing friend, but the best performance comes from Virginia Maskell as a fellow female doctor - she's really lovely, a good match. Sex is on the brain even more here: there's a few burlesque dancer characters, a visit to a burlesque club, a 28 year old man who has to be taught about sex, Craig bursts into Maskell's bedroom several times. It probably goes on too long - I think they shouldn't have had Craig and Maskell get engaged then break up and get together, it felt too much - and Craig isn't as good as Bogarde, but it's still enjoyably colourful Rank comedy stuff.