An unexpected delight - the cinematic output of Sonny Tufts doesn't have the best reputation but this was produced by John Houseman, who has many fine films on his resume. It's a loving, sweet depiction of some doctor students in 1910... kind of like Doctor in the House... though really they may as well updated it (there's always something creepy about watching medical period pieces because characters are constantly falling sick from things that will be routinely repaired down the track).
Tufts was very winning as the awkward, shy student - it plays to his strengths (seems like a nice guy, gangly, not too demanding a role, a little bit of romance, some doctoring, no big words). The real surprise for me was Joan Caulfield, who is bright and pretty and great fun as a gal who decides to marry Tufts straight away.
Veronica Lake is in it too - top billed but in not a very big part and she's not very good as a nurse who falls for a doctor student who dies. She never seems comfortable.
There's other doctors too - Billy de Wolfe does comic stuff, and there's some other guy. The men are kind of bland. I got confused who they were - the star power is B list. Ray Collins and George Colouris, old Mercury cronies of Houseman, props up the support.
Lilian Gish plays Miss Susie who runs the boarding house. She's a bit creepy actually - not very good, not that warm, IMHO anyway. I couldn't help laughing at her initiating men - I couldn't help imagining her sneaking into the boys room after dark for some special services. I know that's low hanging fruit but you try watching that scene and not thinking of it, either.
But it's sweet. Director John Berry does a good job in his first feature.
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