I really enjoyed this medical drama, which feels authentic - certainly it was compared to many Hollywood films. It tells multiple stories of a year of interns, focusing on James MacArthur, Cliff Robertson, Michael Callan, Haya Harareet, and Nick Adams. A version of the "three girls" film.
Harareet is a woman bullied by Telly Savalas but who earns the bully's respect by secretly having a kid. I enjoyed this plot actually because she, well, is a woman doctor, and Savalas is so much fun.
Robertson stalks a model/actress Suzy Parker who wants his help getting an abortion.
Michael Callan has a girlfriend but seduces an older nurse for his career and gets hooked on drugs.
Nick Adams falls for a dying girl, a variation on the brave, beautiful native types.
MacArthur is an amiable actor but his character is a prat - turning in his mate Robertson who is stealing an anti abortion drug, tracking down an entirely justified mercy killer, bullying Stefanie Powers into marriage before she can go travelling. It's horrible at the end when she gives up her dreams to get that self righteous prig.
But there's some great scenes, like a patient asking to be killed, the banter between Buddy Ebsen and Telly Savalas, Robertson awkwardly coming back to the graduation drinks after he's been kicked out of being a doctor. Death is constant, another aspect of life at the hospital - for instance, after Adams' girl dies two nurses chatter over her toy which they've stolen, there's a passing moment of a mother bawling over her daughter who's choked to death on a piece of apple.
Walter Newman co wrote the script and I'll attribute the good points to him, though co-writer/director David Swift does a good job too.
There's lots going on - parties, death, worried elder doctors, ethics.
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