It is Bing Crosby's acting swan song, and a worthy one. Except for his brilliant recovering alcoholic stage star in THE COUNTRY WIFE, and an occasional display of anger in his other films (note his speech at Emperor Franz Josef about the puppies at the end of the THE EMPEROR WALTZ), Bing is always notable for his wonderful even temper. Dr. Cook gave him his chance of pulling out the stops.
Burl Ives had played the role briefly on stage, and actually got good reviews (the play seemed too slight to the critics, and to New York audiences). The story is this: Frank Converse is Dr. Jimmy Tennyson, who is returning to his small home town to work with the man whom he always admired the most, Dr. Leonard Cook (Bing). Cook is the ideal small town doctor (reminiscent of his young doctor who goes to the New England Town to assist Barry Fitzgerald in WELCOME STRANGER). He is warm and kindly, and full of common sense. He also has a green thumb, being usually in his personal garden when not with his patients. So Converse is very happy to be working with his emotional/educational mentor.
But in now working closer with Cook, Dr. Tennyson begins to notice that there are some odd deaths that accrue in the town. People will ask Cook to come in for some minor cold or something like that, and will be dead in twenty four hours. Tennyson soon begins to notice that the people who die so suddenly are not really mourned. His girlfriend, Janey Raustch (Blythe Danner), points out that many of them were notoriously bad tempered neighbors, cruel to their families or to pets or other people, or drunkards who made life hellish for others, and so they aren't missed. Eventually Tennyson starts questioning Cook, and after some attempts at shrugging off Tennyson's questions Cook begins to admit that the not-to-loved departed were possibly sped on their way with Cook's assistance.
Tennyson is (naturally) astounded to hear that Cook has been poisoning (with overdoses of morphine and other drugs) these patients. Cook looks upon the town as a grander version of his garden, and these bad people as the equivalent of the weeds that he removes from his real garden.
The tension is the story is how Tennyson finds the growing number of dead "bad" people affecting his own conscience, and how his uncertainty is effecting his relationship with Cook, who is beginning to wonder if Tennyson is another weed to remove.
SPOILER COMING UP: Cook does go after Tennyson, but suffers a heart attack (his health has been in decline for awhile). As he is dying, Tennyson runs over with Cook's medication and can give it to him, but hesitates and realizes that Cook may not deserve to live if he is a murderer. Cook sees the hesitation, and (with a quiet irony) says to Tennyson that now he sees how really easy what Cook has been doing is. And Cook dies after saying this.
Crosby acting sinisterly is quite a novelty for his fans, and his final moments include chasing Converse with intent to kill him. It was quite a performance, matched by Converse and Danner (who gradually realizes what Converse has discovered). This television film has not been shown in many years, but if it is revived one day catch it. It was Bing's last moment to shine on screen.
Burl Ives had played the role briefly on stage, and actually got good reviews (the play seemed too slight to the critics, and to New York audiences). The story is this: Frank Converse is Dr. Jimmy Tennyson, who is returning to his small home town to work with the man whom he always admired the most, Dr. Leonard Cook (Bing). Cook is the ideal small town doctor (reminiscent of his young doctor who goes to the New England Town to assist Barry Fitzgerald in WELCOME STRANGER). He is warm and kindly, and full of common sense. He also has a green thumb, being usually in his personal garden when not with his patients. So Converse is very happy to be working with his emotional/educational mentor.
But in now working closer with Cook, Dr. Tennyson begins to notice that there are some odd deaths that accrue in the town. People will ask Cook to come in for some minor cold or something like that, and will be dead in twenty four hours. Tennyson soon begins to notice that the people who die so suddenly are not really mourned. His girlfriend, Janey Raustch (Blythe Danner), points out that many of them were notoriously bad tempered neighbors, cruel to their families or to pets or other people, or drunkards who made life hellish for others, and so they aren't missed. Eventually Tennyson starts questioning Cook, and after some attempts at shrugging off Tennyson's questions Cook begins to admit that the not-to-loved departed were possibly sped on their way with Cook's assistance.
Tennyson is (naturally) astounded to hear that Cook has been poisoning (with overdoses of morphine and other drugs) these patients. Cook looks upon the town as a grander version of his garden, and these bad people as the equivalent of the weeds that he removes from his real garden.
The tension is the story is how Tennyson finds the growing number of dead "bad" people affecting his own conscience, and how his uncertainty is effecting his relationship with Cook, who is beginning to wonder if Tennyson is another weed to remove.
SPOILER COMING UP: Cook does go after Tennyson, but suffers a heart attack (his health has been in decline for awhile). As he is dying, Tennyson runs over with Cook's medication and can give it to him, but hesitates and realizes that Cook may not deserve to live if he is a murderer. Cook sees the hesitation, and (with a quiet irony) says to Tennyson that now he sees how really easy what Cook has been doing is. And Cook dies after saying this.
Crosby acting sinisterly is quite a novelty for his fans, and his final moments include chasing Converse with intent to kill him. It was quite a performance, matched by Converse and Danner (who gradually realizes what Converse has discovered). This television film has not been shown in many years, but if it is revived one day catch it. It was Bing's last moment to shine on screen.