From the moment you see the Oscar Winning Susan Hayward as Dr. Maggie Cole, you know she is a special lady. She has come into a small airport to greet her doctor husband Richard Anderson who also happens to be able to fly a plane, and shockingly witnesses his death in a fiery plane crash after he has a heart attack. She moves from her small town hospital much against the wishes of boss Dane Clark (a nice cameo for a veteran actor from Hayward's heyday) to an unknown big city where he befriends practically everybody she meets. Gruff boss Darren McGavin is initially leery of her, but in spite of her initial mistakes, she fits right in, immediately befriending head nurse Maidie Norman ("What Ever Happened to Baby Jane's" Elvira) and the intelligent young Michelle Nichols who wants to become a doctor herself and learns a new medical term every day. Her patients adore her, and she becomes a mother figure to Nichols who ends up fighting for her life when diagnosed with leukemia.
What could fit into a half a year's worth of plots of "General Hospital" and "The Doctors" (the two hit medical daytime soaps of the time, one of which had their own Dr. Maggie) takes 75 minutes to unfold, and Hayward is excellent, tough yet compassionate, serious yet often funny. Beverly Garland has a nice supporting role as the wife of one of Hayward's patients who seems to do more talking for him than he does, and Jeanette Nolan is touching as Nichols' seemingly cold hearted grandmother.
I could easily have seen this as a TV series had Hayward not come down with her own life threatening illness (a brain tumor tied in with nuclear testing near a location shoot she did some 16 years before), and indeed, Hayward seemed to have plenty of stamina, having filled in for Barbara Stanwyck in another TV movie the same year as well as appearing in a big screen feature as well. The song sung over the credits by Dusty Springfield is very pretty, and the theme music continues throughout the film, eventually settling in on your heart as Hayward's dramas reach a tough conclusion as she once again faces loss. But this woman is strong and will persevere, although it is obvious that her memories will never be saying goodbye. Neither will the memories of this fabulous redhead who stands the test of time 45 years after her sad death.
What could fit into a half a year's worth of plots of "General Hospital" and "The Doctors" (the two hit medical daytime soaps of the time, one of which had their own Dr. Maggie) takes 75 minutes to unfold, and Hayward is excellent, tough yet compassionate, serious yet often funny. Beverly Garland has a nice supporting role as the wife of one of Hayward's patients who seems to do more talking for him than he does, and Jeanette Nolan is touching as Nichols' seemingly cold hearted grandmother.
I could easily have seen this as a TV series had Hayward not come down with her own life threatening illness (a brain tumor tied in with nuclear testing near a location shoot she did some 16 years before), and indeed, Hayward seemed to have plenty of stamina, having filled in for Barbara Stanwyck in another TV movie the same year as well as appearing in a big screen feature as well. The song sung over the credits by Dusty Springfield is very pretty, and the theme music continues throughout the film, eventually settling in on your heart as Hayward's dramas reach a tough conclusion as she once again faces loss. But this woman is strong and will persevere, although it is obvious that her memories will never be saying goodbye. Neither will the memories of this fabulous redhead who stands the test of time 45 years after her sad death.