User Reviews

This is the fifth of the six Dr. Christian movies I have seen. Unfortunately, this one was produced by Alpha Video--a company with a very poor track record on DVD quality. Not surprisingly, the copy I saw was fuzzy and the sound rather low. I've seen far worse Alpha films, but I have long noticed that they never do restoration work on the films (not that I could notice, at least). However, in some cases this is the only source for a film. If you can find one from another DVD manufacturer, I say try that one first. I appreciate what films Alpha brings us...I just am not thrilled with the prints.

This is the first of the series and because the films were all made so close together, they have unusually good continuity--with the same basic cast throughout the run. In addition, this was a radio series and TV series in the 1950s.

Oddly, unlike the other five films, this one doesn't really seem to have much in the way of plot. There are plot elements, but no real theme. Sure, Dr. Christian is a nice guy and his patient's keep him dirt poor partly because they are poor and partly because the good doctor is so gosh-darn selfless. Some themes that come up during the film are a bratty (and creepy) little girl who is in love, the object of her affection (a teen boy) falling for Christian's nurse, the need for a hospital, an intransigent town council and an introduction to some of the town's people and their uninteresting problems (such as the town hypochondriac). Naturally, by the end, they all work themselves out and everyone FINALLY appreciates Christian--at least until the next film!

Because of this meandering nature, this is clearly one of the weakest film in the series--though the sixth one is worse because of all the sappy singing (uggh). It's all pleasant enough, but not especially deep or memorable and the writing, at times, seems a bit broad. Also, considering how good some of the later films are, it's worth seeing this film--just remember that they do get better.

By the way, is it just me or do the people of Christian's small town all seem just a bit selfish in all the movies? They always seem to take the good doctor for granted. Just once, I wanted to see him refuse to treat a patient, call people names, curse or leave to open a practice in a more deserving town!! Just my two cents' worth.

Today we have Dr. House; the late 1930s until the mid-50s were luckier for it was Dr. Christian (in films, on radio and on television) that was everybody's favorite doctor. Dr. Christian is a small time doctor who often accepts produce (usually tomatoes) as payment from his patients in lieu of money. This is to the chagrin of his housekeeper Mrs. Hastings (nicely played by Maude Eburne). The doctor's only source of steady income is his work as doctor for the local factory (a job he loses) and as the town's health commissioner. It is the doctor's and other town peoples' dream that the town, River's Edge, have its own hospital. Influential factory owner John Hewitt is the new efficient take-charge mayor. Good things happen for the town but not a new hospital. Hewitt (Paul Harvey) thinks Dr. Christian is inefficient and spends too much money as health commissioner and summarily and publicly fires him. However, when Dr. Christian saves the life of his daughter, Hewitt is finally appreciative of Dr. Christian's skill. A side story line is the teenage Don Hewitt's on again, off again romance with fickle Marilee and the interference of his sister (the same little girl later saved by Dr. Christian). Hewitt's daughter is a fun character – the fight scene at the beginning of the movie and the episode with her trying to give her brother's rival the mumps are especially good. She steals every scene she's in. While Dr. Christian's forgiving, chronically positive nature seems too good to be true, it is still nice to think that both great skill and compassion can go hand-in-hand. Hersholt plays the character perfectly.

The Academy of Motion Pictures of Arts and Sciences has given out the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian award for years based upon the decision to honor one of the most humanitarian of any actor to ever step foot in front of a camera. Under contract to MGM as a character actor in the 1930's, Hersholt played roles of all kinds, but it is probably for his radio and movie series playing Dr. Christian for which he will be remembered for those who research why an obscure actor is still relevant 80 years past his prime. The first entry in the series is a moving look at a small town doctor who is hired by mayor Paul Harvey to run the town's health department. He has treated practically everybody in the town, so everybody loves him and turns to him for advice. He's got a devoted nurse (Dorothy Lovett), a motherly housekeeper (Maude Eburne), and the children all adore him for his patient way in dealing with them. But as he gets ideas in his head of improving his practice, he finds objections from the tight-fisted mayor Harvey who humiliates him in public and fires him from his town council position. When Harvey's perky pre-teen daughter (Patsy Parsons) is badly injured in a car accident, it comes down to what is best for Parsons rather than Harvey's pride, leading to some emotional scenes at the very end that may very well have you in tears.

There are times on screen when sentiment can be over the top and the heart strings tugged at far too much, but for the first Dr. Christian film at least, there is a fine mixture of comedy and pathos, political conflict and human pride to deal with. Parsons is seen in the opening basically interfering in the life of the older brother (Jackie Moran) she worships, and it is because of his recklessness as a driver that she ends up on the operating table. This film takes great detail in bringing the conflict between Hersholt and Harvey to a head at the town picnic, and the look on Hersholt's face when Harvey humiliates him (as well as the townfolk's shock) is quite profound. I had hoped that some of the characters in the first film would re-appear somewhere in the film's six installments, but only a few of them do with no re-appearance by mayor Harvey. Some of the films of the series would have benefited by at least one scene of River's End's mayor appearing, even just for continuity sake. But the series as a whole is very good even though it might not fully stand the test of time. As a document of how life used to be (even though it was always darker than what is presented on screen), it gives its audience some hope for even a part time utopia where neighbors really care about each other, that a doctor with a lollipop for a young girl in a car accident will make the hurt go away, and that conflicts between people who have known each other for years can be resolved when they come to the awareness of what is really important.