Dr. Socrates
Dr. Socrates is a 1935 American crime film directed by William Dieterle and starring Paul Muni as a doctor forced to treat a wounded gangster, played by Barton MacLane.
| Dr. Socrates | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | William Dieterle |
| Written by | Robert Lord (screenplay) Mary C. McCall, Jr. (adaptation) |
| Based on | "Dr. Socrates" 1935 story in Collier's by W. R. Burnett |
| Produced by | Robert Lord |
| Starring | Paul Muni Ann Dvorak Barton MacLane |
| Cinematography | Tony Gaudio |
| Edited by | Ralph Dawson |
| Music by | Bernhard Kaun Heinz Roemheld |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
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Running time | 70 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
The death of his fiancée in a car crash so unnerves top surgeon Dr. Lee Cardwell that he moves to a rural community and becomes a general practitioner, but he attracts few patients. The local doctor calls him Dr. Socrates because he always has his head in a book of classics.
Bank robber Red Bastian comes to him after he is shot in the arm during his latest caper. Lee treats Red, but is unwillingly to accept payment. Red, however, makes him take a $100 bill for his trouble.
Later on, while on his way to another bank job, Red picks up hitchhiker Josephine Gray. While Red's gang is busy robbing the bank, Josephine tries to run away, but gets shot. She is treated by Dr. Socrates. At first, the police think that she is a gang "moll", but she is cleared and recuperates at the doctor's home.
Red and his gang kidnap her and take her to their hideout, which the doctor had visited earlier on a medical call. He tells the police where to find the gang, but asks that they give him a chance to get Josephine safely away. He convinces the gang members that they need to be inoculated against an outbreak of typhoid fever, but what he really gives them is a knockout drug. He takes care of Red himself. Lee is a hero, and even the local doctor says nice things about him.
Cast
- Paul Muni as Lee
- Ann Dvorak as Josephine
- Barton MacLane as Red Bastian
- Robert Barrat as Dr. Ginder
- John Eldredge as Dr. Burton
- Hobart Cavanaugh as Stevens
- Helen Lowell as Ma Ganson
- Mayo Methot as Muggsy
- Henry O'Neill as Greer
- Grace Stafford as Caroline Suggs
- Samuel Hinds as Dr. McClintick
- June Travis as Dublin
- Raymond Brown as Ben Suggs
- Olin Howland as Bob Catlett
- Joseph Downing as Cinq Laval
- Grady Sutton as General Store Clerk
- Adrian Morris as Beanie - a Gangster
Critical reception
Writing for The Spectator in 1936, Graham Greene gave the film a poor review, dismissing it as "a third-rate gangster film". Despite comparing Paul Muni's performance to personality performers like Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford, Greene concludes that his effort in Dr Socrates "is not one of Muni's successful films". Whereas the film should have been exciting, all that the film could conjure up was funniness.[1]
References
- Greene, Graham (7 February 1936). "Dr Socrates/The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo/The Imperfect Lady". The Spectator. (reprinted in: Taylor, John Russell, ed. (1980). The Pleasure Dome. pp. 50–51. ISBN 0192812866.)