"ALIAS THE DOCTOR" (1932)

[rmichaelpyle]

I also watched "Alias, the Doctor" (1932) with Richard Barthelmess and Marian Marsh. Also prominently featured was Lucille La Verne, a lady who appeared in so many great minor roles in her career, most notably as The Vengeance in "A Tale of Two Cities" in 1935. What a chin, too - maybe the longest sticking out chin in the history of film! Also in the cast were Norman Foster, Adrienne Dore, Oscar Apfel, John St. Polis, and George Rosener. Even Claire Dodd showed up unexpectedly in an unbilled tiny little part. This one begins in 1924 in Austria where Barthelmess is about to go to medical school along with his half-brother Norman Foster. Both go, but Foster's a drunk, and one night injures a girl he's with and operates illegally on her, and she dies. Barthelmess takes the blame because of all kinds of reasons, too complicated to explain here. He serves a three year prison sentence. Next, his half-brother dies alcoholically and he takes over his medical practice illegally. You can guess what happens. In the end he is forced to operate on his mother, but the profession tries to stop the operation... I won't give away the ending, but you can guess. Although this is a potboiler's potboiler, the film is wonderfully acted, and the photography at moments has the same kind of feel that one gets watching German Impressionistic films of the early and mid twenties! Gorgeously done! I've not seen this for about twenty years, and it was very good to re-visit it. I was definitely not disappointed. This is also a new release of the Warner Archive Collection. Very much recommended. Some will decry the writing some, and they'll be correct, but it's a wonderful film anyway, and for many other reasons.

[Midge]

Richard Barthelmess was so memorable in Wings as Buddy Roger's friend and fellow aviator. It's a shame that his career in sound films never really took off. Loved your comment about Lucille LaVerne's chin!

[rmichaelpyle]

Sorry, Midge, but Barthelmess wasn't in "Wings" - that was Richard Arlen, and both had a fine career in sound films until the end of the thirties. Arlen's career actually went on until he died in 1976. Barthelmess retired in 1942. He made some wonderful sound films in the 30's, though, such as the original "The Dawn Patrol" (1930), "Heroes for Sale" (1934), a fabulous Great Depression film, "Cabin in the Cotton" (1932), the film where Bette Davis uttered her most famous line before "All About Eve's" "gonna be a bumpy night": "Ah'd love ta kiss ya', but Ah just washed mah hair!". He also was in "Only Angels Have Wings" (1939), playing the part of the former pilot who got a friend of all the leads killed at a former time. He had a fine career in sound, in my opinion. And he quit when he wanted to quit - going out on top. Unfortunately, his career began back in the 1910's, and by the 1960's most people had already forgot about him. He needs a re-discovery. Actually, my favorite sound film of his is his 1931 potboiler called "The Finger Points", a story based on the real life newspaper reporter Jake Lingle who worked in conjunction with the mob and paid the ultimate price for it.