By Frank Miller
Army Surgeon
Brief Synopsis
A female surgeon pretends to be a nurse so she can serve on the front line.
Cast & Crew
Read More
A. Edward Sutherland
Director
James Ellison
Captain James Mason
Jane Wyatt
Beth Ainsley
Kent Taylor
Lieutenant Philip Harvey
Walter Reed
Dr. Bill Drake
James Burke
Brooklyn
Film Details
Genre
War
Classic Hollywood
Release Date
Dec
4,
1942
Premiere Information
New York opening: 5 Nov 1942
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 2m
Film Length
5,649ft
Synopsis
Beth Ainsley, a W.A.A.C. officer aboard a medical ship bound for the battlefields of World War II, thinks back to another war, twenty years earlier when she was a nurse assigned to work under Captain James Mason of the Medical Corps: Mason, who disapproves of women working near the front lines, soon comes to respect Beth's hard work and later learns that she is a licensed physician. When Mason voices his discouragement about not being close enough to the front lines to save lives, Beth convinces John Wishart, their commanding officer, to move the hospital closer to the front. Soon after, a fighter plane piloted by Lieutenant Philip Harvey, Beth's former beau, is shot down, and Phil is brought to the hospital with an injured ankle. There, Phil's presence provokes Mason's jealousy, and after the flyer is discharged, Dr. Bill Drake, another doctor assigned to the unit, tries to kindle a romance between Beth and Mason. On Christmas Eve, Drake is mortally wounded while trying to rescue an injured soldier. After Drake's death, an exhausted Beth reports to Wishart at headquarters and he orders the nurse to take several days leave. While strolling down the street in town, Beth meets Phil, who invites her to join him at the local café. Mason is also at the café, and when Beth overhears him disclaim any romantic interest in her, she is hurt. Soon after, Brooklyn, a soldier attached to the hospital unit, notifies Beth and Mason that they have been called back to evacuate the hospital, and Phil returns with them to help with the evacuation. When Mason insists upon remaining with five patients who are unable to be moved, Beth refuses to leave without him. Before Mason can argue with her, a bomb strikes the hospital, which is actually an underground dugout, and they are all trapped behind a mound of earth. Just as their oxygen and air supplies are exhausted, Phil and Mason dig their way to freedom, only to discover that they are now behind enemy lines. Mason wins a coin toss to go for reinforcements, but when he is wounded, Phil risks his own life to carry his rival to safety. Just then, Brooklyn arrives with the news of a German retreat. Beth's thoughts return to the present, where Mason enters her cabin and addresses her as "darling."
Director
A. Edward Sutherland
Director
Cast
James Ellison
Captain James Mason
Jane Wyatt
Beth Ainsley
Kent Taylor
Lieutenant Philip Harvey
Walter Reed
Dr. Bill Drake
James Burke
Brooklyn
George Cleveland
John Wishart
Lee Bonnell
Ramsey
Jack Briggs
Orderly
Bud Geary
Orderly
Fred Sweeney
Orderly
Eddie Dew
Orderly
Cyril Ring
Major Peterson
Cliff Clark
Ship's captain
Ann Codee
Flower woman
Dick Hogan
Saunders
Russell Wade
Soldier
Glenn Strange
Soldier
Richard Martin
Soldier
Eddie Acuff
Sergeant
Eddie Hart
Dispatch runner
George Melford
Doctor
Major Farrell
Proprietor
Jack Martin
German officer
Frank O'connor
Crew
C. Bakaleinikoff
Music Director
Samuel E. Beetley
Editing
Albert S. D'agostino
Art Director
Bert Gilroy
Producer
Walter E. Keller
Art Director
Emmet Lavery
Screenwriter
Russell Metty
Director of Photography
Lou Ostrow
Executive Producer
Sam Ruman
Assistant Director
John Tribby
Recording
Barry Trivers
Screenwriter
John Twist
Story
Vernon L. Walker
Special Effects
Roy Webb
Music
Film Details
Genre
War
Classic Hollywood
Release Date
Dec
4,
1942
Premiere Information
New York opening: 5 Nov 1942
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 2m
Film Length
5,649ft
Articles
Army Surgeon
War adds a special zing to the romantic triangle behind this 1942 programmer. On the eve of World War II, W.A.A.C. officer Jane Wyatt remembers World War I, when she served as nurse for heroic surgeon James Ellison. Every time their romance seems to be on track, either the enemy or former love Kent Taylor, as a dashing flyer, mucks things up for them. The film is very much a Hollywood product. Although taking advantage of World War II headlines to generate interest, it's largely set in an earlier era, allowing the filmmakers to use stock costumes from other World War I films. And even though the action spans a quarter of a century, Wyatt barely shows any signs of the passage of time in the modern-day framing story, while the male characters who survive have a hint of gray in their hair. Randolph Scott was originally pegged to play the heroic flyer, which might have given Ellison more of a run for his money than B-movie stalwart Taylor. At least director A. Edward Sutherland, who had started in the movies as one of the Keystone Kops, keeps the story moving rapidly, getting all the romantic complications in in just over an hour.
By Frank Miller
By Frank Miller
Army Surgeon
War adds a special zing to the romantic triangle behind this 1942 programmer. On the eve of World War II, W.A.A.C. officer Jane Wyatt remembers World War I, when she served as nurse for heroic surgeon James Ellison. Every time their romance seems to be on track, either the enemy or former love Kent Taylor, as a dashing flyer, mucks things up for them. The film is very much a Hollywood product. Although taking advantage of World War II headlines to generate interest, it's largely set in an earlier era, allowing the filmmakers to use stock costumes from other World War I films. And even though the action spans a quarter of a century, Wyatt barely shows any signs of the passage of time in the modern-day framing story, while the male characters who survive have a hint of gray in their hair. Randolph Scott was originally pegged to play the heroic flyer, which might have given Ellison more of a run for his money than B-movie stalwart Taylor. At least director A. Edward Sutherland, who had started in the movies as one of the Keystone Kops, keeps the story moving rapidly, getting all the romantic complications in in just over an hour.
By Frank Miller
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The opening credits of this film are preceeded by a scene in which two officers aboard a medical convoy discuss the importance of the medical corps. According to a pre-production news item in Hollywood Reporter, Randolph Scott was originally slated to appear as "Lieutenant Philip Harvey." Another pre-production news item in Hollywood Reporter adds June Havoc to the cast, but she does not appear in the completed film. While filming a fight scene with James Ellison, actor Kent Taylor suffered seven fractured ribs, according to a news item in Hollywood Reporter. The Variety review incorrectly identifies Walter Reed as Walter Drake and Russell Wade as Russell Wage. The SAB misidentifies director A. Edward Sutherland as Sidney Sutherland.
