''Doctors Don't Tell'' is a 1941 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Jacques Tourneur Jacques Tourneur (; November 12, 1904 – December 19, 1977) was a French film director known for the classic film noir ''Out of the Past'' and a series of low-budget horror films he made for RKO Studios, including ''Cat People (1942 film), Cat ...

and written by Theodore Reeves and Isabel Dawn. The film stars John Beal,

Florence Rice Florence Davenport Rice (February 14, 1907 – February 23, 1974) was an American film actress. Early years Florence Davenport Rice was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the only child of the noted sportswriter Grantland Rice and Fannie Katherine ...

Edward Norris Septimus Edward Norris (March 10, 1911 – December 18, 2002) was an American film actor. Early years Norris was born in 1911, the son of a prominent Philadelphia gynecologist, who was described in a newspaper article as "a famous surgeon and ...

, Ward Bond, Douglas Fowley and

Grady Sutton Grady Harwell Sutton (April 5, 1906 – September 17, 1995) was an American film and television character actor from the 1920s to the 1970s. He appeared in more than 180 films. Early years Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sutton was raised ...

Plot

Med student Ralph Sawyer operates on Diana Wayne, victim of a vehicular accident, saving her life. Later, Sawyer opens a medical practice with buddies Frank Blake and Peter Piper. Even though Sawyer woos Diana, she falls for Blake. Blake purchases some much-needed medical supplies on the black market from scarred gangster Joe Grant and his bodyguard, Barney Millen. When Millen is shot during a shake-down attempt, Blake cares for him. Millen is arrested and Blake defends him at trial, claiming he fixed an acid burn and not a gunshot wound. Sawyer, who has a side job working for the medical examiner's office, discovers that most of his clients are thugs sent to the doctor's office by Joe Grant. He realizes that Blake lied in court. Grant murders the shake-down victim, who tells the cops before he dies that a "man with a scar on his face" shot him. Grant forces Blake to remove Grant's facial scar or get exposed as a gangland doctor. Blake does so, but takes photos of the operation that documents what he's done. Diana walks in as the surgery is ending, and realizes her beau is in league with a criminal element. Grant goes on trial. Blake sends his photos to Sawyer, who is forced by a judge to admit that Blake was the source of the images. Blake, realizing his future is finished no matter what, testifies in court against Grant. Grant is found guilty, and Millen shoots Blake when he leaves the courtroom. Millen himself is then killed by the cops. Sawyer, Piper, and Diana mourn Blake.

Cast

Production

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...

'' stated that the film has been on Republic Pictures schedule for about two years before it went into production. The film's opening credits state it was taken from a ''

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

'' magazine story, but the screenplay Theodore Reeves and Isabel Dawn are original with only the title of the magazine article being used for the film. Production began on the film in July 1941. How director

became involved in the development of ''Doctors Don't Tell'' is unknown. The films editor Edward Mann was allowed to film additional scenes in early August 1941.

Release

''Doctors Don't Tell'' was distributed by Republic Pictures and was released on August 27, 1941. Various running times are given to the film, ranging from 53, 65 and 67 minutes.

Reception

On discussing the film, Tourneur declared "I detest this film; it's my worst." Chris Fujiwara discussed the film in his book ''Nightfall: The Cinema of Jacques Tourneur'', declared the film as "routine and banal", concluding it as the "antitheseis of the richly textured, subtle work that Tourneur had already shown he could do on a small budget"

References

Sources

External links

* {{Jacques Tourneur 1941 films 1940s English-language films American drama films 1941 drama films Republic Pictures films Films directed by Jacques Tourneur American black-and-white films 1940s American films English-language drama films