''The Doctor and the Girl'' (also known as ''Bodies and Souls'') is a 1949 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-g ...

directed by

Curtis Bernhardt Curtis Bernhardt (15 April 1899 – 22 February 1981) was a Jewish film director born in Worms, Germany, under the name Kurt Bernhardt. He trained as an actor in Germany, and performed on the stage, before starting as a film director in 1924, wi ...

and starring

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age as ...

Charles Coburn Charles Douville Coburn (June 19, 1877 – August 30, 1961) was an American actor and theatrical producer. He was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award three times – in ''The Devil and Miss Jones'' (1941), ''The More the Me ...

Gloria DeHaven Gloria Mildred DeHaven (July 23, 1925 – July 30, 2016) was an American actress and singer who was a contract star for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Early life DeHaven was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of actor-director Carter De ...

and

Janet Leigh Jeanette Helen Morrison (July 6, 1927 – October 3, 2004), known professionally as Janet Leigh, was an American actress, singer, dancer, and author. Her career spanned over five decades. Raised in Stockton, California, by working-class parents, ...

that was inspired by the French novel ''Corps et Âmes'' by

Maxence van der Meersch Maxence Van der Meersch (4 May 1907 – 14 January 1951) was a French Flemish writer. Life Maxence, of delicate health, came from a relatively well off family — his father was an accountant. On 27 October 1918, he lost his sister, Sarah, who w ...

Plot

Michael Corday has recently received his medical degree, and starts an internship at Bellevue Hospital, in New York City. His father is also a doctor, and is pleased that Michael intends to specialize in neurosurgery. Michael's sister, Mariette, is engaged to George Esmond, but Michael believes George is only interested in the family's prestige. Fabienne, Michael's youngest sister, lives alone in Greenwich Village. At the hospital, Michael works in the emergency room under Dr. Granville, who is not impressed by Michael's gruff and compassionless treatment of his patients. Michael admits Evelyn, a patient with a lung abscess. She works the taffy machine at a candy store, so he calls her Taffy. She must build strength before she can withstand her surgery; during her lengthy time in hospital, Michael falls in love with her. Michael's father has Taffy discharged behind Michael's back. When Michael confronts him, he gives Michael her address, but says he will be cut off from the family. Michael finds Taffy, and the get married; his mother and sisters have a growing fondness for Taffy, but his father remains disappointed. Michael starts a street front medical practice, with Taffy helping to setup the office and help out. His patients like him, and Michael treats his patients with compassion. Fabienne turns up at Michael's door, suffering major blood loss after an

illegal abortion Abortion laws vary widely among countries and territories, and have changed over time. Such laws range from abortion being freely available on request, to regulation or restrictions of various kinds, to outright prohibition in all circumstances ...

. Michael is unable to save her, and learns that their father sent her to an inadequate Doctor rather than perform the abortion himself. In their grief, Michael and his father finally bond; Michael and Taffy continue running his private practice.

Cast

Production

Prior to ''The Doctor and the Girl'', American films avoided discussion of abortion, which was illegal in most states. MGM convinced the

Motion Picture Association of America The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distribu ...

, which enforced the

Hays Code The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the ...

, that the topic of abortion, which was not explicitly forbidden by the Code, could be tastefully addressed in the film. While the film vaguely referred to the procedure as "an illegal operation," the precedent allowed later films to include abortion plotlines.

Reception

According to MGM records, the film earned $1,326,000 in the United States and Canada and $562,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $184,000.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Doctor And The Girl 1949 drama films 1949 films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films American drama films American black-and-white films Films directed by Curtis Bernhardt 1940s English-language films 1940s American films