''The Outsider'' is a 1939 British

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

Paul L. Stein Paul Ludwig Stein (4 February 1892 – 2 May 1951) was an Austrian-born film director with 67 films to his credit. Stein began his career in Berlin in 1918 and worked exclusively in the German silent film industry until 1926, when he first w ...

and starring

George Sanders George Henry Sanders (3 July 1906 – 25 April 1972) was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth, bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous chara ...

Mary Maguire Mary Maguire (born Hélène Teresa Maguire; 22 February 1919 – 18 May 1974) was an Australian-born actress who briefly became a Hollywood and British film star in the late 1930s. Early life Maguire was born in Melbourne, Australia, to Mic ...

and Barbara Blair.BFI.org
/ref> The screenplay concerns an osteopath who cures one of his patients with whom he has fallen in love. It is a remake of the 1931 film '' The Outsider'' and was based on the 1923 play of the same name by

Dorothy Brandon Dorothy Brandon was a British playwright active in the interwar years. Her greatest West End success was the 1923 medical drama '' The Outsider'' which was revived several times, and adapted into films on three occasions. An earlier hit was 191 ...

. The film was shot at

Elstree Studios Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and demolished British film studios and television studios based in or around the town of Borehamwood and village of Elstree in Hertfordshire, England. Production studios ha ...

with sets designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Cedric Dawe Cedric Dawe (1906–1996) was a British art director. He worked on the set design of over sixty films during his career, spending many years working for ABPC at the company's Elstree and Welwyn Studios. He was praised for his realistic designs f ...

Plot

Anton Ragatzy is an infamous osteopath, known for his controversial methods of curing disability. Ragatzy uses a machine invented by himself which will either cure the patients permanently or will leave them disabled forever. A board of surgeons disagree with Ragatzy's methods and want to ban him from acting as an osteopath. Ragatzy wants to change their minds and decides to cure the daughter of one of the surgeons, Joseph Sturdee. Lalage "Lally" Sturdee has been disabled since birth and lives with her fiercely protective father. She composes famous musical scores and is in love with her close friend Basil. Ragatzy manages to meet Lally and offers her treatment, but she refuses. However, when she sees Basil and her friends having fun swimming while she is unable to join in, she changes her mind and contacts Ragatzy. Ragatzy promises to help her and invites her to live in his house for one year while the treatment takes place so that she can receive the best care. Ragatzy knows of Lally's love for Basil and believes that it will help in her treatment. Basil has fallen in love with another woman, Wendy, but continues to visit Lally out of a sense of duty. Ragatzy finds that he is falling in love with Lally, but keeps his distance. Basil promises to visit Lally on New Year's Eve but instead sees the New Year in with Wendy. To spare her feelings, Ragatzy buys flowers for Lally and pretends they are from Basil. Lally completes her treatment and Ragatzy arranges for the board of surgeons to be present while Lally takes her first steps. Basil promises Wendy that if Lally can walk, he will marry her, but if Lally is still disabled, he must stay with her. Ragatzy and Lally realise their feelings for each other. He helps her to her feet, but the surgeons are still suspicious. Ragatzy encourages Lalage to walk, but she confesses that she can't. The surgeons leave and Lally carries on trying to walk but keeps falling. Ragatzy expresses his frustration that he will now be unable to carry on practising, while Lally is furious that Ragatzy is only concerned with his reputation. Joseph Sturdee arrives and is angered that his daughter is disabled for life, and hits Ragatzy. Lally hears the commotion and walks over to defend Ragatzy. The film ends with Lally united with her father and Ragatzy.

Main cast

as Anton Ragatzy *

as Lalage Sturdee * Barbara Blair as Wendy * Peter Murray-Hill as Basil Owen *

Frederick Leister Frederick Leister (1 December 1885 – 24 August 1970), was an English actor. He began his career in musical comedy and after serving in the First World War he played character roles in modern West End plays and in classic drama. He appeared in ...

as Joseph Sturdee *

Walter Hudd Walter Hudd (20 February 1897 – 20 January 1963) was a British actor and director. Stage career Hudd made his stage debut in ''The Manxman'' in 1919, and later toured as part of the Fred Terry Company; first attracting serious attention play ...

as Dr. Helmore *

Kathleen Harrison Kathleen Harrison (23 February 1892 – 7 December 1995) was a prolific English character actress best remembered for her role as Mrs. Huggett (opposite Jack Warner and Petula Clark) in a trio of British post-war comedies about a working ...

as Mrs. Coates *

Kynaston Reeves Philip Arthur Reeves (29 May 18935 December 1971), known professionally as Kynaston Reeves, was an English character actor who appeared in numerous films and many television plays and series. Early life Reeves was born in London on 29 May 189 ...

as Sir Montague Tollemach *

Edmund Breon Edmund Breon (born Iver Edmund de Breon MacLaverty; 12 December 1882 – 24 June 1953) was a Scottish film and stage actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1907 and 1952. Life and career Born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Br ...

as Dr. Ladd *

Ralph Truman Ralph du Vergier Truman (7 May 1900 – 15 October 1977) was an English actor, usually cast as either a villain or an authority figure. He possessed a distinguished speaking voice. He was born in London, England. Truman originally studied at t ...

as Sir Nathan Israel

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Outsider (1939 film), The 1939 drama films 1939 films Films shot at Associated British Studios Films directed by Paul L. Stein British drama films Films set in London Remakes of British films British black-and-white films 1930s English-language films 1930s British films