It's interesting that Kay Francis played a physician in two films, Mary Stevens, M.D., and Dr. Monica, just a few years apart in a time when the female physician was a rarity. Also, both films dealt with unplanned pregnancies. (I'm basing that on the IMDb summary of Dr. Monica, as I haven't had the opportunity to see that one yet.) In Mary Stevens, M.D., the protagonist encounters society's prejudice against doctors who happen to be female, but that is not the movie's emphasis. Instead, the main plot is simply a great drama (though, in a different way, the drama does stem from mores of the era), and a sad one. Mary Stevens, M.D., is also an interesting example of a 30s-style dichotomy: while Dr. Stevens is a "modern" woman by virtue of having become a physician, she also patiently accepts an ENORMOUS amount of nonsense from the man she loves.
Review of Mary Stevens, M.D.
