Alias the Doctor (1932)

Karl is the workaholic adopted son while Stephan is the lazy one. They both go to Munich to study medicine and Karl is at the top of the class while Stephan is barely passing. When ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Emric Foeldes (play), Houston Branch (screenplay),

Stars:

Richard Barthelmess, Marian Marsh, Norman Foster

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Richard Barthelmess	...	Karl Brenner
Marian Marsh	...	Lotti Brenner
Norman Foster	...	Stephan Brenner
Adrienne Dore	...	Anna
Lucille La Verne	...	Martha Brenner, Karl's foster mother (as Lucille LaVerne)
Oscar Apfel	...	Keller
John St. Polis	...	Dr. Niergardt
George Rosener	...	Dr. Franz von Bergman

Storyline

Karl is the workaholic adopted son while Stephan is the lazy one. They both go to Munich to study medicine and Karl is at the top of the class while Stephan is barely passing. When Stephan's actions causes the death of Anna, Karl is the one who takes the wrap and three years in prison. When he gets out, he finds Stephan is dead and a sick child needs an operation and he does brilliant surgery. This gets him noticed and his mother tells them that he is Stephan Brenner, not Karl Brenner. She tells Karl that he must cure sickness in the world. But, being that he is Stephan, he can no longer marry Lottie, as she is now his sister.

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Plot Keywords:

operation | adopted son | death | prison | valedictorian | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 March 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

En læges hemmelighed

Company Credits

Production Co:

First National Pictures, Vitaphone Corporation, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

61 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Several actors are in studio records/casting call lists as cast members, but do not appear in the movie. These are (with their character names): Boris Karloff (autopsy surgeon), Claire Dodd (Mrs. Beverly) and Reginald Barlow (professor of the university). Karloff was replaced by Nigel De Brulier when he was not available for retakes and the British censors objected to the gruesomeness of his scenes.

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Connections

Alternate-language version of Le cas du docteur Brenner (1933)

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Soundtracks

"Academic Festival Overture in C, Opus 80"
(1880) (uncredited)
Written by Johannes Brahms
Lyricist unknown
Played at the medical school graduation and sung by the graduates

User Reviews

Magnificent obsession

They don't do melodramas such as this one anymore.Had Sirk seen it in the fifties,he would perhaps have thought of a remake .There's everything in this short movie (hardly more than an hour):two brothers,both students, one of them studying day after day to get his diploma,the other one wasting his time with alcohol and semi-whores .Both come from the country,but only the "bad" boy is the true son of the peasant mother who dreams of a better life for her son(s).All that follows is melodrama ,only melodrama and nothing but melodrama:the good boy unfairly thrown into jail ,imposture (but do not panic ,for good reasons)the good doctor who cures the poor for peanuts and charges the wealthy outrageously ,who is a saint in a hospital ,but who's got secrets to conceal.The only ambiguous character is the mother:does she urge his son to take his brother's name for the sake of suffering humanity or for personal ambition? Probably both.

Best scene:Barthelmess ,screaming in front of the medical board :" let me operate her!She's my mother! don't be inhuman! I'm the only one she puts her trust in!".If you hold back your tears ,you do not like melodramas.I do love them.Michael Curtiz wanted to be John M.Stahl and he pulled it off brilliantly.