One Man's Journey (1933)

Dr. Eli Watt, a widower, comes to a small town, considering himself a failure in his attempt to have a meaningful career in New York. He raises his son Jimmy as well as Letty, a baby whose ... See full summary »

Director:

John S. Robertson

Writers:

Lester Cohen (screenplay), Samuel Ornitz (screenplay),

Stars:

Lionel Barrymore, May Robson, Dorothy Jordan

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Lionel Barrymore	...	Dr. Eli Watt
May Robson	...	Sarah
Dorothy Jordan	...	Letty McGinnis
Joel McCrea	...	Jimmy Watt
Frances Dee	...	Joan Stockton
David Landau	...	McGinnis
Buster Phelps	...	Jimmy Watt - Age 6
June Filmer	...	May Radford
James Bush	...	Bill Radford
Oscar Apfel	...	John Radford
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Dr. Roger Babcock (as Sam Hinds)
Hale Hamilton	...	Dr. Tillinghast
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Colin Kenny	...	Doctor at Banquet

Storyline

Dr. Eli Watt, a widower, comes to a small town, considering himself a failure in his attempt to have a meaningful career in New York. He raises his son Jimmy as well as Letty, a baby whose mother has died in childbirth and whose father blames Watt and abandons the child. Watt dreams of returning to do research studies, but always something gets in the way: an epidemic, his children's needs, or the needs of his generally ungrateful patients. Only with the passing years does he come to find that his future isn't over and his past isn't quite the failure he believed.

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Plot Keywords:

childbirth | widower | birthday | poison | neuropathology | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 September 1933 (USA)

Also Known As:

O Drama de um Homem

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Early in the film, Lionel Barrymore's character bends to pick up the contents of his medical bag which have fallen to the ground. During the close-up of those contents, a voice can clearly be heard saying "camera" from offscreen.

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Connections

Version of A Man to Remember (1938)

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Soundtracks

"Long, Long Ago"
(1883) (uncredited)
Music by Thomas Haynes Bayley
Played on an organ by May Robson

User Reviews

Decent Drama

One Man's Journey (1933)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Standard drama from RKO about a country doctor (Lionel Barrymore) who could have had anything in life but he gave it all up to help others. This is the same role that Barrymore played in D.W. Griffith's The Country Doctor and he pretty much nails it. I guess there could be debate on whether John or Lionel were better actors but I think I'd give my vote to Lionel for being able to be more calm and deliver performances that aren't just over the top. He's very caring and stern here and the strong supporting cast including May Robson, Dorothy Jordan, Joel McCrea and Frances Dee do fine work as well. The one problem is that it's all very familiar and there aren't any surprises along the way.