A Man to Remember (1938)

Doctor John Abbott is a single parent who settles in the town of Westport, with his son Dick, trying to eke out a living for them. He also inherits, by way of his doorstep, an unwanted baby... See full summary »

Director:

Garson Kanin

Writers:

Dalton Trumbo (screenplay), Katharine Havilland-Taylor (story)

Stars:

Anne Shirley, Edward Ellis, Lee Bowman

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Anne Shirley	...	Jean Johnson
Edward Ellis	...	Dr. John Abbott
Lee Bowman	...	Dick Abbott
William Henry	...	Howard Sykes
John Wray	...	Tom Johnson
Granville Bates	...	George Sykes
Harlan Briggs	...	Homer Ramsey
Frank M. Thomas	...	Jode Harkness
Dickie Jones	...	Dick Abbott - Age 8-12
Carole Leete	...	Jean Johnson - Age 4
Gilbert Emery	...	Dr. Robinson
Joe De Stefani	...	Jorgensen

Storyline

Doctor John Abbott is a single parent who settles in the town of Westport, with his son Dick, trying to eke out a living for them. He also inherits, by way of his doorstep, an unwanted baby girl, Jean Johnson, whom he adopts into his family, rears and loves as his own. Practicing his profession for pigs, I.O.U.s and a lot of empty promises as payment, he is barely able to provide for his family, yet is successful ultimately. Dr. Abbott is dedicated to the welfare of his community and well-being of his patients (mostly lower class working folks of the rural town), but must battle a group of miserly businessmen at every twist and turn. He encounters resistance by the local bureaucracy for every progressive idea or beneficial proposal, made for the betterment of the community, yet his altruistic optimism is not hampered by the penny-pinching bureaucrats interested more in lining their own pockets, rather than helping the town and its struggling population.

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Plot Keywords:

baby | polio | epidemic | hospital | drunk driver | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 1938 (USA)

Also Known As:

De plattelandsdokter

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min 79 min (copyright length)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The only surviving copy of "A Man To Remember" is a 35mm, original nitrate print in the English spoken language, but with Dutch subtitles and Dutch credits. In addition, written English notes and letters in the film was replaced with the Dutch equivalents. It was preserved by the Netherlands Filmmuseum in 2000 and shown on the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Channel in April 2007.

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Connections

Referenced in Trumbo (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Funeral March (Marche Funèbre)"
(1837) (uncredited)
from "Sonata in Bb-, Op.35 No.2"
Written by Frédéric Chopin
Played by the marching band for the funeral

User Reviews

Delightful, inspiring story

To use the cliché, "they don't make them like this anymore," is perfect for this classic. I could write volumes about the power of a generous human spirit human overcoming the surge of economic indecency, but I'll leave that for someone else.

One technique I really enjoyed in this film is the use of the doctor's notes, bills and other bits of information to introduce the different chapters of the film. It's a great literary vehicle and was used often in silent films. It also reminded me of some of the chapter introductions used in R.F. Delderfield's work.

The one thing I will write is that if the devils on Wall Street and the banking community maintained half the community spirit as the old doctor in this story did, we would all be much better for it.

Ethics and a purity of heart, what a wonderful concept. This is a great film for a Church Popcorn theology class, high school students considering a medical career or anyone questioning their community spirit.