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The Great Moment (1944)The biography of Dr. W. T. Morgan, a 19th century Boston dentist, during his quest to have anesthesia, in the form of ether, accepted by the public and the medical and dental establishment. Director:Preston Sturges |
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Joel McCrea | ... |
William Thomas Green Morton
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Betty Field | ... | |
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Harry Carey | ... |
Professor John C. Warren
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William Demarest | ... |
Eben Frost
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Louis Jean Heydt | ... | |
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Julius Tannen | ... |
Dr. Charles T. Jackson
(as Julian Tannen)
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| Edwin Maxwell | ... |
Vice-President of Medical Society
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Porter Hall | ... | |
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Franklin Pangborn | ... |
Dr. Heywood
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Grady Sutton | ... |
Homer Quimby
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Donivee Lee | ... |
Betty Morton
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Harry Hayden | ... |
Judge Shipman
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Torben Meyer | ... |
Dr. Dahlmeyer
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Victor Potel | ... |
First Dental Patient
(as Vic Potel)
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Thurston Hall | ... |
Senator Borland
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Storyline
In the winter of 1868, Eben Frost goes to a Boston pawnshop and redeems a silver medal, inscribed to "Dr. W.T.G. Morton, the Benefactor of Mankind, with the Gratitude of Humanity." Frost drives to a country farmhouse and gives the medal to Morton's widow, Elizabeth Morton who explains to her daughter, Betty, that Frost was the first person given anesthesia by her father, Boston dentist Dr. W.T.G. Morton. The story flashes back 20 years to find Morton being wildly acclaimed by medical students as the man whose discovery of "letheon" had forever ended pain as, before that day, even amputations were performed with the patient fully conscious. "Letheron", unknown to everybody but Morton and Elizabeth, is simply highly rectified sulfuric ether - cleaning fluid - easily obtainable at a pharmacy. By keeping the secret, Dr. Morton could be rich, but he had rather be poor than see a girl strapped to an operating table under the knife of Dr... Written by Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
Plot Summary | Add SynopsisPlot Keywords:
Dentist | Anesthesia | Medical Discovery | Franklin Pierce | Writer Director | See more »Taglines:
Paramount's escapist laugh tonic! Hilarious as a whiff of laughing gas!Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
(USA) See more »Also Known As:
El gran momento See more »Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Sturges intended this to be a much more serious film. Panicked by some inconclusive reviews, Paramount cut it as a traditional Sturges comedy. The director, no longer associated with the studio, asked former friend and studio chief Frank Freeman to entitle the film "Triumph Over Pain," and he wrote and offered to write, direct, and appear in a prologue gratis. Paramount did not want to expend the additional $50,000 this would incur, and they ignored his offer. See more »
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