Doctor at Large (1957)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Ralph Thomas

Writers:

Richard Gordon (novel)
Nicholas Phipps (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 April 1957 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

X-citingly Fresh! X-tremely Funny! X-travagantly Frank! X-actly What the Doctor Ordered!

Plot:

Dr. Sparrow graduates and sets out into the world. Hilarious internships with a miserly doctor and his young wife...

Plot Keywords:

Doctor | Hospital | Sequel | Beautiful Woman | Based On Novel

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Dirk Bogarde	...	Dr. Simon Sparrow
Muriel Pavlow	...	Joy Gibson
Donald Sinden	...	Benskin
James Robertson Justice	...	Sir Lancelot Spratt
Shirley Eaton	...	Nan
Derek Farr	...	Dr. Potter-Shine
Michael Medwin	...	Bingham
Martin Benson	...	Maharajah
John Chandos	...	O'Malley
Edward Chapman	...	Wilkins
George Coulouris	...	Pascoe
Judith Furse	...	Mrs. Digby
Gladys Henson	...	Mrs. Wilkins
Anne Heywood	...	Emerald
Ernest Jay	...	Hopcroft

Runtime:

USA:98 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:S | UK:U | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Group Film Productions Limited

Movie Connections:

Followed by Doctor in Love (1960)

Fun but slightly disappointing.

After the high seas high-jinx of the previous movie, 'Doctor At Sea', 'Doctor At Large' sees the series go back to basics, with a return to St Swithin's and a reunion with all the main cast of 'Doctor In The House' (with the single exception of Kenneth More).

This return is a slight disappointment, as it never seems to recapture the magic of the original. Part of the problem is, I think, down to the script. There is no plot worth mentioning, more a series of sketches, some good, some bad, while the fact that this move seems to change it's setting every ten minutes or so, (the scene changes from London to Birmingham, Ireland, London again, the countryside, the South of France and back to London again) prevents you getting involved with the characters.

However, this constant change does have it's advantages, for one thing it shows off possibly the best cast ever assembled for a British comedy, with even the smallest role filled out by a familiar face. But, again, their appearance is usually limited to one or two brief scenes.

Of the cast, Lionel Jefferies and Dilys Laye catch the eye, as a seedy, mean, slightly sinister Doctor and his (much) younger blonde wife. Donald Sinden, reprising his role as Benskin from 'Doctor In The House' is fun to watch, playing a character not that different from the ones that Leslie Phillips would later play in the series. While James Robertson Justice hardly seems to be in this move, appearing briefly at the beginning but then not seen until the last twenty minutes or so of the picture.

On the whole 'Doctor At Large' is fun to watch and has a few good jokes (the 'big breaths' joke for example) but never seems to catch fire. It's worth watching but is far from being the best vehicle for Bogarde's Simon Sparrow.