Captain Newman, M.D. (1963)

In 1944, Capt. Josiah J. Newman is the doctor in charge of Ward 7, the neuropsychiatric ward, at an Army Air Corps hospital in Arizona. The hospital is under-resourced and Newman scrounges ... See full summary »

Director:

David Miller

Writers:

Richard L. Breen (screenplay), Phoebe Ephron (screenplay),

Stars:

Gregory Peck, Tony Curtis, Angie Dickinson

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gregory Peck	...	Capt. Josiah J. Newman, MD
Tony Curtis	...	Cpl. Jackson 'Jake' Leibowitz
Angie Dickinson	...	Lt. Francie Corum
Eddie Albert	...	Col. Norval Algate Bliss
James Gregory	...	Col. Edgar Pyser
Bethel Leslie	...	Mrs. Helene Winston
Robert Duvall	...	Capt. Paul Cabot Winston
Jane Withers	...	Lt. Grace Blodgett
Dick Sargent	...	Lt. Belden 'Barney' Alderson
Larry Storch	...	Cpl. Gavoni
Robert F. Simon	...	Lt. Col. M.B. Larrabee
Syl Lamont	...	Sgt. Kopp
Paul Carr	...	Arthur Werbel
Vito Scotti	...	Maj. Alfredo Fortuno
Crahan Denton	...	Maj. Gen. Snowden

Storyline

In 1944, Capt. Josiah J. Newman is the doctor in charge of Ward 7, the neuropsychiatric ward, at an Army Air Corps hospital in Arizona. The hospital is under-resourced and Newman scrounges what he needs with the help of his inventive staff, especially Cpl. Jake Leibowitz. The military in general is only just coming to accept psychiatric disorders as legitimate and Newman generally has 6 weeks to cure them or send them on to another facility. There are many patients in the ward and his latest include Colonel Norville Bliss who has dissociated from his past; Capt. Paul Winston who is nearly catatonic after spending 13 months hiding in a cellar behind enemy lines; and 20 year-old Cpl. Jim Tompkins who is severely traumatized after his aircraft was shot down. Others come and go, including Italian prisoners of war, but Newman and team all realize that their success means the men will return to their units and combat.

---

Plot Keywords:

colonel | captain | nurse | orderly | lieutenant | 

---

Taglines:

It speaks to you in the language of love, laughter and tears !...

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | War

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

25 December 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

Captain Newman

Filming Locations:

Fort Huachuca, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brentwood Productions, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Aircraft are seen that bear the national insignia that was used after 1948.

---

Quotes

Cpl. Jackson 'Jake' Leibowitz: [to Capt. Newman] You see, in the neighborhood I came, we had to learn six different languages in order to do business.

---

Connections

Version of Captain Newman, M.D. (1972)

---

Soundtracks

"Auld Lang Syne"
Performed by the main cast and the people from the Hospital

User Reviews

An interesting, entertaining look into the effects of war on the psyche.

Though highly entertaining at many points (largely due to the antics of Cpl. Jackson 'Jake' Leibowitz and his band of merry Italian POWs who sing semitic native American songs--don't ask, don't try to figure it out, just see the movie--and even some of the very well executed art of subtle humor carried out by Capt. Newman, MD) this movie manages to have a quite serious theme at its core . . . the intense psychological effects on a soldier's mind which can be brought upon by the reality of war. It's refreshing to see a movie from this period that touches on these more delicate, in-depth themes of war rather than portraying the glories of war as so many other films contemporary to this one do. Not to say that all other films from this era or before don't touch on these themes. One other great example would be 1949's Twelve O'Clock High, also starring Gregory Peck. The dialog is consistently fresh, and I found the pace to move along quite nicely. This movie features a superb cast who performs wonderfully throughout the film. If you like serious, thought-provoking, emotional themes, yet also enjoy lots of good laughs, then I would recommend seeing this film.

*On a side note, given the fact that this movie--from my perspective--seems to be somewhat ahead of its time in subject matter, directing style in some of the scenes, and even some concepts not too common during the 60s, it's interesting to point out that the movie still portrays the classical female role in life. There is one line that is spoken by Lt. Francie Corum that shows this perfectly. The line doesn't seem to be necessary and doesn't really fit with what the characters are discussing. I won't tell you the line, but try to find it for some fun.