Writer Frank Chase treads a thin line between drama and sentimentality in this rather romantic "problem" feature set at a VA hospital in Long Beach.
Main conflict is between Maharis and a Korean War vet with a chip on his shoulder, very subtly played by Steven Hill. Story doesn't wallow in the obvious sympathy for the wheelchair-bound patients getting rehab with M & M working as swimming pool lifeguard and A/V helper at the hospital, but instead centers on M & M romancing two nurses, well-cast with top-notch character actresses Bethel Leslie and Jacqueline Scott.
Several notable elements include a terrific underwater photography scene of Maharis saving Hill from drowning when Steven attempts suicide, and a terrific directorial touch by Elliot "Cat Ballou" Silverstein for the final brief pantomime scene in extreme long shot for Bethel & Steven's reconciliation.
I was struck how much Steven looked here like almost a composite of John Cassavetes and Peter Falk, who later became such significant screen buddies. I was introduced to Hill's work back when "Mission: Impossible" debuted on TV and he later was featured in Cassavetes' movie "A Child Is Waiting".
Main conflict is between Maharis and a Korean War vet with a chip on his shoulder, very subtly played by Steven Hill. Story doesn't wallow in the obvious sympathy for the wheelchair-bound patients getting rehab with M & M working as swimming pool lifeguard and A/V helper at the hospital, but instead centers on M & M romancing two nurses, well-cast with top-notch character actresses Bethel Leslie and Jacqueline Scott.
Several notable elements include a terrific underwater photography scene of Maharis saving Hill from drowning when Steven attempts suicide, and a terrific directorial touch by Elliot "Cat Ballou" Silverstein for the final brief pantomime scene in extreme long shot for Bethel & Steven's reconciliation.
I was struck how much Steven looked here like almost a composite of John Cassavetes and Peter Falk, who later became such significant screen buddies. I was introduced to Hill's work back when "Mission: Impossible" debuted on TV and he later was featured in Cassavetes' movie "A Child Is Waiting".