A medical researcher is sent to a plague outbreak, where he has to decide priorities for the use of a vaccine.
Director:
Writers:
Awards:
- Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 4 wins.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Ronald Colman | ... |
Dr. Martin Arrowsmith
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| Helen Hayes | ... |
Leora Tozer Arrowsmith
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| Richard Bennett | ... |
Gustav Sondelius
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A.E. Anson | ... |
Professor Max Gottlieb
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| Clarence Brooks | ... |
Dr. Oliver Marchand
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| Alec B. Francis | ... |
Twyford
(as Alec Francis)
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| Claude King | ... |
Dr. Tubbs
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| Bert Roach | ... |
Bert Tozer
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| Myrna Loy | ... |
Joyce Lanyon
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| Russell Hopton | ... |
Terry Wickett
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| David Landau | ... |
State Veterinarian
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| Lumsden Hare | ... |
Sir Robert Fairland - Governor
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Erville Alderson | ... |
Pioneer (uncredited)
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| Ward Bond | ... |
Cop (uncredited)
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| Beulah Bondi | ... |
Mrs. Tozer (uncredited)
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| Florence Britton | ... |
Miss Twyford (uncredited)
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Josephine Brown | ... |
West Indies Village Bride (uncredited)
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| Nora Cecil | ... |
Nurse (uncredited)
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| Sidney De Gray | ... |
Dr. Hesselink (uncredited)
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| Cyril Delevanti | ... |
Committee Member (uncredited)
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| Mike Donlin | ... |
Undetermined Role (uncredited)
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Walter Downing | ... |
City Clerk (uncredited)
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| Gibson Gowland | ... |
Committee Member (uncredited)
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Sherry Hall | ... |
Reporter (uncredited)
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| Theresa Harris | ... |
Native Mother (uncredited)
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| Raymond Hatton | ... |
Drunk (uncredited)
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| Charlotte Henry | ... |
Pioneer Girl (uncredited)
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George Humbert | ... |
Italian Uncle (uncredited)
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| DeWitt Jennings | ... |
B.W. Tozer (uncredited)
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| Eulalie Jensen | ... |
Miss Robbins (uncredited)
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| Mike Lally | ... |
Reporter (uncredited)
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Lillian Lawrence | ... |
West Indies Townswoman at Meeting (uncredited)
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| Carl M. Leviness | ... |
Ship's Passenger (uncredited)
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James A. Marcus | ... |
Old Doctor (uncredited)
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| Eric Mayne | ... |
Dignitary at Luncheon (uncredited)
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Kendall McComas | ... |
Little Johnny (uncredited)
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| Edmund Mortimer | ... |
Ship's Passenger (uncredited)
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| John Qualen | ... |
Henry Novak (uncredited)
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Edward Reinach | ... |
Dignitary (uncredited)
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Milton Royce | ... |
Intern (uncredited)
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| Harry Schultz | ... |
Bartender (uncredited)
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| Pat Somerset | ... |
Ship's Officer (uncredited)
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| Adele Watson | ... |
Mrs. Novak (uncredited)
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Bobby Watson | ... |
Little Neighbor (uncredited)
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Eric Wilton | ... |
Ship's Officer (uncredited)
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Directed by
| John Ford | ||
Written by
| Sinclair Lewis | ... | (based upon the novel by) |
| Sidney Howard | ... | (adapted for the screen by) |
Produced by
| Samuel Goldwyn | ... | producer |
| Arthur Hornblow Jr. | ... | executive producer (uncredited) |
Music by
| Alfred Newman | ... | (musical score by) |
Cinematography by
| Ray June | ... | (photography) |
Editing by
| Hugh Bennett | ||
Casting By
| Robert McIntyre | ... | (uncredited) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Herbert Sutch | ... | assistant director (uncredited) |
Art Department
| Richard Day | ... | settings |
Sound Department
| Jack Noyes | ... | sound technician |
Music Department
| Ray Heindorf | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
| Alfred Newman | ... | musical director (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| Samuel Goldwyn | ... | presenter |
Production Companies
Distributors
- United Artists (1931) (United States) (theatrical)
- United Artists (1931) (Canada) (theatrical) (as United Artists Corporation, Ltd.)
- United Artists (1932) (United Kingdom) (theatrical) (as United Artists Corporation, Ltd.)
- United Artists (Australasia) (1932) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Artistas Unidos (1932) (Mexico) (theatrical)
- Los Artistas Unidos de América del Sur (1932) (Argentina) (theatrical)
- United Artists (1932) (Sweden) (theatrical) (as United Artists A/B)
- Kommunenes Filmcentral (KF) (1932) (Norway) (theatrical)
- Film Classics (1944) (United States) (theatrical) (re-release) (re-edited)
- Pioneer (1994) (United States) (video) (LaserDisc)
- MGM Home Entertainment (2000) (United States) (video)
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2010) (United States) (DVD)
- Warner Home Video (2014) (United States) (DVD) (dvdr)
- Embassy Home Entertainment (United States) (VHS)
- Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (United States) (VHS)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (United States) (tv)
- Samuel Goldwyn Home Entertainment (United States) (VHS)
- Sony Pictures Television (United States) (tv)
Special Effects
Other Companies
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Dr. Martin Arrowsmith aspires to become a medical research scientist. When he impulsively marries nurse Leora Tozer, he instead decides to open a country medical practice in South Dakota to support his wife better than he could as a laboratory assistant. After a few years of working in his medical practice, Arrowsmith believes that his intuitions are not that well-suited to the job as compared to research. He takes up the offer of Dr. Max Gottlieb, his professor and mentor at Winnemac College, for a research position at the McGurk Institute in New York City. After years of research, Arrowsmith stumbles across a discovery, its practical uses he is initially unsure. When a case of bubonic plague hits an island in the West Indies, respected Swedish scientist Dr. Gustav Sondelius believes that Arrowsmith's discovery could be used as a serum to kill the plague. Despite the personal risk, Arrowsmith travels to the West Indies to see if the serum does indeed work. The serum being untested, Arrowsmith must make the difficult decisions between short term human sacrifices versus the long term benefit to mankind, and between the goals of the institute versus his own ideals. Through it all, Arrowsmith tries to protect Leora from the dangers he faces, she who stands steadfastly by her husband. Written by Huggo |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | HE FOUGHT FOR MAN... and lost a woman! See more » |
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| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | Censorship at the time meant that the subplot of Arrowsmith's liaison with another woman while still married meant that most of Myrna Loy's scenes were drastically cut. Although every attempt was made to restore the present version to its original length, there are still about 10 minutes missing. See more » |
| Goofs | In the night scene outside the research building when Dr. Arrowsmith's wife catches up to him, the snow becomes very scant and then a whole clump of snow falls, which looks like a stage hand got behind on their snowfall duties and then panicked. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Referenced in Citizen Kane (1941). See more » |
| Soundtracks | William Tell Overture See more » |
| Crazy Credits | Opening credits prologue: The story of a man who dedicated his life to service and his heart to the love of one woman. See more » |
| Quotes |
Dr. Martin Arrowsmith:
God give me clear eyes and freedom from haste. God give me anger against all pretense. God keep me looking for my own mistakes. God keep me at it till my results are proven. God give me strength not to trust to God. See more » |