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Doctor Bull

  • 19331933
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 17m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
655
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
132,571
1,883
Howard Lally, Marian Nixon, and Will Rogers in Doctor Bull (1933)
ComedyDramaRomance
Doc Bull, a no-nonsense country doctor who has served his community for decades, fights small-town prejudice and provincialism in several crises.Doc Bull, a no-nonsense country doctor who has served his community for decades, fights small-town prejudice and provincialism in several crises.Doc Bull, a no-nonsense country doctor who has served his community for decades, fights small-town prejudice and provincialism in several crises.
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
655
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
132,571
1,883
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • John Ford
    • Writers
      • James Gould Cozzens(novel "The Last Adam")
      • Paul Green(adaptation)
      • Philip Klein(uncredited)
    • Stars
      • Will Rogers
      • Marian Nixon
      • Vera Allen
    Top credits
    • Director
      • John Ford
    • Writers
      • James Gould Cozzens(novel "The Last Adam")
      • Paul Green(adaptation)
      • Philip Klein(uncredited)
    • Stars
      • Will Rogers
      • Marian Nixon
      • Vera Allen
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 11User reviews
    • 8Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • Photos

    Howard Lally, Marian Nixon, and Will Rogers in Doctor Bull (1933)
    Doctor Bull (1933)
    Howard Lally, Marian Nixon, and Will Rogers in Doctor Bull (1933)
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    Top cast

    Edit
    Will Rogers
    Will Rogers
    • Dr. George 'Doc' Bull
    Marian Nixon
    Marian Nixon
    • May Tupping - Telephone Operator
    Vera Allen
    • Mrs. Janet Cardmaker
    Howard Lally
    • Joe Tupping
    Berton Churchill
    Berton Churchill
    • Herbert Banning - Janet's Brother
    Louise Dresser
    Louise Dresser
    • Mrs. Herbert Banning
    Andy Devine
    Andy Devine
    • Larry Ward, Sodajerk
    Rochelle Hudson
    Rochelle Hudson
    • Virginia (Muller)…
    Tempe Pigott
    Tempe Pigott
    • Grandma Banning
    Elizabeth Patterson
    Elizabeth Patterson
    • Aunt Patricia Banning
    Nora Cecil
    Nora Cecil
    • Aunt Emily Banning
    Ralph Morgan
    Ralph Morgan
    • Dr. Verney - Owner Verney Laboratory
    Patsy O'Byrne
    Patsy O'Byrne
    • Susan - Dr. Bull's Cook
    Veda Buckland
    • Mary - Janet's Maid
    Effie Ellsler
    Effie Ellsler
    • Aunt Myra Bull
    Helen Freeman
    Helen Freeman
    • Helen Upjohn - New Winton Postmistress
    Reginald Barlow
    Reginald Barlow
    • Supporter #1 for Dr. Bull
    • (uncredited)
    Georgie Billings
    • Bruce Upjohn
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • John Ford
    • Writers
      • James Gould Cozzens(novel "The Last Adam")
      • Paul Green(adaptation)
      • Philip Klein(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In the book, there are discussions about abortion between Doctor Bull and Virginia Banning. These were dropped from the script after a complaint from the Hays Office. In the movie, there is just a vague notion she is pregnant. Also, the character of Larry Ward had a venereal disease in the book, but in the film he's just a hypochondriac.
    • Quotes

      May Tupping - Telephone Operator: [Referring to Bull and Mrs. Cardmaker] I don't see why people can't be friends without everyone talking.

      Helen Upjohn, New Winton Postmistress: Yeah, but what sort of friends are they, darling? That's what we want to know.

    • Crazy credits
      "Doctor Bull brings his neighbors into the world and postpones their departure as long as possible. He prescribes common sense and accepts his small rewards gratefully. His patients call him Doc."
    • Soundtracks
      Abide with Me
      (uncredited)

      Music by William H. Monk

      Hymnal text by Henry F. Lyte

      Sung by Will Rogers as he comes in with wood

    User reviews11

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    "Sounds kinda simple"
    The best remembered stars of the early 1930s may be such beautiful and provocative sirens as Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich, but at the time they were slightly outdone at the box office and the reliable Quigley poll by more down-to-earth and homely figures, chief among them Wallace Beery, Marie Dressler and of course Will Rogers. Audiences warmed to his air of honesty and decency in what was a time of great economic strife and social confusion. Will was a busy man in 1933, and while his biggest hit of the year was the sublime State Fair, he also made a number of lesser pictures which nonetheless had all the merits of his gentle personality.

    Doctor Bull is a neat little tale of a small town medic up against closed-minded gossipmongers on the one hand and ravaging businessmen on the other. Director John Ford depicts the scenes with a characteristically passive hand. His camera is mostly to one side of the action, and there are few close-ups. He carefully follows movement and changes the angle occasionally to stop scenes getting stale, but barring one or two key moments (such as the shot from behind the table of a drunk Rochelle Hudson), the technique is so subtle we are allowed to forget the camera even exists. Fox studios, where this was produced, were among the last studios to start using incidental music in their movies, and even for the era Doctor Bull is starkly quiet. The overall feeling is one of tranquillity and unhurried simplicity.

    Such a feeling also radiates from Rogers himself. His is a calm and methodical performance, and yet one that expresses a great deal. Rogers is the kind of man who can command a lot of attention and respect by doing very little, and therein lies a lot of his appeal. He was chiefly thought a comedy actor, but most of the comedy in Doctor Bull lies in quirky supporting players (as it often did in John Ford pictures). However, Rogers still shows a knack for delivering a line for comedic effect, usually with characteristic nonchalance. When one of his young patients is "rescued" from vaccination by his father, Rogers calls out "Hope your arm don't hurt ya tomorrow", without even looking up from his business. A sly little comment, made with just enough of a knowing hint to come across as a private joke with audience.

    Such a light little movie as Doctor Bull was never going to win awards or move audiences to floods of tears or gales of laughter, but it has a nice, inoffensive quality to it that is very relaxing. It uses the era's "pre-code" liberalism, not to shock or titillate, but to deal sensitively (albeit covertly) about the issue of pregnancy outside marriage. And thanks to its aura of friendliness which is never forced but simply unfolds before us, embodied in the warm and trustworthy Mr Rogers, one cannot help but feel uplifted by it.
    helpful•9
    0
    • Steffi_P
    • Jun 13, 2011

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 22, 1933 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • Italian
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Life Worth Living
    • Production company
      • Fox Film Corporation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 17 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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