True story of the doctor who considered it was not immoral to search for a drug that would cure syphillis.
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Title: Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Edward G. Robinson | ... | Dr. Paul Ehrlich | |
| Ruth Gordon | ... | Mrs. Ehrlich | |
| Otto Kruger | ... | Dr. Emil Von Behring | |
| Donald Crisp | ... | Minister Althoff | |
| Maria Ouspenskaya | ... | Franziska Speyer | |
| Montagu Love | ... | Prof. Hartmann | |
| Sig Ruman | ... | Dr. Hans Wolfert (as Sig Rumann) | |
| Donald Meek | ... | Mittelmeyer | |
| Henry O'Neill | ... | Dr. Lentz | |
| Albert Bassermann | ... | Dr. Robert Koch | |
| Edward Norris | ... | Dr. Morgenroth | |
| Harry Davenport | ... | Judge | |
| Louis Calhern | ... | Dr. Brockdorf | |
| Louis Jean Heydt | ... | Dr. Kunze | |
| Charles Halton | ... | Sensenbrenner | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Dr. Paul Ehrlich was the German physician who developed the first synthetic antimicrobial drug, 606 or Salvarsan. The film describes how Ehrlich first became interested in the properties of the then-new synthetic dyes and had an intuition that they could be useful in the diagnosis of bacterial diseases. After this work met with success, Ehrlich proposed that synthetic compounds could be made to selectively target and destroy disease causing microorganisms. He called such a drug a "magic bullet". The film describes how in 1908, after 606 attempts, he succeeded. Written by Anonymous
Taglines:
HE DREAMED THE GREATEST ADVENTURE MAN HAD EVER KNOWN...and made that dream come true! (original print ad - mostly caps) See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
2 March 1940 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet See more »Filming Locations:
Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USAEdit
Box Office
Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$205Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Recording System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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(1869) (uncredited)
Music by Johann Strauss
Played when Paul and Hedy dance
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Although not covered in the film, Paul Ehrlich also discovered the structural formula of atoxyl, a chemical compound used in the treatment of sleeping sickness. See more »Goofs
When Rhineland Chemical is shipping boxes of 606 to cities around the world, one box is labeled "St. Mary's Hospital, Sidney, Australia." A second box to a different hospital shows the city correctly spelled as Sydney. See more »Quotes
Dr. Paul Ehrlich: [His final message, on his deathbed, to his research team] There will be epidemics of greed, hate and ignorance. We must fight them in life as we fought syphilis in the laboratory. We must fight, fight. We must never, never stop fighting.See more »
Soundtracks
Wein, Weib und Gesang, Op. 333 (Wine, Women and Song)(1869) (uncredited)
Music by Johann Strauss
Played when Paul and Hedy dance
See more »
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I saw this movie a few times, years ago when they had a lot of old movies on TV (pre-cable). There is much more in it than the cure for syphilis.
Dr. Ehrlich also discovered some amazing new ideas: dye for viewing bacterial slides and identifying those germs; the process of vaccination as a prevention against disease and the difficulty in changing the views of the medical community even with valid & objective scientific evidence.
Edward G. Robinson did an excellent job and the portrayal is artfully and humanely done as a early medical pioneer. The scientific discoveries may seem too banal for today's average person but the work was a milestone in medical science.