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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1
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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:
Two women stood by him while all the world jeered...a world he was trying to save! See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
2 March 1940 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Doktor Ehrlich See more »Filming Locations:
Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USACompany Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Recording System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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(uncredited)
Traditional 19th century German folk song
Played on piano by Hedy at the end
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
This film generated controversy because many thought the subject of syphilis too scandalous a topic for a motion picture in 1940. See more »Goofs
In this film's first part, newspaper headlines talk of diptheria (sic). Must be the same ones who spell "opthalmology" (sic). The etymology of both words comes from Greek which confirms an "h" which is missing in both misspellings. Properly spelled, they are "diphtheria" and "ophthalmology." See more »Quotes
Dr. Paul Ehrlich: [about his felow doctors] To argue with them is like discussing colors with the color-blind.See more »
Soundtracks
Du, du liegst mir im Herzen(uncredited)
Traditional 19th century German folk song
Played on piano by Hedy at the end
See more »
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Hollywood in the 1930' s filmed the biographies of some of the world's greatest men. These recreations tower over the current A & E Biography series. The story of Dr. Ehrlich from staining the tubercular germ through the development of his theory of combating disease with so called magic bullets of chemicals is inspiring. His efforts in fighting Diphtheria and his long struggle against the devastating scourge of syphilis with a final discovery after 605 failed attempts is extremely rewarding.