White Corridors (1951)

Hospital drama set at the Yeoman's Hospital, in the English Midlands, during the early 1950s.

Director:

Pat Jackson

Writers:

Helen Ashton (novel), Pat Jackson (screenplay)

Stars:

Googie Withers, James Donald, Godfrey Tearle

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Googie Withers	...	Dr. Sophie Dean
James Donald	...	Neil Marriner
Godfrey Tearle	...	Mr. Groom Sr.
Petula Clark	...	Joan Shepherd
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jean Anderson	...	Sister Gater
Timothy Bateson	...	Dr. Cook
Deidre Doyle	...	Patient
Fabia Drake	...	Miss Farmer
Henry Edwards	...	Phillip Brewster
Lyn Evans	...	Pedlar
Grace Gavin	...	Sister Abbott
Helen Harvey	...	Nurse Miller
Gerard Heinz	...	Dr. Macuzek
H.S. Hills	...	Tranter
Mary Hinton	...	Matron

Storyline

The scene is Yeoman's Hospital, set in the English Midlands, soon after the NHS was founded. Sophie Dean, a young and gifted surgeon, is torn between her love for pathologist Dr Neil Mariner, and a prestigous post in London. Mariner's research is on penicillin-resistant infection, and whilst drawing blood from a young boy with septicaemia, he inadvertently infects himself. The boy dies, and Neil becomes seriously ill - his experimental serum might save him, and he asks Sophie to give him the serum if there is no other hope - but if she does,she could be charged with manslaughter if Neil dies. Fortunately he is saved, and Sophie decides her future is with Neil. The film is by turns humorous, moving and dramatic with superb attention to detail. It is the archetype of medical dramas right up to the present day.

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Plot Keywords:

british noir | medical research | england | based on novel | hospital | 

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Taglines:

Into a world the patients never see ...

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 October 1951 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Serum 703

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vic Films Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The last film of Basil Radford.

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Quotes

Mr. Groom Sr.: We're doctors not judges. Our job is to save lives not to decide if they're worth saving. That girl may be a number in a hospital to you but she was someone's proudest creation. That's why our job is different. A death on the table, an overdose of morphia, a misdiagnosis, and you extinguish a flame that can never be re-lit.

User Reviews

Superior hospital drama

First of all this represents a time when hospitals were run by Matron, whose word was law and who even scared many Doctors. No managers mismanaging budgets in those days, everything scrupulously clean and well run, I watched this with great nostalgia for those days as first of all, this does depict a hospital accurately as they were run in those days and that added to the film. However, add in a great script and fabulous performances from all the cast and this is a marvellous film. It could have been over melodramatic, but, the cast, script and direction keep it from falling into that pit. As a previous reviewer noted Dr Sophie Dean is a 21st Century woman, a strong role played superbly by Googie Withers, James Donald, as always is superb in an understated way and Petula Clark is sympathetic as the frightened rookie nurse. Cannot fault the movie except for the rather pointless storyline with Basil Radford as the chap with the bad back, the film would have lost nothing if it hadn't been included. Top class film that will never get shown on TV again because they would rather fill the schedules with cheap and lazy reality programmes featuring Dominic Littlewood.