The Carey Treatment (1972)

At a Boston hospital, Dr. Carey becomes an amateur sleuth to help clear a colleague who's accused of botching an illegal abortion that kills a 15 year old girl.

Director:

Blake Edwards

Writers:

Michael Crichton (novel) (as Jeffery Hudson), John D.F. Black (screenplay) (as James P. Bonner)

Stars:

James Coburn, Jennifer O'Neill, Pat Hingle

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Coburn	...	Dr. Peter Carey
Jennifer O'Neill	...	Georgia Hightower
Pat Hingle	...	Capt. Pearson
Skye Aubrey	...	Nurse Angela Holder
Elizabeth Allen	...	Evelyn Randall
John Fink	...	Chief Surgeon Andrew Murphy
Dan O'Herlihy	...	J.D. Randall
James Hong	...	David Tao
Alex Dreier	...	Dr. Joshua Randall
Michael Blodgett	...	Roger Hudson
Regis Toomey	...	Sanderson the Pathologist
Steve Carlson	...	Walding
Rosemary Edelman	...	Janet Tao
Jennifer Edwards	...	Lydia Barrett
John Hillerman	...	Jenkins

Storyline

Dr. Peter Carey is a pathologist at a Boston hospital. The daughter of the hospital's Chief of Staff dies after an illegal abortion goes wrong, and Carey's friend and colleague Dr. David Tao is accused of performing the abortion. Carey doesn't buy it, and so he digs deeper, angering the girl's father in the process. Questions abound: Who performed the abortion? Was the girl really pregnant? And what does it have to do with stolen morphine, blackmail attempts, and a mysterious and dangerous masseur?

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Plot Keywords:

illegal abortion | pathologist | boston hospital | blackmail | investigation | 

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Taglines:

Peter Carey M.D.: arrives from the coast - finds hypocrisy in a big Boston hospital - and a brilliant surgeon accused of abortion that turns to murder.

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 July 1972 (UK)

Also Known As:

A Case of Need

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Geoffrey Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on a novel entitled 'A Case of Need', published in 1968 and credited to Jeffrey Hudson. Decades later, Hudson was revealed to be a pseudonym for Michael Crichton.

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Goofs

When Carey jumps the bridge, the front hubcaps can be seen flying off the front wheels of his station wagon. The hubcaps then reappear back on the car.

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Quotes

Dr. Peter Carey: Will you keep your eyes on my goods?

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Connections

Referenced in Hammer (1972)

User Reviews

Decent mystery with some memorable scenes.

This little known medical thriller seems like a second cousin to "Coma" and fans of that film should enjoy this one as well. Coburn is a free-living pathologist hired on at a large Boston hospital who almost immediately finds himself trying to disprove a murder rap placed on one of his colleagues. A fellow doctor (Hong, in one of his more substantial roles) is accused of performing an illegal abortion on a fifteen-year-old girl, which led to her death. That the girl is the daughter of the Chief of Staff is no small complication! Coburn must put all the pieces together to find out what actually happened while fending off his protective and commandeering boss (O'Herlihy.) He still finds time, however, to play with O'Neill (whose thankless part only offers one or two decent moments.) Some of the situations and dialogue are inherently "70's", but it is still engrossing entertainment. Coburn has one scene with the great Allen. This effortlessly sophisticated and witty actress partakes in some snappy repartee with him and sparks fly in the well written scene. Coburn also has a memorable run-in with Dreier who nonchalantly simmers some sauce while discussing his niece's death. The subject matter of the film is a bit unsettling and gets increasingly so (and more violent) as it nears its pretty gory climax. Some will view this as a good thing, others may be put off. One scene involving a masseuse and client is quite tense. This leads to some bloodletting and then a nail-biting, if a bit far-fetched, finale. Aubrey is the daughter of Phyllis Thaxter and looks much like her. Blake Edwards' daughter Jennifer has a small, but featured role as the dead girl's roommate. TV fans will note the presence of Hillerman and Mandan as doctors on staff. One complaint: With all the dramatics and hysterics during the resolution, it can be hard to hear what actually happened! Keep the remote handy for a rewind.