Doctor at Large (film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1955 novel
by Richard Gordon
| Doctor at Large | |
|---|---|
 Original British cinema poster | |
| Directed by | Ralph Thomas |
| Screenplay by | Nicholas Phipps |
| Based on | Doctor at Large 1955 novel by Richard Gordon |
| Produced by | Betty Box |
| Starring | Dirk Bogarde Muriel Pavlow Donald Sinden James Robertson Justice |
| Cinematography | Ernest Steward |
| Edited by | Frederick Wilson |
| Music by | Bruce Montgomery |
Production company | Rank Organisation Film Productions |
| Distributed by | Rank Film Distributors |
Release date |
|
Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Doctor at Large is a 1957 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas starring Dirk Bogarde, Muriel Pavlow, Donald Sinden, James Robertson Justice and Shirley Eaton. It is the third of the seven films in the Doctor series, and is based on the 1955 novel of the same title by Richard Gordon.
Back at St Swithin's, Dr Simon Sparrow loses out to the self-important Dr Bingham for a job as senior house surgeon. Feeling that he has no future as a surgeon, he takes a general practice job in an industrial town. He finds that he has to do most of the work, including night calls, and is also the target of his partner's flirty wife.
He then takes a locum job with Dr Potter-Shine's Harley Street practice, where most of the patients are dotty aristocrats and neurotic society women. Leaving after three months, he moves to a rural practice where patients pay in kind, ranging from home-grown raspberries to poached salmon.
Meanwhile, Tony Benskin fails his finals – again – and travels to Ireland where he buys a very dubious medical degree. This leads to a post as private physician to a rich elderly aristocratic lady in Wiltshire.
Sparrow and Benskin take a short holiday in France, where they save Dr Hopcroft, a governor at St Swithin's, from an embarrassing incident. In return, he arranges for Sparrow and Benskin to return to St Swithin's. Sparrow commences advanced surgical training with Sir Lancelot Spratt, whilst Benskin becomes personal physician to a rich Maharajah.
Main cast
- Dirk Bogarde as Dr Simon Sparrow
- Muriel Pavlow as Joy Gibson
- Donald Sinden as Dr Tony Benskin
- James Robertson Justice as Sir Lancelot Spratt
- Shirley Eaton as Nurse Nan McPherson
- Derek Farr as Dr Potter-Shine
- Michael Medwin as Dr Charles Bingham
- Martin Benson as Maharajah
- John Chandos as O'Malley
- Edward Chapman as Wilkins
- George Coulouris as Pascoe
- Judith Furse as Mrs Digby
- Gladys Henson as Mrs Wilkins
- Anne Heywood as Emerald
- Ernest Jay as Charles Hopcroft
- Lionel Jeffries as Dr Hatchet
- Mervyn Johns as Smith
- Geoffrey Keen as second examiner
- Dilys Laye as Mrs Jasmine Hatchet
- Harry Locke as Porter
- Terence Longdon as George, House Surgeon
- A. E. Matthews as Duke of Skye and Lewes
- Guy Middleton as Major Porter
- Barbara Murray as Kitty
- Dandy Nichols as lady in Outpatients Dept.
- Nicholas Phipps as Mr Wayland, solicitor
- Wensley Pithey as Sam, poacher
- Maureen Pryor as Mrs Dalton
- Noel Purcell as "Padre", pub landlord
- George Relph as Dr Farquarson
- Athene Seyler as Lady Hawkins
- Ronnie Stevens as waiter at hotel
- Ernest Thesiger as first examiner
- Michael Trubshawe as Colonel Graves