Doctor in Distress (film)
| Doctor in Distress | |
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Original British 1963 quad film poster
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| Directed by | Ralph Thomas |
| Produced by | Betty E. Box |
| Screenplay by | Nicholas Phipps Ronald Scott Thorn |
| Starring | Dirk Bogarde James Robertson Justice Samantha Eggar |
| Music by | Norrie Paramor |
| Cinematography | Ernest Steward |
| Edited by | Alfred Roome |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Rank Film Distributors |
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Release dates
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Running time
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102 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Doctor in Distress is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Dirk Bogarde, James Robertson Justice, and Samantha Eggar. It's the fifth of the seven films in the Doctor series. After a one-film absence, it marked the final return to the role of Simon Sparrow by Dirk Bogarde, and also the return (although in a different role) of Donald Houston. The film uses some of the characters in Richard Gordon's Doctor novels, but isn't based on any of the novels.
Plot
Simon Sparrow, now a senior doctor at Hampden Cross Hospital, falls in love with Delia, a model and aspiring actress. They eventually move in together, but then she goes to Italy to try out for a film.
Meanwhile, Spratt injures his back in a fall. Placed under the care of physiotherapist Iris Marchant, he is initially hostile, but soon succumbs to her charms. He turns to his friend Simon for advice. Simon sends him to a nature cure clinic in a vain attempt to help him lose weight. Spratt has Iris followed, and, when his private investigator turns up at Hampden Cross as a patient, follows her himself (terrorising a nervous train passenger in the process). He proposes to her, but is eventually rejected in favour of another of her patients, retired army Major Tommy French.
Delia returns in England, having somehow acquired an expensive Italian car (a Maserati Sebring) and expensive clothes, though she did not land a part in the film. It is implied that she and Simon get together again.
Main cast
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- Dirk Bogarde as Dr. Simon Sparrow
- James Robertson Justice as Sir Lancelot Spratt
- Samantha Eggar as Delia Mallory
- Barbara Murray as Iris Marchant
- Mylène Demongeot as Sonia
- Donald Houston as Major Tommy French
- Jessie Evans as Mrs. Parry
- Ann Lynn as Mrs. Whittaker
- Leo McKern as Harry
- Dennis Price as Dr. Blacker
- Rodney Cardiff as Dr. Stewart
- Fenella Fielding as Train Passenger
- Jill Adams as Genevieve
- Paul Whitsun-Jones as Grimes
- Michael Flanders as Bradby
- Amanda Barrie as Rona
- Reginald Beckwith as Meyer
- Bill Kerr as Australian Sailor
- Michael Goldie as Physical Training Instructor
- Ronnie Stevens as Hotel Manager
- Peter Butterworth as Ambulance Driver
- Derek Fowlds as Gillibrand
- Timothy Bateson as Mr. Holly
- Joe Robinson as Sonja's Boyfriend
- Ronnie Barker as Man at Railway Station Ticket Counter
- John Bluthal as Railway Porter
- Marianne Stone as Cafe Waitress
- Denise Coffey as Food seller at Railway Station
- Jeanette Landis as Rosie
- Margaret Boyd as Lady Willoughby
- Frank Finlay as Corsetiere
- David Weston as Dr Bell
- Richard Briers as Medical Student (uncredited)
- Christopher Beeny as Medical Student (uncredited)
- Johnny Briggs as Medical Student (uncredited)
- Felix Felton as Farm Patient (uncredited)
Reception
The film was one of the ten most popular movies at the British box office in 1963.[1]
References
- ↑ "Most Popular Films Of 1963." Times [London, England] 3 Jan. 1964: 4. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 11 July 2012.
