''Welcome Stranger'' is a 1947 film directed by

Elliott Nugent Elliott Nugent (September 20, 1896 – August 9, 1980) was an American actor, playwright, writer, and film director. Life and career Nugent was born in Dover, Ohio, the son of actor J.C. Nugent. He attended Ohio State University. He successf ...

and starring

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

Barry Fitzgerald William Joseph Shields (10 March 1888 – 4 January 1961), known professionally as Barry Fitzgerald, was an Irish stage, film and television actor. In a career spanning almost forty years, he appeared in such notable films as ''Bringing Up Bab ...

, and

Joan Caulfield Beatrice Joan Caulfield (June 1, 1922 – June 18, 1991) was an American actress and model. After being discovered by Broadway producers, she began a stage career in 1943 that eventually led to signing as an actress with Paramount Pictures. Ear ...

. It was filmed in Hollywood with location shots at

Munz Lakes Munz Lakes is a small lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault in the northern Sierra Pelona Mountains, within Los Angeles County, California. Geography The lake is one of a series of sag ponds created by active tectonic plate movement of ...

during March to May 1946. Elliott Nugent appeared in one scene as a doctor sent to examine Barry Fitzgerald and that scene was directed by

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an American filmmaker and screenwriter. His career in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and ver ...

Plot

Crusty Dr. McRory (

) of Fallbridge, Maine, hires a replacement for his vacation sight unseen. Alas, he and young singing doctor Jim Pearson (

) don't hit it off, but Pearson is delighted to stay, once he meets teacher Trudy Mason (

). The locals, taking their cue from McRory, cold-shoulder Pearson, especially Trudy's stuffy fiancée. But then, guess who needs an emergency appendectomy.

Cast

as Dr. James 'Jim' Pearson *

as Trudy Mason *

as Dr. Joseph McRory *

Wanda Hendrix Dixie Wanda Hendrix (November 3, 1928 – February 1, 1981) was an American film and television actress. Early life Hendrix's father was a logging foreman, and she was born in Jacksonville, Florida. She was performing in a school play in Ja ...

as Emily Walters *

Frank Faylen Frank Faylen (born Charles Francis Ruf; December 8, 1905 – August 2, 1985) was an American film and television actor. Largely a bit player and character actor, he occasionally played more fleshed-out supporting roles during his forty-two ...

as Bill Walters * Elizabeth Patterson as Mrs. Gilley *

Robert Shayne Robert Shayne (born Robert Shaen Dawe, October 4, 1900 – November 29, 1992) was an American actor whose career lasted for over 60 years. He was best known for portraying Inspector Bill Henderson in the American television series '' Adven ...

as Roy Chesley *

Percy Kilbride Percy William Kilbride (July 16, 1888 – December 11, 1964) was an American character actor. He made a career of playing country "hicks," most memorably as Pa Kettle in the '' Ma and Pa Kettle'' series of feature films. Early life Kilbride wa ...

as Nat Dorkas *

Clarence Muse Clarence Muse (October 14, 1889 – October 13, 1979) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, singer, and composer. He was the first African American to appear in a starring role in a major studio film, 1929's '' Hearts in Dixie''. ...

as Clarence *

as Dr. White

Release and reception

The film was given the biggest advertising campaign for a Paramount film since ''

For Whom the Bell Tolls ''For Whom the Bell Tolls'' is a novel by Ernest Hemingway published in 1940. It tells the story of Robert Jordan, a young American volunteer attached to a Republican guerrilla unit during the Spanish Civil War. As a dynamiter, he is assigned ...

''. The New York premiere was held on August 6, 1947 at the Paramount and in its initial release period in the United States, the film took in $6.1 million in rentals, making it the highest-grossing film of 1947. The reviewer for ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' had seen the film at the Los Angeles tradeshow in April and commented: "Welcome Stranger should find the boxoffice path easy treading. It's crammed with all the ingredients that make for popular entertainment. . . Crosby and Fitzgerald take obvious pleasure in their friendly antagonist roles as young and old doctors... ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' felt that that film did not compare favorably with the previous Crosby / Fitzgerald success ''

Going My Way ''Going My Way'' is a 1944 American musical comedy drama film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald. Written by Frank Butler and Frank Cavett, based on a story by McCarey, the film is about a new young priest ...

''. However they considered that both men "tower over the script through sheer personality, and especially is this true in Mr. Crosby's case, for Mr. Sheekman has not invested the character of Jim Pearson with much substance. Mr. Fitzgerald's Doc McRory is a more rounded individual, and he does have some quaintly flavorsome dialogue—"blatherskite" is one of his less endearing terms for the young assistant. Joan Caulfield is lovely and competent as the teacher...

Soundtrack

*"Smile Right Back at the Sun" *"Country Style (Square Dance)" *"My Heart Is a Hobo" *" As Long As I'm Dreaming" All of the songs were written by

Jimmy Van Heusen James Van Heusen (born Edward Chester Babcock; January 26, 1913 – February 6, 1990) was an American composer. He wrote songs for films, television, and theater, and won an Emmy and four Academy Award for Best Original Song, Academy Awards for ...

(music) and Johnny Burke (lyrics) and sung by Bing Crosby. Burke and Van Heusen also wrote "Smack in the Middle of Maine" for the film but it was not used. Crosby recorded all of the songs for

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

and these were issued on a 2-disc, 78 rpm album titled " Selections from Welcome Stranger". The songs were also included in the

Bing's Hollywood The ''Bing's Hollywood'' series was a Decca Records 15-album set by American singer Bing Crosby of commercial recordings of songs used in his films from 1934 to 1956. Numbered in order from Decca DL4250 to DL4264, the LPs included "Easy to Rememb ...

series.

References

External links

* {{Elliott Nugent 1947 films 1947 comedy films American black-and-white films American comedy films Films directed by Elliott Nugent Films produced by Sol C. Siegel Films scored by Robert Emmett Dolan Films set in Maine Medical-themed films Paramount Pictures films 1940s American films