''Doctor Bull'' is a 1933 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

, based on the James Gould Cozzens novel '' The Last Adam''.

Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...

portrays a small-town doctor who must deal with a

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...

outbreak in the community. The film was well praised by ''

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 ...

'', which noted that the story is similar to that of

Lionel Barrymore Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blyth; April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio as well as a film director. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in '' A Free Soul'' (1931) ...

's film '' One Man's Journey'' when it premiered at the

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall (also known as Radio City) is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York C ...

in New York City.

Andy Devine Andrew Vabre Devine (October 7, 1905 – February 18, 1977) was an American character actor known for his distinctive raspy, crackly voice and roles in American frontier, Western films, including his role as Cookie, the sidekick of Roy Rogers ...

met his future wife during the making of this picture. The film was one of Fox's biggest hits of the year.

Plot

George Bull is a doctor in the small country town of New Winton. Dr. Bull spends most of his waking hours going from one house call to the next. What little free time he has is spent with his best friend Janet, a widow of five years, leading to much gossip amongst the townspeople. Dr. Bull discovers a typhoid epidemic in New Winton and vaccinates the schoolchildren. This leads to the parents holding a town meeting to recall Dr. Bull. Fed up with the long hours and constant complaints, Dr. Bull tells them he doesn't care if he gets kicked out of town. However, the town meeting is adjourned without dismissing Dr. Bull. After a serum he whipped up cures a cow of its paralysis, Dr. Bull tries it on a paralyzed man. The man walks again. Dr. Bull confesses his love toward Janet. They get married, and as they board the train to their honeymoon, they receive news that the medical community is astonished at Dr. Bull's new paralysis cure.

Cast

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Doctor Bull 1933 films 1933 comedy films American comedy films American black-and-white films Films directed by John Ford Fox Film films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films