One Man's Journey

It's strange to see the similarities in this film and "It's A Wonderful Life" from 13 years later. Barrymore plays a country doctor, Eli Watt, who has failed at a bigger practice, has become a widower, and now returns to his small town along with his small son to set up practice on his on. His first case has a horrible outcome, although it is not the doctor's fault. A farmer's wife dies in childbirth and the farmer (David Landau) does not want the baby girl and says he will get the poor farm to come and get her. Dr. Watt takes the baby girl in as his own and raises her as his daughter, Letty. In one plot turn I could not figure out, Mae Robson appears out of nowhere and says her life is empty and figures it can be fuller by keeping house for the doctor and his family.

The film is rather melodramatic, but the great acting of Barrymore and company make it worth your while, as the good doctor gets paid rarely in money and more often in potatoes, handles epidemics, and his son Bill grows up to be...Joel McCrea! (Bill Watt as a young man). Eli has always dreamed of specializing and even traveling to Europe to study with some of the great doctors, so he can bring what he has learned back to his community. However, time after time some emergency, Bill's tuition for medical school, plus just the plain old passage of time delays that dream until finally, old age finds Eli Watt, and he resigns himself to his fate, although with contentment rather than the anger and bitterness of George Bailey.

Will anyone ever notice his sacrifice and all he has done for the town? Watch and find out. It's a sentimental journey, but worth watching.

Other odd coincidences between this film and It's A Wonderful Life - one of the characters that Dr. Watt crosses paths and locks horns with over the years is a rich banker who thinks money can fix everything and therefore everybody wants his money - much like Barrymore's character in IAWL. Also, one imminent physician who respects country doctor Eli Watt and his accomplishments and sacrifice is played by Samuel S. Hinds, who played Pa Bailey in IAWL.

One thing that came out of nowhere for me and seemed a bit silly too, and doesn't have anything to do with the plot, so I will talk about it. When Dr. Watt first shows up and Sarah (May Robson) becomes the Watt housekeeper, she looks about 20 years older than Dr. Watt - and May Robson was in fact 20 years older than Lionel Barrymore. At the end of the film Dr. Watt has aged twenty years, and Sarah looks the same, to the point that she proposes marriage and he gives one of the most unromantic acceptances in the history of the world.

Films did give quite a few age un-appropriate roles to May Robson - she was 75 when this movie was made. I guess her great energy just makes you forget her age most of the time.

Lovely movie from an earlier time. Incredibly well-acted by most concerned. Except for McCrea, who, it seems to me, is as stiff as a board. While I realize he was supposed to exude a sort of heartless diffidence, I don't think that's the problem; I just don't think he had really come into his own yet. Of course he was a tall, handsome guy with a good voice and, with time, he became a solid actor -- but it's interesting to see him upstaged by almost everyone in this early entry.

And while the film can feel "dated," what is one to expect from a bit of art that was made so long ago? Perhaps that sense of "datedness" comes from the fact that today we are just so "aware" and cynical. Personally, I like the tone of the film....

Lionel Barrymore played a country Doctor who healed bodies as well as hearts. He helps Dorothy Jordan and James Bush and than later, Joe McCrea ( as his son) and Frances Dee. He played a character who was good hearted & hard working & was often only paid with potatoes as recompense. Sentimental, up-lifting, self-sacrifice & nobility all figure into the picture. It was remade in 1938 as A Man to Remember with Edward Ellis in the Barrymore role. The roles of Dee & Bush were dropped & in this case the son ( lee Bowman) falls in love with Anne Shirley--as the Jordan character. Acting was good all around. Jordan is pretty much forgotten today. She made several films in the early '30's and then married Merian C.Cooper. McCrea & Dee married shortly after making this picture. James Bush was in many films up to the early '50's, mostly in small, uncredited roles.

Soap opera spanning from the horse and buggy through to the current day, 1933, following the career of Eli Watt (played by Lionel Barrymore), a widower who has come back to his rural hometown where he fixes up "the old place" and sets himself up as town doctor (and mostly gets paid by the locals with sacks of potatoes). On his very first doctoring job, a mother giving birth dies, the angry, heartbroken dad wants nothing to do with his new baby daughter, so Doctor takes the baby home to raise along with his own young son. After four years the angry dad now regrets his decision and takes the girl back - then the years progress as Eli's son grows up and is training to be a doctor himself, and Eli becomes a hero during a local smallpox epidemic.

This is a warmhearted, interesting film boosted up by a very well done performance given by Lionel Barrymore who plays the kindly doctor with a lot of charm. May Robson is appealing here playing a plucky local woman who comes to live with the doctor and help care for the household and baby alike. Joel McCrea also appears in this as the doctor's son - he gives a nice performance but isn't really given that much to do. All in all, a quite entertaining film.

One Man's Journey (1933)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Standard drama from RKO about a country doctor (Lionel Barrymore) who could have had anything in life but he gave it all up to help others. This is the same role that Barrymore played in D.W. Griffith's The Country Doctor and he pretty much nails it. I guess there could be debate on whether John or Lionel were better actors but I think I'd give my vote to Lionel for being able to be more calm and deliver performances that aren't just over the top. He's very caring and stern here and the strong supporting cast including May Robson, Dorothy Jordan, Joel McCrea and Frances Dee do fine work as well. The one problem is that it's all very familiar and there aren't any surprises along the way.