A Man to Remember

This is one of the great unheralded films...called movies in those days...of the century. I saw it the age of 10 and it remained clearly in my mind for 50 years. Now that IMDB has refreshed my memory with the names of the director (Garson Kanin) and screenwriter (Dalton Trumbo), I understand why it remains one of my favorites in the entire history of the cinema.

Opening at the funeral of John Abbott, doctor of the small town, three men that Abbott owed money to are eager to wait for Abbott's assets to be distributed so they can reclaim their money. Abbott's effects however are a series of notes each with their own story to tell, such as a remittance for a doctor's fee for the birth of a baby girl, Jean, whom Abbott adopts, paid bills where the doctor provided everything he could for sacks of potatoes or a couple of dollars, as well as other memories of Abbott helping the town get their hospital, stopping a polio epidemic, sacrificing an advanced career in a more prosperous city, watching his son, Dick, following in his dad's footsteps, eventually taking over his practice, and more which make the men think that Dr. Abbott has paid his debts many times over. The film is a great slice of small town Americana that is very moving and brilliantly presented (by first time director Kanin). Edward Ellis in probably his only leading role is perfect even surpassing Lionel Barrymore's understated performance in an earlier version, One Man's Journey. Shirley and Bowman also lend fine support and a great mix of character actors play up the sentimentality of the film. Sad thing is the only surviving print is a Dutch subtitled version, but it is in good quality and it is a rare treat to watch. Rating, 9

Man to Remember, A (1938)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Remake of One Man's Journey, which I watched a few days ago. This time Edward Ellis plays a country doctor who grows old and poor because of his kind heart, which won't allow him to turn away sick people even if they don't have the money to pay him. Garson Kanin directed the screenplay by Dalton Trumbo and it's pretty faithful to the original movie. The fact that it's too faithful is the only real problem with the picture because if you've seen the original then you know everything that's going to happen here. Other than that I'd say this version is somewhat better as the story is better laid out and there's a new opening and closing, which suits the story very well. Ellis is terrific in his role and brings a lot of class and warmth to his character.

A crowd has gathered to pay respect to the funeral procession of Dr. John Abbott. The movie flashbacks to the moment when Abbott arrives with his young son Dick. Over the years, he treats both the poor and the rich. Money is never the issue. He even adopts a baby left on his doorstep.

The Dutch subtitle is a little weird. The major problem there is that any letter or note gets translated into Dutch. It's not impossible. One gets the essentials of those notes. There is the shooting and hospital plot. I wish it's not a shooting. The horse trading is a bit unseemly. The epidemic story is as timely as ever but it does end up with the audience being forced to root for childhood paralysis. I would also push back on the sibling romance. Other than all that, it is old fashion but it is in line with a long tradition of these old fashion movie about people of duty and service. It's Mr. Holland's Opus. It's It's a Wonderful Life. The basic structure is set for those tearjerkers but it needs some adjustments.

This melodrama creaks with age but the best performance by far was given by one of the oldest actors--Edward Ellis. Many actors who came to movies late in their careers are quite mannered and stagy. Some actors--Charles Middleton comes to mind--turned this stiffness into a virtue but more often, it simply dates the movie. I was very surprised at the subtlety of Ellis' performance as he managed to display a variety of emotions with underplayed touches. It reminded me of the best performances of Marie Dressler, a high compliment.

It is a shameless tearjerker about a small town doctor trying to warn his community about a potential polio epidemic which angers town leaders because it will mean canceling the local fair in which they are all invested. A tearjerker but then Marie Dressler jerked a few tears in her day.

One funny sight is poor, young Lee Bowman with the waistline of his pants resting closer to his armpits than his waist.

Richard Moore