Dr. Cook's Garden

Dark king Crosby, in a role maybe not so far from what he was in real life; try to read his son's book, where the young man describes his home daily hell, xanks to his father, the great American Icon. So, back to this pretty good TV stuff, the main interest, besides Crosby unusual character, is the way how the young idealistic doctor discovers slowly but surely that his model doctor - Crosby - may be not as sweet and kind as he supposes to be.

Bing is effective. The plot is spread a little thin as the beginning is drawn out with a lot if inane dialogue.

The real treat is seeing how stunning Blythe Danner and Frank Converse were in their prime.

One of the amazing films of the ABC Tuesday Night at the Movies, Bing Crosby starts out as a Kervorkian style doctor but crosses the line as he begins to make judgments on who in his small town must live or die based on their conduct. Chilling and foretelling.

Even though we learn the obvious relatively early on, there is still some decent suspense watching it all play out. Crosby is excellent in this dramatic role, and some of the dialogue between he and Converse is thoughtfully written. Much of the finale is haphazard, but the irony wraps it all up neatly.

This is one of many first-rate movies that were made for TV on ABC at the time.

Bing Crosby, with beautiful silver hair and a new goatee to make him look old, stars as the title character in this entertaining tv flick Dr. Cook's Garden. He's a lovable country doctor connected to everyone in the town; perfect casting, right? I love how Bing makes everything better. If he were my doctor, I'd actually look forward to going!

Frank Converse returns to town after a five year absence while being in medical school, and he completely ruins the movie. It's not really his fault as an actor; his character is written to be a suspicious, mean, disloyal creep. He's supposed to be completely devoted to Bing, who treated like a father, but as soon as he gets back in town, he starts getting suspicious as to Bing's medical methods. Who does he think he is?

Frank aside, this is an enjoyable movie that will make you talk with your friends afterwards about morality, loyalty, and justice. Bing is excellent, with a multi-faceted performance combined with the charm he's had for decades. It's rare to catch him in a drama, so check this one out if you like him.