Dr. Monica

...by pressuring Warner Brothers to cut this film so badly. He referred to the three main female characters as "a lesbian, a nymphomaniac, and a prostitute". I find this very confusing. None of the women in this film are wearing trousers (I'm not casting stereotypes here - see The Office Wife for reference), nor are any of the women committed to more than one man - in fact two of them love the same man, and none of them seem to be doing "the deed" for money. I can only imagine that whenever he was confronted with images on film of an unconventional nature, that the top of old Joe's head came off and he started spouting nonsense. But I digress.

At a short 53 minutes this is a film about Dr. Monica Braden (Kay Francis), a woman who delivers babies for a living but is physically unable to have her own and desperately wants to, her husband John (Warren William) who has a short affair with an acquaintance (Jean Muir) but ends it when he realizes he really loves Monica, with a healthy dose of friendship thrown in for Monica in the person of Teasdale's character. Dr. Monica becomes the physician of the girl having her husband's baby not knowing the situation. Complications ensue.

The cutting on this film is so stark that you can actually see where the abortion would have been discussed. Jean Muir's character has just learned her condition, starts to say something - never does, and then the film cuts to Dr. Monica telling her sternly "don't even think that! Ever!". Plus, Warren William is practically neutered in this film. If you're familiar with his work, you know Warren William usually was the fast-talking cad in a multitude of Warner precodes who was second fiddle to none. Unfortunately, here he is barely fourth fiddle.

If I seem like I'm being hard on this film it's mainly the screenplay to which I object. Both Muir and Francis are natural, strong, and vulnerable in their roles depending upon what is needed in any given scene. Teasdale doesn't get to do much, but she adds a level head to a situation that desperately needs one. As with all of Kay's WB films this one boasts a lovely score and has a few wonderful seemingly untouched scenes, such as the one where Dr. Braden and her husband are enjoying a sunset together at the end of their vacation - she understands the significance of the occasion (a last time together, as she wants to step aside so John can be a father to his child), he does not (He doesn't even know he's a father).

Recommended for hard core fans of Francis, but do be prepared to feel like you've been rushed through an incomplete story, because you have been.

"Doctor Monica" (1934) was one of the very last precode movies, released by Warner Brothers just ten days before the chopper fell down on Hollywood.

Based on a Polish play it stars the very sophisticated Kay Francis as the successful surgeon, Dr Monica Braden.

She is unable to have children but alas, her philandering but suave husband, John (Warren William) is most definitely not shooting blanks as we find out when Monica's close friend, Mary Hathaway (Jean Muir) faints at a party. Tests prove that the unmarried young woman has "one in the oven" so to speak and never one to pry or judge, Monica helps to secure her a place in a country clinic to see out her pregnancy away from the frowning eyes of her townsfolk.

The two share a mutual friend in Anna Littlefield (Verree Teasdale) who is the first to find out that the elusive father of the unborn child is none other than the husband of the blissfully unaware Dr Monica!

John is away on business and also has no clue as to the results of his adultery when Mary goes into labour.

Already finding her imminent baby delivering duties painful in light of a recent very negative phone call from a fertility specialist, Monica is suddenly plunged into personal, emotional and moral turmoil when she overhears a phone call revealing that her husband is the sire of the soon to be born illegitimate child.

Decisions decisions decisions!!

A very well acted drama by all involved. Kay Francis is the picture of class and elegance and the brilliant Warren William manages once again to be very likeable despite playing a scoundrel. It's also interesting to see him in one of only two films (the other being as Julius Caesar in his previous film, "Cleopatra") in which he doesn't sport his trademark moustache.

This women's movie about a selfless doctor (Kay Francis) who can't have children and her philandering husband (Warren William) was originally a brisk 65 minutes. After the censors were through with it, it was trimmed to 53 minutes.

The problem was that the husband fathers a child with an unmarried woman (Jean Muir) but remains blissfully unaware of it. Muir goes off to a country clinic to have the kid, so no one is the wiser except for Francis and her icy friend (Verree Teasdale).

Muir doesn't want the baby if she can't have the husband, but he's through with her and doesn't know about the baby anyway. He keeps going to and coming from Europe while all this plays out. Francis is about to have an operation so she can have children but is told it's futile.

Ultimately, Muir takes matters into her own hands to resolve the problem.

Francis, Muir, and Teasdale are all quite good but Warren doesn't have much to do since he's not involved in the main plot. Emma Dunn is the nurse, Phillip Reed shows up for a second, and Ann Shoemaker has one scene at a party.

It would be interesting to see what ended up on the cutting room floor.

Don't faint, but I actually liked Kay Francis in Dr. Monica. Usually I'm her biggest critic, but she did a good job in this entertaining drama. I found her much more believable as a career woman than as a mother, her usual role. She always seemed very self-absorbed to me, a quality that lends itself much more to a high rung on the ladder than a seat in the nursery. In this movie, she's a dedicated obstetrician with a supportive husband, Warren William, who also has his own career. They seem to have a perfect marriage and all their friends envy them.

All except one, Jean Muir. Jean is having an affair with Warren behind Kay's back. If you look the movie up online, you'll get major spoiler alerts as to the rest of the plot. I wouldn't recommend it; just watch the movie and let it unfold naturally. It's a very interesting story with a timeless struggle between the characters. And don't be surprised if you get a lump in your throat at the end. You'll also see Ann Shoemaker and Verree Teasdale in the supporting cast, and Louise Beavers in a small role as Jean's maid.

Dr. Monica (1934)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Decent but somewhat dimwitted melodrama from Warner about a good hearted doctor (Kay Francis) who can't have children of her own but soon learns that her husband (Warren William) has been sleeping with her best friend (Jean Muir) and has also gotten her pregnant. Quite a story for a film from 1934 but sadly this thing only runs 53-minutes and apparently it had around fifteen-minutes cut out of it either before or during its original release. I'm not certain if the uncut version will ever show up but I was surprised to see how much was left intact from the cheating husband, a non-married pregnant woman and there's even a quick mention about an abortion. I have a hard time really judging this film since so much of it was cut out and perhaps some of the issues I had with it were better served in the uncut version. With that said, the biggest problem I had was how stupid the characters were. I'm not going to give away any of the major plot points but I will say that I found the two female characters to be incredibly silly. This is especially true of the "friend" as I found her so annoying that I couldn't connect with her story. The wife/doctor was so forgiving that I had a hard time caring for her either. The film does feature three good performances from the leads as all of them fit their roles nicely. The performances certainly help the weak material overcome some of its issues but DR. MONICA doesn't quite reach the level it should. Still, fans of pre-code films should want to check this one out even in its cut form.