The House of God

My cousin is a neurologist, and I roomed with him and one of his friends when I first heard of the book House of God. I also heard that it had been made into a movie which had never been released. Apparently it was run on cable television a couple of times, and copies circulated among doctors, nurses and interns. I met more doctors as a result of them coming over to our apartment to see this movie.

I haven't seen it in years, but I remember that I was very impressed with the adaptation. It is an 'inside' movie, in that those who are not doctors will not get as much out of it as those who are part of the profession, one reason perhaps why the film was not released. It was also pretty loose as far as plot and story, but so was the book. Lord knows there are a lot of movies that are far worse that did make it to theaters. The collapse of UA at the time was icing on the cake.

I distinctly remember my cousin telling me that the scenes in the ER were the most realistic he'd seen. Of course thanks to TV such scenes in the ER are a lot more plentiful.

Certainly worth seeing, and worth releasing on DVD.

Samuel Shem's novel "The House of God" is a classic in the world of medicine, a must-read for all new doctors, a biting satire that is hilarious and horrifying, highlighting in very stark terms how dehumanizing medical training can be, both for the patients and the doctors themselves. It is a work of sheer brilliance.

The movie version is none of those things.

It is never easy to adapt a novel into a movie, especially when the novel itself is a classic. However, the filmmakers here did not even try. Instead of a story, what we have here is a disjointed series of events with no connecting threads. This movie doesn't tell a story at all. It references a few key scenes from the novel to show that it was really based on it, but then throws in many, many new scenes that do nothing to contribute to the story or the richness of the film's message.

The message of the novel is entirely lost in this film, there is not even a single moment worth laughing with or laughing at, and there isn't even a story here worth following.

There could not possibly be a starker contrast between the ingenuity of the original novel and the sheer banality of this film. It is truly awful.

United Artists never theatrically released this movie, often claimed because of the hectic going-ons at UA during the time of its completion (the studio was still recovering from HEAVEN'S GATE, the studio had been sold to MGM, and there was new management.) Looking at the completed movie itself, I think UA saw it being simply uncommercial, especially seeing how they also shelved it for several years. I've never read the book, but the movie is a mess. There's no real plot to speak of, the characters are barely sketched out, and things seemingly happen at random. In fact, a lot of scenes have a strong feeling of improvisation. The biggest sin the film makes is that the supposedly humorous moments simply aren't funny - and as you probably know, there's nothing worse than a comedy that isn't funny. Even the talented (and yet-to-be famous) cast can't do anything with the lame material.

I was an under 5 in this film. I went to see the casting director at a nearby hotel by my workplace on my lunch break. She said I would be perfect as a crash cart nurse. My boss gave me 5 days off to work the film.

I had to rush down the hallway with a car filled with medical stuff. On breaks, Tim Matheson hung out with the extras in an empty room. He was just so incredibly kind and answered all our questions about his film career up to that point. Also George Coe and I did a couple of scenes. We had to 'silent' talk while looking at clipboard charts. He said I was a natural. I told him I did summer stock and the Stan method. Bess Armstrong was kind and funny. It was exciting to meet the other actors. Who knew that I was meeting the future Kramer from Seinfeld??? The other thing I remember so well was the famous craft services. The food spread was off the charts. When I finally saw the film so many years later on an obscure TV Channel, I realized I wound up on the cutting room floor. It was a fun experience, one I'll never forget. Oh, to be in my 20s again!!!

I finally landed a copy of the elusive House of God on video. Actually, a taped copy from cable where it showed up last week at 2:36 a.m. and I just happened to be up.

The movie has the almost impossible task of living up to one of the great American novels. Tim Matheson is well-cast as are the two police officers Quick and Gilheeney (James Cromwell and Malachy McCourt).

Charles Haid just isn't very fat, but he does a commendable job as The Fat Man. The rest of the cast is a who's who of future TV sitcom stars: Michael Richards, Joe Piscopo, Gilbert Godfried, Bess Armstrong...

I thought the movie was ok (it was filmed in Philadelphia, which is never mentioned), but it lacked the most essential element of the book: The Rules of the House of God. The first few are mentioned, but that's it.

GOMERS, Slurpers, Turfing, Buffing, Bouncing...it's all there. I wonder how someone who didn't read the book would like it?

Anyway, it's worth a peak, but don't pay $800 or whatever that place in Georgia wanted for it. I'll make you a copy for the price of a blank casette.