Actor Robert Strauss in one of his rare serious performances, unlike his many comedic ones, as the overworked and underpaid Dr. Terrence Canfield who's is facing serious burn out with his work load at the hospital overwhelming him as well as his wife, who he hasn't spent any free time with in 13 years, Lorraine about to leave him, Dr. Canfield later redeems himself by saving a little boys life who has a button stuck in his throat that he removes with a medical procedure: a Trichotomy.
This after going through the motions as a general practitioner by declaring Thelma Kauffman's comatose dad, who just suffered his third stroke in six months, dead-It's best for everyone Dr. Canfield told her- and checked out his patient Mr. Lukus' inflamed gall bladder, a result from eating too much pork chops and gravy, that he just operated on. Taking a coffee brake from his work Dr. Canfield receives a letter from his wife's lawyer asking for a divorce as if he needed any more bad news.It looks like he's about to throw the towel in and leave his practice and wife and become a bum on the Bowery like so many men in his position have become over the years but then things suddenly lightens up for the good doctor.
Coming home from a hard days work in the office Dr. Canfield sweet talks his long suffering wife Lorraine into staying with him by promising to take her out to the movies for the first time in 13 years and then have a quit dinner with her at a local greasy spoon dinner in the neighborhoods slum section where he can afford to pay for the meal. All this falls apart on Dr. Canfield when he suddenly gets an emergency call to show up at the hospital and tend a couple of gun shot victims, from the diner that he was to take Lorraine out to dinner,and has to cancel his plans! By then Lorainne realizes what stress the mans under and decides to stay with her overworked husband knowing that he'll soon burn out. And if not ending up in the hospital himself from both physical and mental exhaustion. Or he'll be here at home with her having all the time in the world to care for him.
