Captain Newman, M.D.
In 1944, Capt. Josiah J. Newman is the doctor in charge of Ward 7, the neuropsychiatric ward, at an Army Air Corps hospital in Arizona. The hospital is under-resourced and Newman scrounges what he needs with the help of his inventive staff, especially Cpl. Jake Leibowitz. The military in general is only just coming to accept psychiatric disorders as legitimate and Newman generally has 6 weeks to cure them or send them on to another facility. There are many patients in the ward and his latest include Colonel Norville Bliss who has dissociated from his past; Capt. Paul Winston who is nearly catatonic after spending 13 months hiding in a cellar behind enemy lines; and 20 year-old Cpl. Jim Tompkins who is severely traumatized after his aircraft was shot down. Others come and go, including Italian prisoners of war, but Newman and team all realize that their success means the men will return to their units.
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- Cast：
- Gregory Peck , Tony Curtis , Angie Dickinson , Eddie Albert , James Gregory , Bethel Leslie , Robert Duvall
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Reviews
Wow! Such a good movie.
That was an excellent one.
Memorable, crazy movie
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
Just watched Captain Newman MD, what a wonderful film.Although a keen movie watcher just nearing my 70th year I've never seen this film at the cinema or on TV before.I was wondering,whilst watching,why I had not seen or heard of this film before and came to the conclusion(wrongly)that maybe because of the subject matter,ie battle fatigue ,which in certain quarters was not recognised,the film was not generally released.I found it sympathetic,tearful,thought provoking and funny with all the characters adding to a great film.I wish I had recorded this so I could watch it again,but did not,so I will have to see where I can buy it.
Hot off "To Kill a Mockingbird", Gregory Peck played another really good role in David Miller's "Captain Newman, M.D.". This time he's a psychiatrist on an army base in WWII having to deal with what we now recognize as PTSD, while also dealing with the military bureaucracy. In a way, the movie almost seems like a preview of the war in which the United States was about to mire itself (the Vietnam War). Fine support comes from Tony Curtis as a streetwise corporal and Angie Dickinson as a tolerant lieutenant, along with Eddie Albert, Bobby Darin and Robert Duvall as Peck's damaged patients.Without a doubt this is one that I recommend. Maybe it's not as good as "To Kill a Mockingbird" - a little silly at times - but still a solid look at the world with which the psychiatrist has to put up.Also starring Bethel Leslie, James Gregory, Robert F. Simon, Dick Sargent*, Larry Storch, Jane Withers and Vito Scotti.*Robert F. Simon and Dick Sargent played father and son on "Bewitched". Also, Vito Scotti guest-starred on an episode.
In his long career as an actor Gregory Peck has played many different roles, including a number of memorable military roles. One of my favorites is General Savage in "12 O'Clock High." But he also played the title role in "Captain Horatio Hornblower"--an adaptation of a C.S. Forester novel (a trilogy really) about a Royal Navy captain in the time of the Napoleonic Wars. And he was Commander Dwight Towers, commanding the submarine USS Swordfish in "On The Beach." "The Guns of Navarone" is another milestone in Peck's on-screen military career.In one of his later films he even portrayed General Douglas MacArthur.I have loved all of these films, with the reservation that his accent made him unconvincing in his British roles."Captain Newman, M.D." was an excellent, if light-hearted, novel before it was made into a movie, and I recall reading it and enjoying it. I saw the movie on television one or two times years ago, and found it a good adaptation of the novel. Recently I acquired the movie (on VHS) and enjoyed it immensely. While this is a great vehicle for Gregory Peck, I felt the movie was in many ways stolen by two supporting cast members, Bobby Darin (mentioned several times) and Tony Curtis.I highly recommend it for anyone interested in a good vintage movie with a military theme and a topic that doesn't get that much light treatment--post traumatic stress disorder, or call it combat fatigue.Not every Gregory Peck movie was great, but several were, and this might have been his best. It certainly ranks among his best performances and his best movies.
I fear that I'm writing this out of fond memories - I was reminded of this film in looking up Gregory Peck, and haven't seen it in years, but I have a vivid memory of it. Being a reluctant fan of Peck - Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn?!?!?!?!?, but he was just so imminently likable! Having seen several, but by no means all, of his films, I would have to say this is one of the best. Atticus Finch is his #1 role, but this is a fine movie overall. Great ensemble cast, highs of humor and highs of sadness. It is intentionally claustrophobic, being set inside a small, stuffy hospital. It is the beauty of the film that you can feel the tightness, smell the smells, and know all of the characters as though you were there in a way few films accomplish. When we do go outside, it is like being an uncaged bird, but then it is also bleak and lonely, being an isolated location in the desert. Probably somewhat obscure at this point - my provider doesn't stock it - but worth seeking out, I think.
