Even though Gregory Peck is the lead of Captain Newman, M. D., the performance generally remembered from this film is Bobby Darin's. He was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1963, beaten out by Melvyn Douglas in a "sentimental favorite" Oscar. Bobby had taken a couple of dramatic roles prior to this one, but the Academy saw fit to honor this role, in which he plays one of the patients in the psychiatric ward that Gregory Peck oversees.
As is typical in movies that take place solely in a hospital, the new doctor arrives at the start of the film. There's a seasoned co-worker to show him the ropes and warn him of a few patients, thereby explaining the situation to the audience as well. Greg plays the seasoned doctor, and Tony Curtis is the new one, the comic relief. The screenplay is a little uneven because of Tony's character, but perhaps Hollywood thought the film would be too dark without him. In one scene, Eddie Albert is holding a razor during a psychological meltdown, but in another Tony Curtis is joking about how many languages he learned growing up in Brooklyn. In a third scene, Bobby Darin screams his head off while reliving a war injury, and in a fourth, Tony dresses up as Santa Claus for Christmas.
However uneven the scenes, it really is an entertaining movie. It's a staple of Gregory Peck films; who doesn't want to see him playing a concerned doctor trying to help people? If you're like me and often watch movies solely to appreciate the acting, this is a great one.
As is typical in movies that take place solely in a hospital, the new doctor arrives at the start of the film. There's a seasoned co-worker to show him the ropes and warn him of a few patients, thereby explaining the situation to the audience as well. Greg plays the seasoned doctor, and Tony Curtis is the new one, the comic relief. The screenplay is a little uneven because of Tony's character, but perhaps Hollywood thought the film would be too dark without him. In one scene, Eddie Albert is holding a razor during a psychological meltdown, but in another Tony Curtis is joking about how many languages he learned growing up in Brooklyn. In a third scene, Bobby Darin screams his head off while reliving a war injury, and in a fourth, Tony dresses up as Santa Claus for Christmas.
However uneven the scenes, it really is an entertaining movie. It's a staple of Gregory Peck films; who doesn't want to see him playing a concerned doctor trying to help people? If you're like me and often watch movies solely to appreciate the acting, this is a great one.