Men in White (1934 film)


Men in White is a 1934 pre-Code film starring Clark Gable and Myrna Loy, and directed by Ryszard Bolesławski.The story is loosely based on the Sidney Kingsley play of the same name. Due to suggestions of illicit romance and abortion, the film was frequently cut. The Legion of Decency cited the movie as unfit for public exhibition.

Plot

A dedicated young doctor places his patients above everyone else in his life. However, his Social Register fianceé, Laura Hudson, can't accept the fact that he considers an appointment in the operating room more important than attending a cocktail party. He soon drifts into an affair with a pretty nurse who shares his passion for healing.
One thread of the story involves diabetic hypoglycemia: Two doctors have a conflict at the bedside of a young girl who is desperately ill. The younger doctor diagnoses that the patient is in insulin shock, while the senior doctor insists she is in a diabetic coma. The doctor with the correct diagnosis prevails and the child recovers.

Cast

Although there were no overt references to abortion in the original script the Hays Office found the story to be in violation of the Production Code because they believed that there were clear indications that Barbara Denham’s illness was brought about by an attempted abortion. Ultimately, MGM cut some lines to accommodate their concerns. Despite these changes there were protests against the film by moral reformers and religious groups. Men in White was one of the first films condemned by the newly formed Legion of Decency.

Reception

The film was very successful at the box office. According to MGM records, it earned $890,000 in the US and Canada, and $565,000 elsewhere resulting in a profit of $784,000.

Radio adaptation

Men in White was presented on the Lady Esther Screen Guild Theatre on CBS on July 19, 1943. The 30-minute sanitized adaptation starred Jean Hersholt, James Craig, and Louise Allbritton.