Dr. Socrates (1935)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

William Dieterle

Writers:

W.R. Burnett (story)
Mary C. McCall Jr. (adaptation)

Release Date:

19 October 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

ARMED WITH A DOCTOR'S KIT, HE FACED 1000 KILLERS! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot Keywords:

Ohio | Deception | Fall From Height | Mob | Party

Cast

Paul Muni	...	Dr. Lee Cardwell, also called Dr. Socrates
Ann Dvorak	...	Josephine 'Jo' Gray
Barton MacLane	...	Red Bastian
Robert Barrat	...	Dr. Ginder
John Eldredge	...	Dr. Dick Burton
Hobart Cavanaugh	...	Floyd Stevens
Helen Lowell	...	Ma Ganson
Mayo Methot	...	Muggsy, Red's Moll
Henry O'Neill	...	G-Man Greer
Grace Stafford	...	Caroline Suggs
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Dr. McClintick (as Samuel Hinds)
June Travis	...	Dublin, a Moll
Raymond Brown	...	Ben Suggs
Olin Howland	...	Mr. Bob Catlett
Joe Downing	...	Cinq Laval, a Gangster (as Joseph Downing)

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #1074)

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

At one point Muni's character is seen buying a second hand book titled "The Life of Pasteur", the role he would play in his next film, which premiered a month after Dr. Socrates opened.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Bullet Scars (1942)

Soundtrack:

Coney Island

Better then what I expected, Held my interest, Good script

I got interested in Paul Muni after seeing Scarface. By today's standards an over-the-top performance. By contrast his role in this one is quite understated. This one may have seemed more of a challenge to Muni then his scenery-chewing in Scareface and Black Fury from the same year as this film. I thought he was very good playing the soft spoken doctor in this one. (I just saw Black Fury last night and thought it was no where near as good)

To tell the truth the only person over the top in this one is the main heavy played by Barton MacLane. But even he has some nice moments.

Actually there are top notch,very natural performances all around. Very untypical for WB in the 30's. Some great character actors in this one. Watch for dumb-hick Grady Sutton as a grocery clerk!

I really think that this whole film is very un-typical for it's time. Of course there were a couple of requisite WB car chases filmed with undercranked cameras so that the action is speeded up, but beyond that there were some light moments. One interesting scene has the townsfolk organizing a vigilante mob to deal out justice to the heavy and his mob. Just like good Americans, they print up some nice posters announcing the meeting to plan their actions. (I guess they did not see Fritz Lang's Fury)

There were lots of surprises in the script which was very well written.

Warners must have hoped that by re-pairing Ann Dvorak and Muni they might bring in a crowd that remembered Scarface. Dvorak is absolutely wonderful in this (as she always is).

I recommend this one.