Cinema Revisited: Men in White (1934)
Directed by Richard Boleslavsky. Cast: Clark Gable, Myrna Loy Jean Hersholt, Elizabeth Allen, C. Henry Gordon, Wallace Ford, Russell Hardie, Russell Hopton, Samuel S. Hinds, Berton Churchill. Released April 6, 1934. Running Time: 74 minutes.
MGM was noted for being the more polished studio, avoiding the edgier content that was a mainstay at Warner Brothers or Paramount, especially during the pre-code era. Thus, “Men in White,” a hospital drama featuring Clark Gable as an idealistic doctor and Myrna Loy as his spoiled socialite fiancé, was surprisingly against the norm. A film that deals with a back alley abortion as a major plot point within its narrative is quite challenging, especially for the 1930s.
Gable is Dr. Ferguson, who plans to study abroad and then under the tutelage of Dr. Hochberg (Jean Hersholt) for only $20 per week. His entitled rich fiancé Laura (Loy) wants him to set up a practice and settle down. Her wealthy father agrees. The hospital administration also supports this, because they would like the father to underwrite their losses and believe a position for Dr. Ferguson would be a good bargaining tool.
One night Ferguson is asked once again to work late, forcing him to cancel his plans with Laura. When the patient dies, he sadly lets her know he will be able to make their appointment, but she haughtily explains she’s made other plans. Disgruntled and overworked, he succumbs to the advances of a pretty nurse. Later this nurse is admitted to the hospital as an emergency case because she became pregnant and arranged for a back alley abortion, causing serious injuries that eventually prove fatal. Boleslavsky offers a close up of Gable slowly lowering her head onto the bed, it slowly disappearing into the frame. This scene is followed by a child in the hospital corridor running up to Gable and proudly announcing she is cured and going home. So a life the doctor is unable to save is augmented by presenting the success of a child whose life he has saved. It’s one of the most impressively shot sequences in the entire film.
In “Men in White,” Gable offers strength, determination, intelligence and power. He is lightheartedly cavorting with intern friends at one point, romancing his fiancé at other times, and then responding to the hard drama of emergency surgery. Myrna Loy maintains a level of superficiality that is forced into seriousness and caring. Jean Hersholt’s measured performance is a harbinger to the Dr. Christian series where he would do some of his most notable screen work.
The edginess of the content, and the melodrama that is notable for 1930s features, are bolstered by fine performances and brilliant direction by Richard Boleslavsky. Gable and Loy were becoming the King and the Queen of Hollywood. The year they made this movie, Gable would star, on loan to Columbia, in Frank Capra’s “It Happened One Night.” Loy would co-star with William Powell in “The Thin Man.” These films continue to define each actor’s career. In fact, this film was made just after Gable finished filming “It Happened One Night.”
There isn’t a great deal of narrative structure, the film resting mostly on a series of different scenes, not all of which organically connect to one another. The hospital’s financial situation is introduced but not fully explored. The comic relief showing the interns fighting over girls is pleasant but distracting and tangential. But the strongest scenes, the courage of challenging the parameters of the newly enforced production code, the performances, and the artful direction make “Men in White” a solid 1930s melodrama. The film carefully allows its audience to breathe after the more emotional scenes.
When it was initially released, the Legion of Decency found "Men in White" unfit for the public. It was banned in some cities and heavily edited when shown in others. Based on a Pulitzer Prize winning play by Sidney Kingsley, the film could not be shown in cities where the play was being performed (it ran for 351 performances on Broadway).
Despite these limitations in exhibition, “Men in White” was enormously successful at the box office, grossing nearly seven times its $213,000 production costs. The movie was such a hit, it was parodied by The Three Stooges later that year with the two-reel comedy “Men in Black,” which was nominated for an Oscar.