Doctor in the House (1954)

Starring: Dirk Bogarde.

why are they looking at the gorilla, you ask?
 I'm not sure either.

There's something intrinsically appealling about a lot of this classic stuff. Remnants from another era and all that. The humor is funny, and sweet without being saccharine -- or actually funny for that matter. But never mind that. It was a wonderful way to spend my Saturday morning!

A lot of show about medical students and interns showcase some very self-absorbed young people. Not so for Doctor in the House. These kids -- while they might be a tad immature, feckless, sexist, and arguably racist are genuinely good, dutiful, and loving people. And as much as I love Scrubs for it's zany, dark comedy, the life lessons at the end of each episode got to be a little much. Here, even though it's the fifties, no one is trying to preach to us! The message is -- entertainment! With, perhaps, a few witty and possibly true (who can say on this one) observations on what it was like to be a medical student back in the day.

I read Dirk Bogarde's biography, and it turns out, much as you would expect, he was kind of a primadonna.  In the early sixties he tried to shed his 'nancy boy' image which had been created in the 'Doctor' series by starring in a number of racier dramas; The Servant, Victim, and Schlesinger's Darling come to mind.  There was a dark side to Bogarde and an intensity which I always found fascinating.  Unfortunately, his biography didn't shed much light on this; I wonder sometimes if he weren't, deep down, as egocentric and cruel as his character from The Servant.