Simon Sparrow
Dirk Bogarde
Simon Sparrow

The first of the seven "Doctor" films, based on Richard Gordon's novels and released between 1954 and 1970. Simon Sparrow is a newly arrived medical student at St Swithin's hospital in London. Falling in with three longer-serving hopefuls he is soon immersed in the wooing, imbibing and fast sports-car driving that constitute 1950s medical training. There is, however, always the looming and formidable figure of chief surgeon Sir Lancelot Spratt to remind them of their real purpose.
Simon Sparrow
Dirk Bogarde
Simon Sparrow
Nurse Joy Gibson
Muriel Pavlow
Nurse Joy Gibson
Richard Grimsdyke
Kenneth More
Richard Grimsdyke
Tony Benskin
Donald Sinden
Tony Benskin
Miss Isobel Minster
Kay Kendall
Miss Isobel Minster
Sir Lancelot Spratt
James Robertson Justice
Sir Lancelot Spratt
Taffy Evans
Donald Houston
Taffy Evans
Stella
Suzanne Cloutier
Stella
Briggs
George Coulouris
Briggs
Sister Virtue
Jean Taylor Smith
Sister Virtue
Magistrate
Nicholas Phipps
Magistrate
Dean
Geoffrey Keen
Dean
Time hasn't been especially kind to this, but there is a strength amongst this pretty solid cast that, alongside some half decent writing that avoids the obvious smut and double entendre to be found in the "Carry Ons", makes it a passable watch. It centres around a group of medical students under the imperious supervision of James Robertson Justice's "Sir Lancelot" trying to get a grip with their studies - a task well beyond most of them - whilst their hormones rage a bit too. There is balance here: the girls and boys are as equally up for some fun and games and Dirk Bogarde, Kenneth More, Kay Kendall and Muriel Pavlow come across as if they are having quite a bit of fun making this. Sure, the scenarios are all very predictable (or just downright far-fetched) but the humour is harmless fun that I suspect, though maybe not to quite to the extremes depicted here, could remind many of us of our youthful japery when the studying was not so important. Uniquely British, I'd have thought - I can't think this will travel well, but almost 70 years on I still quite enjoyed it.
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