The Courageous Dr. Christian
| The Courageous Dr. Christian | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Bernard Vorhaus |
| Produced by |
Monroe Shaff (associate producer) William Stephens (producer) |
| Written by |
Ring Lardner Jr. Ian McLellan Hunter |
| Starring |
Jean Hersholt Dorothy Lovett Robert Baldwin |
| Music by | William Lava |
| Cinematography | John Alton |
| Edited by | Edward Mann |
|
Release date
|
April 5, 1940 |
|
Running time
|
67 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Courageous Dr. Christian is a 1940 American film directed by Bernard Vorhaus.
Kindhearted Dr. Paul Christian is appalled by the harsh living conditions of homeless inhabitants of Squatterstown. He lets one of the homeless, Dave Williams, to live with him, and goes on to ask the city to build housing for the poor. He realizes that it is the powerful Mrs. Norma Stewart that has the last say in the matter since it is her property they would build on.
Mrs. Stewart has long been in love with Dr. Christian, and sends her two wards Jack and Ruth Williams to him, with the deed and a letter with the conditions under which she will donate the property to the city, which is that the good doctor agrees to marry her. However, the message is not delivered, since the children throws away the letter, and the doctor only gets the deed.
To late does the doctor realize the price he must pay for the property, and the city also backs out on their agreement to build housing for the poor and homeless. The result is that the homeless have nowhere to go, and have to move into another vacant lot with no proper housing.
Before the police can remove the unwanted new tenants, an epidemic spreads in the area, and Dr. Christian puts the whole area in quarantine. The city inhabitants become aware of the horrible conditions of the homeless and soon voices are raised to build public housing.
The story ends with Dr. Christian being released from his contract with Mrs. Stewart, as she gets more involved with raising her wards. Homeless Dave is overjoyed with all the sympathy shown by the city's inhabitants and start to believe in a brighter future after all.
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