Mary Stevens, M.D.

Although this is a pre-Code film, something like Mary Stevens, MD is unlikely to be remade today. Though it deals with an out of wedlock pregnancy which is certainly something the Code banned the following year, Mary Stevens, MD is way too melodramatic for today's taste.

It's a great film for women's roles and their are three good ones here. The title tole is played by Kay Francis as a doctor who operates a pediatric clinic along with her nurse Glenda Farrell. Another physician played by Lyle Talbot is interested in her, but he's slightly married to Thelma Todd.

Although I'm not quite clear about his role, Talbot is also involved in politics, Todd's father is a bigshot political boss and is discouraging any thought of divorce. Thelma even fakes a pregnancy to keep Talbot tied to her.

That comes as bad news for Francis who gets pregnant for real, although you would think a doctor would take precautions. She has the kid and quits her clinic and takes a job as a ship's doctor, the better to keep away from the respectable folks who knew her when. After this the film gets really melodramatic for all concerned.

The cast performs their roles in earnest and Glenda Farrell rivals Joan Blondell in getting all the wisecracking dame roles at Warner Brothers that Blondell couldn't do.

When people say that Mary Stevens, MD is a women's picture that is meant in every sense of the word.

Kay Francis stars with Lyle Talbot, Thelma Todd, and Glenda Farrell in "Mary Stevens, M. D."

Mary and her dear friend, Don, graduate from medical school and set up practice together. Don, however, is attracted to easy money, so he marries a politician's daughter, Lois (Thelma Todd).

He gets a special job on the medical commission. Apparently they're a bunch of crooks and charge more money for a service than was charged by the hospital. This was some kind of pre-Medicare fraud.

Mary, meanwhile, has been in love with Don all these years, and it's unrequited. She stays busy with her pediatrician practice, but finally her nurse (Farrell) insists she take a vacation. Well, who does she run into - running from an indictment - but Don.

The indictment is quashed thanks to his father-in-law. Don plans on asking Lois for a divorce - both of them want their freedom. So Mary and Don declare their love for one another.

Once back in the thick of things, Mary realizes she's pregnant. When she tries to tell Don, he informs her that Lois is pregnant, and he can't divorce her now. So Mary does what many unwed mothers did back then - she goes away, planning on returning with an adopted child.

Kay Francis as an actress exuded so much warmth and emotion that you're pulling for her all the way. Actually I thought she could do a lot better than Lyle Talbot, who did a good job as Don. Farrell was a riot as the voice of reality.

A year after this film, the Hayes Code kicked in and unwed moms were out.

"Mary Stevens, M. D." is a true melodrama. I was yanked into it, and I found it enjoyable, with some nail-biting along the way.

"Mary Stevens, M.D." is one of many films about medical professionals produced during the pre-code era. Mary Stevens (Kay Francis) is something of an oddity--a female physician. She has trouble getting clients at first, but specializing in pediatrics and her zealous commitment to medicine gain her a successful practice.

Don Andrews (Lyle Talbot) plays the male doctor she falls in love with. But he marries a woman whose family has connections. In the first third of the film, she loves Don from afar and immerses herself in her practice.

In the second third, Mary reveals her love to Don. He has a plan for divesting himself of his practice and his wife, but complications arise, so Mary sails to Europe, promising to come back when the path to their happiness has been cleared.

I found the last third of the movie creepy in its cruelty. It's an interesting storyline, but not what I consider enjoyable. Nevertheless, Kay Francis is a striking actress. No wonder she became one of the biggest stars of the thirties and a fashion icon. Glenda Farrell, who plays the part of Glenda, her assistant, also has a strong presence reminiscent of a young Ginger Rogers.

But the plot of this film is rather predictable and, therefore, anticlimactic. Francis and Farrell will have plenty of other vehicles better suited to their talents in the coming years.

One novelty is the fact that the script seems afraid to say the word "pregnant" despite its pre-code production.

It's interesting that Kay Francis played a physician in two films, Mary Stevens, M.D., and Dr. Monica, just a few years apart in a time when the female physician was a rarity. Also, both films dealt with unplanned pregnancies. (I'm basing that on the IMDb summary of Dr. Monica, as I haven't had the opportunity to see that one yet.) In Mary Stevens, M.D., the protagonist encounters society's prejudice against doctors who happen to be female, but that is not the movie's emphasis. Instead, the main plot is simply a great drama (though, in a different way, the drama does stem from mores of the era), and a sad one. Mary Stevens, M.D., is also an interesting example of a 30s-style dichotomy: while Dr. Stevens is a "modern" woman by virtue of having become a physician, she also patiently accepts an ENORMOUS amount of nonsense from the man she loves.

Kay Francis and Lyle Talbot end their terms as interns and open an office together. Stevens marries machine politician's daughter Thelma Todd, and goes to work for the city, but things fall apart and he and Miss Francis begin an affair. He can't get a divorce, and she's pregnant.

The performers do their best, and it's a fine old soap opera, but Ray Curtiss edits the film at a bumpy rate that is often uncomfortable as Miss Francis gets whipsawed by Talbot's mistakes. A fine cast helps, including parts by Glenda Farrell, Una O'Connor, Hobart Cavanaugh, and Christian Rub, as does Sidney Hickox's subtly moving camera.