Mary Stevens, M.D.

Over the years I seemed to have missed this classic film with a story line that must have shocked the audiences during the 1930's. Kay Francis,(Dr. Mary Stevens),"Divorce",'45 was a single woman who was having an affair with Lyle Talbot,(Dr. Donald A. Andrews),"It Happened in New York",'35, who was married and not very happy at all. Donald tired to get a divorce from his wife, but her father objected for family reasons and she even lied to him about having a baby. Dr. Mary Stevens winds up really having a baby from Dr. Andrews and the plot gets dramatic on a voyage with her new born baby and the threat of Infantile Paralysis. Una O'Connor (Mrs. Arnell Simmons),famous for her screams and high pitched voice in "The Invisible Man", as an inn keepers wife and many other horror films, has a baby girl who catches the infantile paralysis and needs immediate help. If you want to see a good classic film, with great actors playing very immoral lives during those days of living standards, view this film about divorce and babies born out of wedlock. This film is mild compared to 2004 !

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.

Mary Stevens (Kay Francis) and her friend Don Andrews (Lyle Talbot) graduate medical school together and open medical offices next to each other. Mary struggles against sexism, but builds a thriving practice. Glenda Carroll (Glenda Farrell) is her nurse. Don starts dating rich socialite Lois Cavanaugh (Thelma Todd) and ignores his work.

Mary Stevens is a compelling character. I'm intrigued by her story. On the other hand, I couldn't care less about Don. I don't see their implied chemistry. They start off more like brother and sister. That's all I see in them. I don't care about his issues. She could be a great character for a TV show. Oh yeah! This was before TV.

"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.

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.