Dr. Monica is a 1934 American pre-Code melodrama film produced by Warner Bros. starring Kay Francis, Warren William, and Jean Muir. An obstetrician, who is unable to have children, discovers that the baby she is about to deliver was fathered by her husband.
| Dr. Monica | |
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| Directed by |
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| Written by | Charles Kenyon |
| Based on |
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| Produced by | Henry Blanke (uncredited)[1] |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Sol Polito |
| Edited by | William Clemens |
| Music by | Heinz Roemheld (uncredited) |
Production company | |
| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 65 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editMary Hathaway gives birth to a baby girl delivered by Dr. Monica Braden. Monica discovers her husband, John, is the child's father. John is unaware his affair with Mary resulted in her pregnancy. Monica prepares to leave John by telling him she is going abroad. Mary learns that Monica knows the truth and decides to leave the child in Monica's care. Mary, a pilot, flies her plane over the ocean, which is later reported to have vanished. When John asks Monica about the baby, Monica lies making John believe the baby was abandoned by both parents. In contemplating their new role, Monica looks at John and says "She's yours," while John unknowingly smiles.
Cast
edit- Kay Francis as Dr. Monica Braden
- Warren William as John Braden
- Jean Muir as Mary Hathaway
- Verree Teasdale as Anna Littlefield
- Emma Dunn as Mrs. Monahan
- Phillip Reed as "Bunny" Burton
- Herbert Bunston as Mr. Pettinghill
- Ann Shoemaker as Mrs. Hazlitt
- Virginia Hammond as Mrs. Chandor
- Hale Hamilton as Dr. Brent
Censorship
editThe censors at the Hays Office requested a large number of changes to the script before they would approve it for production. One of the major issues they had with the script was that it explicitly included dialogue about the potential dangers of childbirth.[2]
Reception
editMordaunt Hall, critic for The New York Times, wrote that Dr. Monica is "not especially suspenseful", but it "moves apace and the acting is excellent."[3]
References
edit- ^ a b Dr. Monica at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ Kirby, David A. (September 2017). "Regulating cinematic stories about reproduction: pregnancy, childbirth, abortion and movie censorship in the US, 1930–1958". The British Journal for the History of Science. 50 (3): 451–472. doi:10.1017/S0007087417000814. ISSN 0007-0874. PMID 28923130.
- ^ Hall, Mordaunt (June 21, 1934). "Doctor Monica (1934): The Screen; Kay Francis, Warren William and Jean Muir in the Picturization of a Polish Stage Work". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016.
External links
edit- Dr. Monica at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Dr. Monica at IMDb
- Dr. Monica at the TCM Movie Database
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