I love the grand old character actors that have added so much to our movies and TV shows over the years and this episode has some of the best. But it has more than that.
Dr. Kildare and Mr. Novak were produced by the same company and equivalents of each other in different settings: a hospital in one instance, a high school in another. James Franciscus, the handsome blonde protagonist of Novak, was originally going to play Kildare but a scheduling conflict prevented it and handsome blonde Richard Chamberlain got the job instead. Novak was his consolation prize. Kildare's mentor, Doctor Gillespie was played by the awesome Raymond Massey, a man with almost a God-like presence but also a warm human side who always knew the right thing to say. Novak's mentor, Principal Vane, was played by Dean Jagger, a man with a nervous outward appearance but a steely resolve inside. They were different but comparably excellent. In this episode, Jagger, a year and a half before Novak, plays a war hero General who may be losing his mind. Gillespie recalled treating him in a military hospital during the war and constantly refers to him as "Sir". It's weird seeing Massey call Jagger 'Sir', considering the equivalent rolls they would play.
They bring in a psychiatrist. And who is he played by? The wonderful Michael Constantine, who played Principal Kauffman in that other great high school show, Room 222. There's also a good turn by veteran character actress Nellie Burt as a woman whose husband is dying in the hospital and who volunteers to cheer up the other patients.
The bad news is that the script is very talky, almost like a play, with long scenes of somewhat pretentious dialog. The general's problem is never made very clear. He seems to think that anything that ends is therefore meaningless and that there's no point in saving lives because the people will die later. Yet he bemoans that he's spent his life orchestrating the killing of a great many people. if they were going to die anyway and their lives were thus meaningless, why is that a problem? He winds up being saved by seeing how much Burt and her dying husband care for each other.
The acting saves it, especially when you think of the other roles these actors would play.
Dr. Kildare and Mr. Novak were produced by the same company and equivalents of each other in different settings: a hospital in one instance, a high school in another. James Franciscus, the handsome blonde protagonist of Novak, was originally going to play Kildare but a scheduling conflict prevented it and handsome blonde Richard Chamberlain got the job instead. Novak was his consolation prize. Kildare's mentor, Doctor Gillespie was played by the awesome Raymond Massey, a man with almost a God-like presence but also a warm human side who always knew the right thing to say. Novak's mentor, Principal Vane, was played by Dean Jagger, a man with a nervous outward appearance but a steely resolve inside. They were different but comparably excellent. In this episode, Jagger, a year and a half before Novak, plays a war hero General who may be losing his mind. Gillespie recalled treating him in a military hospital during the war and constantly refers to him as "Sir". It's weird seeing Massey call Jagger 'Sir', considering the equivalent rolls they would play.
They bring in a psychiatrist. And who is he played by? The wonderful Michael Constantine, who played Principal Kauffman in that other great high school show, Room 222. There's also a good turn by veteran character actress Nellie Burt as a woman whose husband is dying in the hospital and who volunteers to cheer up the other patients.
The bad news is that the script is very talky, almost like a play, with long scenes of somewhat pretentious dialog. The general's problem is never made very clear. He seems to think that anything that ends is therefore meaningless and that there's no point in saving lives because the people will die later. Yet he bemoans that he's spent his life orchestrating the killing of a great many people. if they were going to die anyway and their lives were thus meaningless, why is that a problem? He winds up being saved by seeing how much Burt and her dying husband care for each other.
The acting saves it, especially when you think of the other roles these actors would play.
