"People Will Talk"...about Cary Grant

People Will Talk (1951) is rarely included in the discussions about Cary Grant's best films. That's puzzling given its pedigree and entertainment value. Perhaps, it's because Grant's career was in a minor lull in the early 1950s with films like Crisis (1950) and Room for One More (1952). It certainly doesn't help that People Will Talk is shown on television less frequently than other Cary Grant pictures. Whatever the reasons for its near anonymity, People Will Talk deserves its day in the spotlight.

Grant plays noble physician Dr. Noah Praetorius, who runs a clinic for women and teaches at a university. Praetorius' patient-first philosophy ("Patients are sick people--not inmates") earns him a reputation for being unconventional. It also makes him hugely popular among his patients and students as well as financially successful. That leads to some professional jealously, principally on the part of rival professor Rodney Elwell (Hume Cronyn). Of course, Praetorius doesn't hold Elwell in high regard either, describing him as the "only person I know who can say 'malignant' like other people say bingo."

Grant and Jeanne Crain.

While Elwell delves into his colleague's murky past to look for a flaw, Praetorius beomes involved in the case of an unmarried pregnant woman named Deborah Higgins (Jeanne Crain). Concerned with her emotional state, Praetorius first lies to her about her pregnancy. Later, he visits her at her uncle's home and proposes marriage. I did say he was an unconventional doctor, didn't I?

In the hands of a less gifted actor, Praetorius could have come off as an oddball. Cary Grant, though, imbues the physician with nobility, charm, and compassion. He also always seems in control, as if Praetorius  knows what is coming next  and is already prepared for it (at one point, Deborah even calls him a "pompous know-it-all"). At times, Grant's performance reminded me of Dudley the angel from the earlier The Bishop's Wife.

Finlay Currie as Shunderson.

The standout among the supporting cast is Finlay Currie as Shunderson, Praetorius' imposing and often-silent chauffeur and companion. Praetorius introduces Shunderson simply as his friend, not an employee. The mysterious Shunderson lurks in the background throughout the film, his personality revealed gradually as we see his admiration for Praetorius, his concern for Deborah, and his kindness toward an unhappy collie. Although Scottish actor Finlay Currie was 53 before he made his first film in 1931, he had a long screen career that extended into the late 1960s. He is best remembered as the convict Magwitch in David Lean's Great Expectations (1946), as Peter in Quo Vadis (1951), and, of course, as Shunderson.

Hume Cronym as Elwell.

People Will Talk was writer-director Joseph L. Mankiewicz's immediate follow-up to All About Eve. Mankiewicz based his screenplay on a 1932 stage play by German playwright Curt Goetz. Interestingly, some critics view People Will Talk as an attack against the Communist "witch hunters" of the McCarthyism era. The timing certainly seems right and Elwell's obsession to dig up dirt on Praetorius could be described as a witch hunt. However, the subplot involving a jealous rival can be traced back to Goetz's original play. I think Mankiewicz's goal was to make a statement about the importance of compassion and human dignity in medicine. After all, in his opening prologue, he states: "This film is dedicated to one who has inspired man's unending battle against Death, and without whom that battle is never won....the patient."

Prior to starting the film, Mankiewicz encountered difficulties with the Production Code, which refused to approve the script because of its frank discussion about abortion and unwed pregnancy (as well as an incident in Shunderson's past). Mankiewicz eventually gained approval in 1951 after minor rewrites (e.g., Praetorius and Deborah discuss abortion, but the word "abortion" is never used).

If you have never seen People Will Talk, I strongly recommend seeking it out. It's an interesting, entertaining drama that deserves serious consideration when discussing its star's best movies.