SHINING VICTORY (1941)

Taken from JUPITER LAUGHS, a B’way flop* Warners produced on B’way, presumably retitled SHINING VICTORY to echo DARK VICTORY, a big 1939 hit, this medico-drama about brilliant, caustic research doc Henry Stephenson and his humanizing doctor assistant (Geraldine Fitzgerald) seems made entirely from borrowed pieces. Mostly REBECCA/’40, from its fiery end to a chilly man-of-the-world with a secret, even a ripoff of the Miss Danvers character. The story is largely driven by experiments to find a chemical cure for dementia at a Scottish sanatorium (which happens to look much like REBECCA’s Manderley), but the real purpose of the film was to raise the profile of stolid Henry Stephenson from prestige supporting player to leading man in the Walter Pidgeon mold.* It didn’t come off for a number of reasons: First, Irving Rapper, in his directing debut, has trouble animating a film that doesn’t step outdoors for a full hour; Second, the doctor’s intimidating character, meant to be an obsessive, is mostly a pain, and doesn’t add up when he suddenly melts into Mr. Nice Guy; and Third, because Stephenson died of a heart attack a month after this opened. Only 52.

SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY: *On B’way, it starred Alexander Knox who also didn’t break thru after splashy leads in Hollywood; and Jessica Tandy, in supporting roles until finally hitting stardom on film as a senior citizen.

DOUBLE-BILL: *Pidgeon had an outstanding 1941 with MAN HUNT for Fritz Lang; BLOSSOMS IN THE DUST with regular co-star Greer Garson; and John Ford’s HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY.