Sentimental saga about general practitioner Lionel Barrymore who returns to his little town (with young son) after washing out in the big city. Over the decades, his self-sacrificing efforts become invaluable to townspeople unable to pay fancy fees while he harbors dreams of opportunities missed. Finally getting his due after defeating a smallpox epidemic, he watches as his grown boy heads off to specialist school in Vienna and a chance at the life he’d long dreamt of. Bumpy going at times, director John S. Robertson nearing the end of a career that found him always a step-and-a-half behind the curve (partially covered up here by tricked up transition devices*), some raggedy story editing actually lending an air of freshness to business-as-usual character development. As when adopted little sis Dorothy Jordan doesn’t end up engaged to handsome son Joel McCrea. The script has other plans for both of them: McCrea getting engaged to society gal (real-life wife) Frances Dee (the lucky stiff!), while Jordan gets knocked up by the town’s rich wastrel son. But what really makes this little programmer stand out is noticing how many story beats anticipate Frank Capra’s IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, but with Barrymore, that film’s Scrooge-like villain, in the James Stewart/George Bailey slot as hero/martyr/eternally frustrated dreamer (doctor rather than banker). You almost have to wonder if Capra knew the film.
DOUBLE-BILL: *Most of Robertson’s work lost silents. Dimly remembered, if at all, by his merely adequate 1920 DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE starring Lionel's kid brother, John; and that film largely remembered for Barrymore’s famous makeup-free transformation from Jekyll to Hyde, disappointingly handled by Robertson. Fortunately, you can get a better look at Barrymore doing this amazing sleight-of-hand contortion (sleight-of -face?) under director Alan Crosland in DON JUAN/’26. (Plus, the film’s in mint condition with its original VitaPhone music track.)
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