Classic Cinema With the Sage Sisters: People Will Talk

My favorite movies have many layers of meaning. People Will Talk (1951) is one of those movies. It’s based on a German play titled, Dr. Praetorius by Curt Goetz and is about an unusual doctor who believes that there are many ways to help his patients get well. Which is very progressive thinking for the time period. To him, his patients, mostly women, are human beings who deserve dignity and to be a part of their own healing process.

Because of Dr. Noah Praetorius’s (Cary Grant) unusual healing methods, some of his colleagues are jealous of his popularity. One in particular, Dr. Rodney Elwell (Hume Cronyn) is out to prove he’s a fake and hires a private detective to dig into Praetorius’s past to see if they can dig up any nefarious practices. Part of the investigation involves Mr. Shunderson, (Finlay Currie) who is Praetorius’s mysterious constant companion. Who is he? Does he have a dark hold on the good doctor?

Another layer of the story involves Deborah Higgins (Jeanne Crain), a student at the university where Drs. Praetorius and Elwell teach. Praetorius meets her in Elwell’s anatomy class while he’s waiting on Elwell to give him the lab results on a tumor of one of his patients. While waiting for Elwell to show up, Praetorius gives an impromptu lecture about the cadaver, which would make Elwell cringe where he there. Deborah faints and Praetorius suggests she see a doctor to find out why she fainted. She, of course, goes to his clinic to see him and finds out she’s pregnant and in a precarious situation since her fiancé has died. How are unwed mothers treated? And what can she do given her living situation?

Then there is the layer of deep friendship between Prof. Barker (Walter Slezak) and Praetorius. As well as university politics. Elwell has stirred up the negative rumors so much so that at the climax of the story, Praetorius is called before a faculty committee to answer the charges against him.

If you haven’t seen People Will Talk, Celeste and I highly recommend you see it since the debate about the best medical practices is still going on today.