Welcome Stranger (1947)

Welcome Stranger - 1947

The next film in on our is list is 1947's "Welcome Stranger", starring Bing Crosby, Joan Caulfield, and Barry Fitzgerald.  The film is about a young doctor who comes to a small town to relieve an older doctor who's going on vacation.  The young doctor discovers quite a bit of hostility directed towards him, and he must overcome that to win their trust and hearts.

The film's supporting cast includes Wanda Hendrix, Frank Faylen, Elizabeth Patterson, Robert Shayne, Percy Kilbride, and Charles Dingle.

The film begins with Dr. Joseph McRory (Fitzgerald) making final preparations for his vacation.  He wants to meet and interview his replacement doctor.  He's very disappointed when he's told the doctor is already on his way.  McRory leaves the office a bit upset.

He meets a highly engaging stranger (Crosby) on the train journey home.  McRory is very bristled at the stranger's every deed.  In fact, it seems he goes out of his way to be downright mean to the stranger.  Crosby keeps plugging along as his affable self.

The next morning while shaving on the train, McRory takes offense when Crosby starts singing "Smile Right Back At The Sun".  Mishaps with breakfast and pipe tobacco don't endear them to each other, either.  Once they arrive at their destination, they leave each other hoping never to set eyes on one another again.

Unfortunately, that's not to be.  The train stranger is none other than Dr. Jim Pearson, the man who's come to replace McRory.  McRory is still nasty to Jim, telling him that he won't be necessary and that he wants him to leave town.  Jim says he views the contract as binding and won't go anywhere.

Schoolteacher Trudy Mason (Caulfield) comes to visit McRory, and Jim takes a liking to her instantly.  Once Jim is out of the room, McRory fills Trudy's head with all sorts of nasty tales about Jim.

She tries to get him to leave as well, without success.  Jim's start in the small town hasn't gone well.

At dinner that night, taxi driver Nat Dorkas comes to tell McRory that someone's fallen off a ladder and needs help quickly.  McRory rushes off to see what he can do to help.

It turns out that there's no emergency.  It was just a ruse to get Dr. McRory to a town gathering to thank him and wish him well on his vacation.  It turns out that everyone in town simply loves McRory.

They even present him with a model of the new hospital that is being built and that he is going to run.  The hospital has always been a dream of his and is very close to his heart.

Once Jim gets to the gathering, he rushes to dance with Trudy, which doesn't make him any friends with her fiance.  He also gets the cold shoulder from a great many of the townsfolk.

He tries to get into the spirit of things by being the caller of a square dance, but still nobody seems to want to like him.  He decides to throw in the towel and leave just like McRory wanted him to.

After finding McRory fishing the next morning, Jim tells him that he's on his way out of town.  McRory asks him to stay two weeks so that a doctor he's in favor of can replace him.  Jim agrees and decides to stay on.  Dr. McRory gives him his orders: no doctoring difficult cases and no surgery.

On his way home, Jim gets word that newspaperman Bill Walters has had some sort of attack.  Everyone thinks it's because he drinks.  Jim isn't so sure.  He asks Bill to lay off drinking for a week so he can examine him when he's sober and see if he can come up with some different results than others have.

Jim brings new hope to Bill's daughter Emily, who takes care of him.  She sort of develops a little crush on Jim.

Dr. McRory leaves.  Trudy comes to see him, but is too late, and finds Jim singing in the parlor instead.  She stands quietly and listens to him.  They talk after he realizes she's there.

A thunderous knock on the door interrupts them.  It's Nat Dorkas guiding Dr. McRory into the house.  He's had a terrible attack of something and needs help quickly.

He's had an attack of appendicitis.  With no time for a different doctor to operate, McRory reluctantly allows Jim to do the surgery.  Trudy will have to act as nurse.  The only stipulation is that McRory will be under a local anesthetic and wants a mirror so he can supervise the operation.

The operation's a success, and this changes the whole town's view of Jim.  Even Trudy has warmed up to him, but not her fiance Roy.

When he gets ready to go out on calls, Jim runs into Emily, who wants to go with him.  He says okay.  Along the way, he gives her a shot of much needed self-confidence.

Their car breaks down and they need to catch a lift from the passing town hayride.  He sits next to Trudy, and they get much closer as they ride along.  Jim sings "As Long As I'm Dreaming" while riding under the stars.

While the hayride is going on, Roy brings over the replacement doctor to meet McRory.  McRory dismisses him and says he's being very ably looked after by Jim.  The replacement doctor gets very angry and says he'll never forget this.

Feeling very kindly disposed towards Jim, McRory tries to think of reasons for him to stay on and help him with the new hospital.  He uses Trudy as bait for Jim.  He tells Jim that she's very unhappy in her engagement with Roy.  Jim says he's still planning on leaving as soon as McRory is well.

Trudy comes in and McRory tells her that Jim is leaving because of her engagement, and that if she would call it off he would stay.  Jim comes in and says that there was a telephone call and a baby is on the way.  Trudy offers to take him to the address.

Once again, Jim and Trudy work together and a healthy baby boy is delivered.  They arrive at her place very early the next morning.

Roy sees them together in the car and confronts Trudy.  She tells him that their engagement is off.

At breakfast, Jim and McRory notice that the replacement doctor has moved across the street and is hanging out his sign advertising his services as a rival doctor and surgeon.

Jim is leaving that day.  Before he goes, he stops in to see Bill and Emily.  He tells Bill that the results of his tests are in.  He's got a problem with his adrenal gland and it can be cured.  He and Emily are thrilled.  Before he goes, Bill shows Jim a story about what the chamber of commerce is planning to do to McRory.

He heads straight over to the chamber meeting, where McRory is already learning of what's going on.  They plan on not giving him the hospital to run (in retaliation of the replacement doctor and Roy's hurt feelings).  They say the replacement doctor and McRory must submit to a written medical examination to see who is the best qualified.

While he's at the bus stop on his way out of town, Jim sees Trudy.  She tells him if he were any kind of friend he would help McRory with his examination.  He decides to take her advice and postpones his departure so he can help his new friend study.

On the day of the examination, McRory isn't feeling confident.  However, things take a turn when an emergency is proclaimed at the schoolhouse.

The replacement doctor and McRory are both there offering opinions on what could be wrong.  The replacement doctor says it's some rare disease and says they must call Washington D.C. for a vaccine so they can treat the whole town.  Of course, this sends people into a panic.  McRory, with a little investigating, has a much simpler solution.  The sick boys are unwell because they were smoking cigars.  The replacement doctor is virtually ran out of the schoolhouse, and the chamber of commerce gives McRory the hospital.

McRory says he won't take it unless he can co-run it with Jim.  Jim says he won't stay unless Trudy agrees to marry him.  She smiles and says she thinks something could be arranged.

Cast rundown:

   Bing Crosby................................Dr. Jim Pearson

   Joan Caulfield.............................Trudy Mason

   Barry Fitzgerald...........................Dr. Joseph McRory

   Wanda Hendrix............................Emily Walters

   Frank Faylen...............................Bill Walters

   Elizabeth Patterson......................Mrs. Gilley

   Robert Shayne............................Roy Chesley

   Percy Kilbride..............................Nat Dorkas

   Charles Dingle.............................C.J. Chesley

And that's it for Welcome Stranger.  It's a highly enjoyable film.  I must admit I find it difficult to believe that someone like Dr. Joseph McRory could have such a loyal following, particularly as he was so extremely nasty to Jim Pearson at the beginning of the film.  But by the end of the film, it's easy to see why people love him.

There's also a director cameo in the film.  Elliott Nugent portrayed "Dr. Morton" in the beginning of the film.  McRory went to visit him to learn the identity of the man who was to replace him while he was on vacation.

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