White Corridors
Encyclopedia
White Corridors is a 1951
British drama film
directed by Pat Jackson
and based on a novel by Helen Ashton. It starred Googie Withers
, Godfrey Tearle
, James Donald
and Petula Clark
. The film is set in a hospital
shortly after the establishment of the National Health Service
. At the 1951 BAFTAS it was nominated for Best Film and Best British Film. Petula Clark was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role.
Yeoman's Hospital is the setting for the drama. It is located somewhere in the Midlands. Googie Withers plays Dr Sophie Dean, a young, caring and brilliant surgeon, she is in love with Dr Neil Mariner - played by James Donald. He is involved with research on life saving drugs. Sophie Dean has to decide whether to put her romance first or her career as she thinks about posts in London to advance her career. Mariner's research could save the life of a young child with blood poisoning (nursed by caring new nurse Joan Shepherd played by Petula Clark). Whilst experimenting Dr Mariner infects himself by accident and becomes dangerously ill. The child dies (very moving performances by Clark and Megs Jenkins as the child's mother) and there is a dilemma for Sophie , should she inject Mariner and possibly save him? The drug is not approved and if he dies she will loose him but also will loose her career. She bravely takes the risk and he lives . Sophie decides that her future is at Yeoman's after all. There are other sub-plots involving nepotism and a careless doctor, but all comes right and Sophie's talent and dedication win out. Truth comes through. The film is well written, well crafted and is really British Cinema at its finest. Touching, funny and dramatic. An accurate portrayal of medical life in the 1950s. The acting is superb and many British stalwarts support the main cast brilliantly. These include Jean Anderson as the demanding ward sister, Godfrey Tearle as the influential head surgeon, Jack Watling as his wastrel son (who gets his comeuppance) and Moira Lister as the nurse he wronged. A lovely film.
1951 in film
The year 1951 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Sweden - May Britt is scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:...
British drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Pat Jackson
Pat Jackson
Patrick Douglas Selmes Jackson was an English film and television director.Born in Eltham, Jackson worked as a production assistant on the 1936 short film Night Mail. He directed a number of documentaries in the mid-1930's. His debut feature film was 1944's Western Approaches. Jackson spent some...
and based on a novel by Helen Ashton. It starred Googie Withers
Googie Withers
Georgette Lizette "Googie" Withers CBE, AO was an English theatre, film and television actress. She was a longtime resident of Australia with her husband, the actor John McCallum, with whom she often appeared.-Biography:...
, Godfrey Tearle
Godfrey Tearle
Sir Godfrey Seymour Tearle was a British actor who portrayed the quintessential Englishman on stage and in both English and US films.-Biography:...
, James Donald
James Donald
James Donald was a Scottish actor. Tall and thin, he usually specialised in playing authority figures.Donald was born in Aberdeen, and made his first professional stage appearance sometime in the late-1930s, having been educated at Rossall School on Lancashire's Fylde coast...
and Petula Clark
Petula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
. The film is set in a hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
shortly after the establishment of the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
. At the 1951 BAFTAS it was nominated for Best Film and Best British Film. Petula Clark was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role.
Yeoman's Hospital is the setting for the drama. It is located somewhere in the Midlands. Googie Withers plays Dr Sophie Dean, a young, caring and brilliant surgeon, she is in love with Dr Neil Mariner - played by James Donald. He is involved with research on life saving drugs. Sophie Dean has to decide whether to put her romance first or her career as she thinks about posts in London to advance her career. Mariner's research could save the life of a young child with blood poisoning (nursed by caring new nurse Joan Shepherd played by Petula Clark). Whilst experimenting Dr Mariner infects himself by accident and becomes dangerously ill. The child dies (very moving performances by Clark and Megs Jenkins as the child's mother) and there is a dilemma for Sophie , should she inject Mariner and possibly save him? The drug is not approved and if he dies she will loose him but also will loose her career. She bravely takes the risk and he lives . Sophie decides that her future is at Yeoman's after all. There are other sub-plots involving nepotism and a careless doctor, but all comes right and Sophie's talent and dedication win out. Truth comes through. The film is well written, well crafted and is really British Cinema at its finest. Touching, funny and dramatic. An accurate portrayal of medical life in the 1950s. The acting is superb and many British stalwarts support the main cast brilliantly. These include Jean Anderson as the demanding ward sister, Godfrey Tearle as the influential head surgeon, Jack Watling as his wastrel son (who gets his comeuppance) and Moira Lister as the nurse he wronged. A lovely film.
- Googie WithersGoogie WithersGeorgette Lizette "Googie" Withers CBE, AO was an English theatre, film and television actress. She was a longtime resident of Australia with her husband, the actor John McCallum, with whom she often appeared.-Biography:...
as Dr. Sophie Dean - James DonaldJames DonaldJames Donald was a Scottish actor. Tall and thin, he usually specialised in playing authority figures.Donald was born in Aberdeen, and made his first professional stage appearance sometime in the late-1930s, having been educated at Rossall School on Lancashire's Fylde coast...
as Neil Marriner - Godfrey TearleGodfrey TearleSir Godfrey Seymour Tearle was a British actor who portrayed the quintessential Englishman on stage and in both English and US films.-Biography:...
as Mr. Groom Sr. - Petula ClarkPetula ClarkPetula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
as Joan Shepherd - Jean AndersonJean AndersonJean Anderson was an English actress born in Eastbourne, Sussex. She is best remembered for her television roles as hard-faced matriarch Mary Hammond in the 1970s BBC drama The Brothers and as rebellious aristocrat Lady Jocelyn "Joss" Holbrook in the 1980s Second World War series Tenko .She is...
as Sister Gater - Timothy BatesonTimothy BatesonTimothy Dingwall Bateson was a British actor. The son of Dingwall Bateson, a solicitor later knighted, he was educated at Uppingham School and Wadham College, Oxford....
as Dr. Cook - Fabia DrakeFabia DrakeFabia Drake OBE was an English actress whose professional career spanned almost 73 years during the 20th century.Drake was born in Herne Bay, Kent...
as Miss Farmer - Henry EdwardsHenry Edwards (actor)Henry Edwards was an English actor and film director. He appeared in 81 films between 1915 and 1952. He also directed 67 films between 1915 and 1937...
as Phillip Brewster - Gerard HeinzGerard HeinzGerard Heinz , born Gerhard Hinze, was an actor. He later moved to England, where he changed his name to Gerard Heinz. He appeared in almost 60 movies , and a number of stage productions...
as Dr. Macuzek - Megs JenkinsMegs JenkinsMuguette Mary "Megs" Jenkins was an English character actress who appeared in British films and television programmes.-Life and career:...
as Mrs. Briggs - Barry JonesBarry Jones (actor)Barry Jones was an actor seen in British and American films, on American television and on the stage.-Biography:...
as Dr. Shoesmith - Avice LandoneAvice LandoneAvice Landone was a British actress who appeared in British television and film. She was born in Quetta, British India in 1908 and made her screen debut in the 1948 film My Brother Jonathon. Between 1970 and 1972 she played the role of Margaret Brown in the television series Man at the Top...
as Sister Jenkins - Bernard LeeBernard LeeJohn Bernard Lee was an English actor, best known for his role as M in the first eleven James Bond films.-Life and career:...
as Burgess - Moira ListerMoira ListerMoira Lister de Gachassin-Lafite, Vicomtesse d’Orthez was an Anglo-South African film, stage and television actress, and writer.-Early life:...
as Dolly Clark - Dandy NicholsDandy Nichols-References:* Dandy Nichols at screenonline.* Dandy Nichols at The Museum of Broadcast Communications.-External links:...
as Char - Basil RadfordBasil RadfordBasil Radford was an English character actor who featured in many British films of the 1930s and 1940s. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made his first stage appearance in July 1924...
as Retired Civil Servant - Bruce SetonBruce SetonMajor Sir Bruce Lovat Seton of Abercorn, 11th Baronet , better known as Bruce Seton, was a British actor and soldier....
as Policeman - Patrick TroughtonPatrick TroughtonPatrick George Troughton was an English actor most widely known for his roles in fantasy, science fiction and horror films, particularly in his role as the second incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running British science-fiction television series Doctor Who, which he played from 1966 to 1969,...
as Sailor - Jack WatlingJack WatlingJack Watling was a British actor.-Early life:Watling trained at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts as a child and made his stage debut in Where the Rainbow Ends at the Holborn Empire in 1936...
as Dick Groom