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Doctor Neighbor

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Doctor Neighbor
The Evening Review (East Liverpool, Ohio)
Directed byLloyd B. Carleton
Screenplay byAgnes Hay
Produced byUniversal Red Feather Photoplays
Starring
Color processBlack and white
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal
Release date
  • May 1, 1916 (1916-May-01) (Universal City)
Running time
5 reels
CountryUSA
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

Doctor Neighbor is a 1916 American silent black and white melodrama. It explores the moral dilemma of whether a doctor should assist a patient in taking their own life when that patient is in great pain and facing imminent death. The film was directed by Lloyd B. Carleton. It stars Hobart Bosworth, and pairs Dorothy Davenport and Emory Johnson in leading roles. The movie was released on May 1, 1916 by Universal.[1][2]

Plot

Dr. Joel Neighbor (Hobart Bosworth) is a famous surgeon. He is 42 years old. He has acquired a vast medical knowledge through his years of practice, and has dedicated his life to saving people. His ward, Hazel Rogers (Dorothy Davenport), is a beautiful 18-year-old heiress. She lives with her mother, played by Margaret Whistler. Dr. Neighbor is the guardian of Hazel's fortune until she turns 21. In the event of her death, the doctor would become the heir of the estate.

Now that Hazel is coming of age, Dr. Neighbor asks her to become his wife. She refuses his proposal. She tells him she is in love with a district attorney named Hamilton Powers (Emory Johnson), and has already promised to marry him. The doctor is against the marriage, but understands her reasons, and bows out.

Hazel marries Hamilton Powers. She discovers he is indifferent and wholly dedicated to his law practice. Powers is respectful of Hazel but loves another woman, a nurse named Christine Hall (Gretchen Lederer)., one of Hazel’s close friends.

Powers requests Dr. Neighbor transfer his management rights to Hazel’s money. He requests the transfer be made to him. Dr. Neighbor refuses. Powers becomes even colder in his treatment of Hazel. After a few months of marriage, Powers decides to leave Hazel’s magnificent home on Long Island, to go to New York City where he has more opportunities to practice law.

Two guests arrive at Hazel’s home to console her in her loneliness, Mrs. Preston (Adele Farrington) and Morgan Keith (Charles H. Hickman). While the group is having a friendly discussion, Powers shows up having driven in from New York City. Hazel and Hamilton have a severe argument.

Dr. Neighbor attends to Hazel.

Hazel is distraught and goes for a drive in her car. While driving too fast, she has an accident which fractures her back and leaves her a helpless invalid. Dr. Neighbor attends to her, and Nurse Christine shows up to help care for her friend.

One night Hazel is in excruciating pain and cries out to Dr. Neighbor to put her out of her misery. The doctor, even though he still loves Hazel, is bound by his Hippocratic Oath. Christine, overwrought by her friend’s agony and suffering, administers a fatal dose of morphine. Hazel never awakens. Dr. Neighbor finds the hypodermic needle on the table, which Christine forgot to dispose of. Neighbor puts the needle in his pocket.

There is no love lost between Powers and Neighbor. Powers calls for an inquiry. Hamilton points out that Hazel’s death leaves Dr. Neighbor as the sole heir to her fortune. The doctor keeps quiet during the criminal investigation. After the investigation is complete, they charge Dr. Neighbor with murder. He must stand trial. During the trial, Christine again becomes overwhelmed with guilt and confesses to the crime. Dr. Neighbor is set free.

Hamilton Powers suffers from heart failure and needs a massive transfusion of blood to survive. Dr. Neighbor has the same blood type as Powers, and donates his blood so that Powers may live.

Christine, freed from her prison term, pays a visit to Dr. Neighbor. She finds him dead from exhaustion.[3]

Cast

Actor Role
Hobart Bosworth Dr. Neighbor
Dorothy Davenport Hazel Rogers
Gretchen Lederer Christine Hall
Emory Johnson Hamilton Powers
Charles H. Hickman Morgan Keith
Adele Farrington Mrs. Preston
Margaret Whistler Mrs. Albert Rogers

Gallery

The Players
  • Hobart Bosworth
    Hobart Bosworth
  • Dorothy Davenport
    Dorothy Davenport
  • Emory Johnson
    Emory Johnson
  • Gretchen Lederer
    Gretchen Lederer
  • Adele Farrington
    Adele Farrington
  • Director Lloyd B. Carleton
    Director Lloyd B. Carleton

Marketing

Based on an American Film Institute standard, films with a running time of forty-five minutes or longer are considered feature films. In 1915, feature films were becoming more the trend in Hollywood. In 1916, Universal formed a three-tier branding system for their releases. Universal films decided to label their films according to the size of their budget and status. Universal, unlike the top-tier studios, did not own any theaters to market its feature films. By branding their product, Universal gave theater owners and audiences a quick reference guide. Branding would assist theater owners in making judgments for films they were about to lease, and help fans decide which movies they wanted to see.

Universal released three different types of feature motion pictures:[4][5]

  • Red feather Photoplays – low-budget feature films
  • Bluebird Photoplays – mainstream feature release and more ambitious productions
  • Jewel – prestige motion pictures featuring high budgets using prominent actors

This film carried Universal’s “Red Feather” brand, designating a low-budget feature film.

Production

Emory Johnson was 22 years old when he made this movie. Dorothy Davenport was 21 years old.

The film was also known as Doctor Samson, along with two other working titles - Dr. Neighbor and A Law for the Detective.[6]

During the shooting of this film, Dorothy Davenport's married name was Mrs. Wallace Reid. After her husband's death in 1923, she started to use this name exclusively in the credits for any project she participated in.[7]


In early 1916, after Emory Johnson had signed his Universal contract, Carl Laemmle of Universal Film Manufacturing Company thought he saw a potential leading man in Johnson. Laemmle sought a leading man comparable to Wally Reid. He also hoped to create a movie couple that could make sparks fly on the silver screen. Laemmle chose Johnson to be his new leading man. Laemmle chose Dorothy Davenport to generate the screen chemistry with Johnson. She was a Universal contract player who happened to be the wife of Wally Reid. Johnson and Davenport made 13 films together. The series started with the feature production of Doctor Neighbor in May 1916 and ended with another feature production, The Devil's Bondwoman, in November 1916. Over half the films were feature-length; all were dramas. Johnson and Davenport shared top billing in most. Davenport got pregnant in October 1916, and her film output took a steep nosedive at the beginning of 1917.[8]

Ultimately, Laemmle thought Johnson did not have the talent or screen presence he wanted. He wasn't going to become Universal's answer to Wally Reid. Laemmle also believed that even though the pairing with Davenport had been financially successful, the films didn't have the screen chemistry he had sought.[9][8]

Films starring Emory Johnson and Dorothy Davenport in 1916
Title Released Director Davenport role Johnson role Type Time LOC Brand Notes
Doctor Neighbor 1 May L. B. Carleton Hazel Rogers Hamilton Powers Drama Feature Lost Read Feather [10]
Her Husband's Faith 11 May L. B. Carleton Mabel Otto Richard Otto Drama Short Lost Laemmle [11]
Heartaches 18 May L. B. Carleton Virginia Payne S Jackson Hunt Drama Short Lost Laemmle [12]
Two Mothers 1 Jun L. B. Carleton Violetta Andree 2nd Husband Drama Short Lost Laemmle [13]
Her Soul's Song 15 Jun L. B. Carleton Mary Salsbury Paul Chandos Drama Short Lost Laemmle [14]
The Way of the World 3 Jul L. B. Carleton Beatrice Farley Walter Croyden Drama Feature Lost Read Feather [15]
No. 16 Martin Street 13 Jul L. B. Carleton Cleo Jacques Fournier Drama Short Lost Laemmle [16]
A Yoke of Gold 14 Aug L. B. Carleton Carmen Jose Garcia Drama Feature Lost Read Feather [17]
The Unattainable 4 Sep L. B. Carleton Bessie Gale Robert Goodman Drama Feature 1 of 5 reels Bluebird [18]
Black Friday 18 Sep L. B. Carleton Elionor Rossitor Charles Dalton Drama Feature Lost Read Feather [19]
The Human Gamble 8 Oct L. B. Carleton Flavia Hill Charles Hill Drama Short Lost Laemmle [20]
Barriers of Society 10 Oct L. B. Carleton Martha Gorham Westie Phillips Drama Feature 1 of 5 reels Read Feather [21]
The Devil's Bondwoman 11 Nov L. B. Carleton Beverly Hope Mason Van Horton Drama Feature Lost Read Feather [22]


Release and reception

The film was copyrighted on July 14, 1916, and officially released on May 1, 1916.[1]

The critics liked this film and its sensitive subject matter. Two reviews are shown below.

colspan="3" style="border: 1px solid #FFFAF5; Template:Linear-gradient" | Movie Critic Review
In the May 6, 1916 issue of the New York Clipper, Len points out,[23]
Hobart Bosworth is an excellent screen actor . . . In "Dr Neighbor" he has ample scope for the display of his talents . . . Good Production, competent action. All in all, good picture.
colspan="3" style="border: 1px solid #FFFAF5; Template:Linear-gradient" | Movie Critic Review
Peter Milne in the April 22, 1916 issue of Motion Picture News discerns,[24]
Hobart Bosworth makes a very strong figure of the doctor and Dorothy Davenport is the center of great sympathy as the ruined girl. Gretchen Lederer is the nurse, Emory Johnson the husband, while Adele Farrington and Margaret Whistler have other prominent parts which they handled exceedingly well.
Lloyd B. Carleton directed. His work is praiseworthy, for he has handled an extremely delicate subject in the least offensive manner possible.

Preservation status

According to the Library of Congress, all known copies of this film are lost.[25]

References

  1. ^ a b "Doctor Neighbor". catalog.afi.com.
  2. ^ "Doctor Neighbor". www.tcm.com.
  3. ^ "A YOKE OF GOLD". The Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, North Carolina). July 14, 1916. p. 2.
  4. ^ Michael Zmuda (April 30, 2015). The Five Sedgwicks: Pioneer Entertainers of Vaudeville, Film and Television. McFarland. pp. 54–. ISBN 978-0-7864-9668-6.
  5. ^ B movies (Hollywood Golden Age)#Roots of the B movie: 1910s–1920s
  6. ^ Doctor Neighbor at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  7. ^ "Dorothy Davenport". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  8. ^ a b E.J. Fleming (July 27, 2010). Wallace Reid: The Life and Death of a Hollywood Idol. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-8266-5.
  9. ^ "Plays and Players". Exhibitors Herald. Chicago, Exhibitors Herald. June 1, 1918. p. 1050.
  10. ^ Braff 1999, p. 120.
  11. ^ Braff 1999, p. 213.
  12. ^ Braff 1999, p. 206.
  13. ^ Braff 1999, p. 518.
  14. ^ Braff 1999, p. 215.
  15. ^ The Way of the World at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  16. ^ Braff 1999, p. 349.
  17. ^ A Yoke of Gold at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  18. ^ The Unattainable at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  19. ^ Black Friday at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  20. ^ Braff 1999, p. 238.
  21. ^ Barriers of Society at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  22. ^ The Devilsbond Woman at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  23. ^ "Doctor Neighbor", New York Clipper, May 6, 1916, retrieved May 8, 2019
  24. ^ "Doctor Neighbor reviewed by Peter Milne". Motion Picture News. New York, Motion Picture News, Inc. April 22, 1916.
  25. ^ "Doctor Neighbor / L.B Carleton [motion picture]:Bibliographic Record Description: Performing Arts Databases, Library of Congress".

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Doctor_Neighbor&oldid=959060647"