Dr Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet **** (1940, Edward G Robinson, Ruth Gordon, Otto Kruger) – Classic Movie Review 9885

Despite the fantasy-type title, William Dieterle’s engrossing 1940 film Dr Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet is a serious, intelligent and moving look at the inventor of the cure for syphilis, Dr Paul Ehrlich, beautifully played by an unusually bearded Edward G Robinson.

Working from the good doctor’s original notes, the three writers (including John Huston, Heinz Herald and Norman Burnstine [Norman Burnside]) construct a tasteful, amusing and fascinating original screenplay biopic that gets under the skin of the man.

Robinson provides one of his finest characterisations and the rest of the cast is not far behind, especially Ruth Gordon as Mrs Fran Ehrlich, Albert Basserman as scientist Dr Robert Koch and Otto Kruger as colleague Dr Emil Von Behring, as well as Donald Crisp, Maria Ouspenskaya, Montagu Love, Sig Ruman, Donald Meek, Henry O’Neill, Edward Norris, Harry Davenport and Louis Calhern.

Thanks to the courage of Jack L Warner as the executive in charge of production, the screenplay and the performances, the film is as forceful, persuasive and satisfying as it was bold and venturesome for a Hollywood studio in 1940. Interesting that it is made during the Second World War and yet is a sympathetic biopic of a man born at Strehlen, in Upper Silesia, Germany. The writers were Oscar nominees for Best Writing, Original Screenplay.

The advertising wasn’t so brave and honest: ‘HE DREAMED THE GREATEST ADVENTURE MAN HAD EVER KNOWN… and made that dream come true!’

It is also known as The Story of Dr Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet (1940).

Also in the cast are Louis Jean Heydt, Charles Halton, Irving Bacon, Douglas Wood, Theodore von Eltz, Hermine Sterler, John Hamilton, Paul Harvey, Frank Reicher, Torben Meyer, Ann E Todd, Robert Strange, Egon Brecher, and Cliff Clark.

Dr Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet [The Story of Dr Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet] is directed by William Dieterle, runs 103 minutes, is made by Warner Bros, is written by John Huston, Heinz Herald and Norman Burnstine [Norman Burnside], is shot in black and white by James Wong Howe, is produced by Jack L Warner (in charge of production), Hal B Wallis (executive producer) and Wolfgang Reinhardt (associate producer), is scored by Max Steiner, and designed by Carl Jules Weyl.

Paul Ehrlich (14 March 1854 – 20 August 1915) was a Nobel prize-winning German physician and medical scientist who worked in haematology, immunology and anti-microbial chemotherapy. Ehrlich also discovered the formula of atoxyl, used in the treatment of sleeping sickness.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9885

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