Poster
Watch

The Doctor Takes a Wife

The Doctor Takes a Wife

  • Status: Released
  • 25-04-1940
  • Runtime: 88 min
  • Score: 6.444
  • Vote count: 8

A best-selling author of women's issues and a medical academic find it is to their mutual advantage to falsely claim that they are married.

Loretta Young

June Cameron

Ray Milland

Dr. Timothy Sterling

Reginald Gardiner

John Pierce

Gail Patrick

Marilyn Thomas

Edmund Gwenn

Dr. Lionel Sterling

Frank Sully

Slapcovitch

Gordon Jones

O'Brien

Georges Metaxa

Jean Rovere

Charles Halton

Dr. Streeter

Joseph Eggenton

Dr. Nielson

Paul McAllister

Dean Lawton

Chester Clute

Johnson

Hal K. Dawson

Charlie

Edward Van Sloan

Burkhardt

Helen Ainsworth

Amazon in Book Store (uncredited)

Erville Alderson

Harrison, the Printer (uncredited)

Dorothy Appleby

Woman in Book Store (uncredited)

Gertrude Astor

Extra (uncredited)

Irving Bacon

Sam Appleby (uncredited)

Don Beddoe

Morning Express Reporter (uncredited)

Henry Blair

Boy (uncredited)

Harry C. Bradley

Dapper Salesman (uncredited)

Spencer Charters

Henry Quinn (uncredited)

Catherine Courtney

Woman in Book Store (uncredited)

Dix Davis

Boy (uncredited)

Helen Davis

Woman in Book Store (uncredited)

Edgar Dearing

Motorcycle Cop (uncredited)

Vernon Dent

Man Outside Phone Booth (uncredited)

Claire Du Brey

Party Guest (uncredited)

Edward Earle

Party Guest (uncredited)

Edward Gargan

George, the Doorman (uncredited)

Sumner Getchell

Wedding Celebrant (uncredited)

Wesley Giraud

Western Union Boy (uncredited)

Jane Goude

Mrs. Nielson (uncredited)

Olin Howland

Clerk at Lakewood Lodge (uncredited)

Jane Keckley

Mrs. Quinn (uncredited)

William Lally

Deck Steward (uncredited)

Charles Lane

Reporter (uncredited)

Bobby Larson

Boy (uncredited)

Eddie Laughton

Photographer (uncredited)

Ann Lee

Maid (uncredited)

Ian Maclaren

Professor (uncredited)

Myra Marsh

Lydia Johnson (uncredited)

Frances Morris

University Registration Desk Clerk (uncredited)

William Newell

Soda Jerk (uncredited)

Frank Orth

New York Editor (uncredited)

Renie Riano

Telegraph Operator (uncredited)

Virginia Sale

School Teacher (uncredited)

Dorothy Anne Seese

Child (uncredited)

Vera Steadman

Extra (uncredited)

Gertrude Sutton

Mabel (voice) (uncredited)

Emma Tansey

Old Woman Sitting Outside of Lakewood Lodge (uncredited)

Carol Tevis

Whiney Woman in Bookstore (uncredited)

Charlotte Treadway

Woman in Book Store (uncredited)

Larry Wheat

Party Guest (uncredited)

John Wray

Joe, the Farmer (uncredited)

CinemaSerf

“June” (Loretta Young) is searching for material for her follow-up book to her successful tome extolling the virtues of spinsterhood and illustrating that women don’t need a man in their lives at all! Meantime, university professor “Tim” (Ray Milland) happens to encounter this woman whilst he is trying to make a long distance phone call and next thing he is giving her a lift, ends up with a broken nose and a five dollar bar credit in her living room! Before they know it, her publisher (Reginald Gardiner) arrives whilst “Tim” is only semi clad, hungover and people are soon starting to make outrageous assumptions about their fledgling relationship. What now ensues does rather follow the established pattern as the two vacillate between loathing and intolerance to, well you can guess that bit… Young had good timing and was quite efficient at delivering the odd barbed remark and she does so well here whilst reinforcing the story’s underpinning point about independent women. Milland, doesn’t fare so well here though as his part is boxed in by the slightly screwball nature of the comedy and the predictability of the plot as it races at break-neck speed towards it’s obvious conclusion. Edmund Gwenn pops up now and again as our hapless academic’s father and Gail Patrick manages to keep a straight face as his affianced “Marilyn” and with some of the humour just a little close to the bone than in many similar enterprises, this has a sharpness at times that makes it just about worth a watch.