The Girl in White

Based on the memoirs of her character Ann Dunning Barringer, June Allyson gets to play a woman doctor at a time when there weren't too many. The time of the turn of the last century is captured very well.

Her own role model is that of Mildred Dunnock also a physician of the female gender who has had to be most discreet in order to earn a living in the medical profession. Allyson is not about discretion.

In fact as Allyson becomes a hero to the nurses in and around 1900 it wasn't that long ago that Florence Nightingale and Clara Barton opened the nursing profession for women. For them Allyson is dreaming the impossible dream.

The men in her life include Arthur Kennedy whom she breaks things off with because he a doctor wants his woman home with supper on the table and her supervisor Gary Merrill who also thinks there are men doctors and women nurses and the twain shall not meet. A man who believes in specific gender roles.

The Girl In White has a fine ensemble cast who give great support to Allyson who must have been grateful to get away from girl next door roles.

What can I say about June Allyson, that hasn't been said, not much. I have enjoyed here work for many many years, when ever I see her photo I think to myself "high bar-ber-ree," and Van Johnson. This movies tells the story of a Woman's struggle to be a doctor in a male dominated field, but she handles herself very well, and truly makes her point. No, no, no, no blood, not a drop, and you can use the four letter words in this movie, in church, but it is not dry, no, no, no. Have to mention the scenes of the good doctor and the nurses trying to sober up a man who has a little too much of the creature, it is funny. Young Women, from pre-teens up, can get a boost from this movie, and have them feeling like they can make it, which ain't bad. Don't kiss of this movie guys, you may like it as much as I, she is very cute, and the way she works around things is masterful at times.

Well worth the price of rental/buy, give it a chance.

I loved this movie so much. I watched when I was 21 and now I'm 22 going on to 23 and I think this movie is great. We are in the year 2005 and I can honestly tell you that women will love this movie and not only women but men as well. The male lead in this movie has such dignity and is so respectable that he elevates the status of men, not making them out and men appear these days on film to be after a women only for there looks. He looks just like Kiefer Sutherland, and since I didn't know his name I called him the Kiefer look alike when I described the story to my sister. He is ambitious, smart just like the leading lady who is the wonderful June Allyson. I was bored one day and I turned on TCM and this movie started in black and white, and I don't like black and white films. The story of this film is great. It starts off with June "Emily" and her mother moving to a new town and her mother falls ill or is pregnant and asks her daughter to find a doctor. Emily hunts for a doctor and finds the doctors apartment, upon entering she meets a woman and inquires where the doctor is. The woman declares herself to be the doctor "Dr Marie". Emily is hesitant about sending this woman to heal her mother for she has the same prejudice that a lot had back in those days about women being doctors. Nevertheless Dr Marie attends to her mother and after he mother is better. Emily gains the utmost respect for her and the story continues on to Emily becomes Dr Maries assistant and then goes to Medical school where she is the only woman there. The story is triumphant of how she finds love with another doctor who is probably one of the best male characters I've ever seen, and how she overcomes obstacles to be a great doctor, and on top of that she is a woman doctor. Its great acting and for me who wasn't caught up in the hype of MGM stars and I don't care what happened back then, for me to fall in love with this film and relate to it is great personally. So I recommend you all to watch it. Don't be turned off by the fact that it is black and white like I was initially and let yourself be inspired.

What I liked most is that this movie's based on the life of Dr. Emily Dunning Barringer, so they have to give this biopic a dose of realism. So, the story doesn't go over-the-top with the man vs. Woman/career vs. Homemaker thing and comes across as genuine.

It was also nice to see June Allyson in a role that wasn't either the ingenue or the good wife.

The early 20th century wasn't an easy time for a woman doctor, though many (like Dr. Barringer) were willing to put up with whatever was thrown their way, in order to practice medicine.

Some of the opposition was unbelievable, like when Dr. Seth Pawling (Gary Merrill) is reluctant to hire her, despite her having graduated third in her med school class! He insists women don't have what it takes to be good doctors, though she soon proves him wrong!

She does a great job, first on ambulance duty, later saving a life despaired of, and then during a typhoid epidemic.

She has some clashes with Ben Barringer, (Arthur Kennedy) the doctor she loves, with both making sacrifices, both for their careers and for each other, which sets the stage for their future together.

I've said enough and won't give away more. Just check it out, as it's worth it.

This is a fairly accurate re-telling of the Emily Dunning story. She was a turn of the century doctor, and being a woman doctor, therefore treated like a freak, or publicity hound. Sadly, the tale is always the same: woman/minority enters field dominated by white males and is mistreated and pressured to quit. Dunning was a doctor decades before women were given the right to vote! And she didn't just deliver babies, she was out on ambulance calls day and night. Quite an impressive figure, but June Allyson (reminding me of a more winsome version of ER's Maura Tierney) is only adequate as Dunning. The film has its moments, yet the struggles Dunning truly incurred in overcoming the male doctor establishment and public attitude is only moderately presented here. It's as if the male dominated film-making establishment didn't want their doctor counterparts to look too bigoted. And much of the film is devoted to Allyson's relationship with Arthur Kennedy (Dr. Barringer -- in real life became her husband). Once again, the filmmakers are more concerned with stressing the standard woman-as-love-interest-only angle. It also starts to slow down in the second half, unfortunately. But this is the only film covering Dunning's interesting story so it's worth looking at at least for that reason.