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Dark Delusion

  • 1947
  • Approved
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
283
YOUR RATING
Lucille Bremer and James Craig in Dark Delusion (1947)
Dr. Leonard Gillespie, for several reasons and not all medically related, asks a young surgeon, Dr. Tommy Coalt, to go to a small town and replace a local doctor while he is on vacation. There, Coalt is asked to sign commitment papers on a young lady, Cythia Grace, for reasons of insanity. Coalt thinks there is something amiss in Our Town and King's Row, and begins his own investigation.
Play trailer2:05
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Suspense MysteryWorkplace DramaDramaMystery

Dr. Leonard Gillespie, for several reasons and not all medically related, asks a young surgeon, Dr. Tommy Coalt, to go to a small town and replace a local doctor while he is on vacation. The... Read allDr. Leonard Gillespie, for several reasons and not all medically related, asks a young surgeon, Dr. Tommy Coalt, to go to a small town and replace a local doctor while he is on vacation. There, Coalt is asked to sign commitment papers on a young lady, Cynthia Grace who is alleged... Read allDr. Leonard Gillespie, for several reasons and not all medically related, asks a young surgeon, Dr. Tommy Coalt, to go to a small town and replace a local doctor while he is on vacation. There, Coalt is asked to sign commitment papers on a young lady, Cynthia Grace who is allegedly insane. Coalt thinks there is something amiss and begins his own investigation.

  • Director
    • Willis Goldbeck
  • Writers
    • Jack Andrews
    • Harry Ruskin
    • Max Brand
  • Stars
    • Lionel Barrymore
    • James Craig
    • Lucille Bremer
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.1/10
    283
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Willis Goldbeck
    • Writers
      • Jack Andrews
      • Harry Ruskin
      • Max Brand
    • Stars
      • Lionel Barrymore
      • James Craig
      • Lucille Bremer
    • 12User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:05
    Official Trailer

    Photos12

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    Top cast40

    Edit
    Lionel Barrymore
    Lionel Barrymore
    • Dr. Leonard Gillespie
    James Craig
    James Craig
    • Dr. Tommy Coalt
    Lucille Bremer
    Lucille Bremer
    • Cynthia Grace
    Jayne Meadows
    Jayne Meadows
    • Mrs. Selkirk
    Warner Anderson
    Warner Anderson
    • Teddy Selkirk
    Henry Stephenson
    Henry Stephenson
    • Dr. Evans Biddle
    Alma Kruger
    Alma Kruger
    • Molly Byrd
    Keye Luke
    Keye Luke
    • Dr. Lee Wong How
    Art Baker
    Art Baker
    • Dr. Sanford Burson
    Lester Matthews
    Lester Matthews
    • Wyndham Grace
    Marie Blake
    Marie Blake
    • Sally
    Ben Lessy
    Ben Lessy
    • Napoleon
    Geraldine Wall
    Geraldine Wall
    • Mrs. Rowland
    Nell Craig
    Nell Craig
    • Nurse 'Nosey' Parker
    George Reed
    George Reed
    • Conover
    Mary Currier
    Mary Currier
    • Nurse Workman
    Polly Bailey
    • Scrub Woman
    • (uncredited)
    Margaret Bert
    • Mrs. Harris
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Willis Goldbeck
    • Writers
      • Jack Andrews
      • Harry Ruskin
      • Max Brand
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews12

    6.1283
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    Featured reviews

    10mls4182

    All stats for Lionel and Alma

    Lionel Barrymore and Alma Kruger are fantastic in this film.

    It is too bad the film didn't just focus on them.

    The main storyline isn't fleshed out and you end up not caring.

    Alma and Lionel make it worth a watch.
    7krorie

    Dr. Leonard Gillespie's Twilight Years

    The last of the highly successful Dr. Kildare/Dr. Gillespie series which foreshadowed the later popularity of medical shows on TV, "Dark Delusion" has its moments, though overall routine with the psychological mumbo jumbo at times unintentionally humorous. The most entertaining scenes are the ones with veteran character actor Keye Luke as Dr. Lee Wong How, especially the part where he tries to convince a heart patient that he really isn't a heart patient; and the teasing confrontations between Dr. Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore) and Nurse 'Nosey' Parker--almost a comic version of Nurse Ratched before her time. The character of Napoleon portrayed by Ben Lessy is fun to watch, in particular his final appearance.

    The story centers as always on the medical staff and patients of Blair General Hospital. This time a new doctor, Dr. Tommy Coalt (played by the somewhat bland James Craig), is having serious bedside-manners problems since he always tells the truth the way he sees it to patients and staff alike. How do you get rid of an unwanted employee without causing an unnecessary blowup? Either promote him to a higher level bureaucratic position where he becomes nothing more than a highly paid pencil pusher or send him to a nowhere place such as Bayhurst where nobody cares, just thankful there's a physician in town.

    But Dr. Coalt is still an unruly colt. This time he takes on the entire medical profession by becoming involved with a young lady, Cynthia Grace (Lucille Bremer),who has been diagnosed as having a mental problem. Dr. Coalt is determined to cure her without confining her to an institution the way her family doctor has advised. Cynthia's father has also been persuaded to institutionalize his daughter. Sent by Dr. Gellispie to appraise the situation, Dr. Lee Wong How (Luke) reports back by telephone, "The good news is Dr. Coalt is not in jail yet."

    The acting is mixed. Barrymore, Luke, and Jayne Meadows give the best performances. Why Jayne Meadows couldn't make it as a viable screen personality is a mystery. Perhaps she reminded the movie goers of too many other actresses in comparable roles.

    If you're a fan of the series, then "Dark Delusion" will be enjoyed. For others, the going may be rough in spots but the high points will still be high points.
    5happytrigger-64-390517

    Slow paced mystery

    A doctor searches the causes of a young woman's mental illness to avoid her father's wish to intern her. This mystery is competently played by James Craig and Lucille Bremer, with Craig's delicate attention in discovering her problems. But there are unfortunately many comic scenes that ruin the rhythm. A very modest B movie, I don't know any title of the director Willis Goldbeck, who is better known as a screenwriter for "Freaks", "the Man who shot Liberty Valance" and lot of Dr Kildare.
    6blanche-2

    End of a successful series

    The Dr. Kildare series, which morphed into the Dr. Gillespie series, has its last episode with "Dark Delusions."

    Filmed in 1947, it also stars James Craig as Dr. Coalt. Coalt is a brilliant doctor but a little too aggressive for a doctor starting out -- translation: he's in trouble with the upper crust.

    Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore) sends Coalt to replace Dr. Art Baker in the country temporarily. There, his strong-mindedness and little regard for big monied people gets him embroiled in another tough case.

    The father of a young woman, Lester Matthews, wants to have his daughter (Lucille Bremer) committed, but Dr. Coalt won't sign the papers. He believes that her problem can be cured and sets out to gain the young woman's confidence and help her, despite opposition.

    A secondary plot concerns parents (Jayne Meadows and Warner Anderson) of a baby about to be adopted by them. In order to finalize the adoption, both parents have to pass a physical.

    The mother has her physical, but her husband keeps finding excuses not to have one. It's up to Keye Luke to get to the bottom of the problem.

    Good episode, but of the Ayres replacements, Craig was probably the most boring. The combo of Van Johnson and Keye Luke was the liveliest. I've never been a big fan of Van Johnson's, but he certainly brought lightness and charm to the proceedings.

    Good, glossy series in the MGM tradition.
    4wes-connors

    Dr. Kildare's New Replacement

    In New York's Blair General Hospital, workplace of writer Max Brand's famous "Dr. Kildare", handsome recruit James Craig (as Tommy Coalt) is adored by young nurses, but has trouble getting along with his patients. There have been several complaints about Mr. Craig's poor bedside manner. Patients send protests to wise hospital head Lionel Barrymore (as Leonard Gillespie) regarding the new doctor's brash attitude. Craig is basically a good doctor – but he's a little bull-headed. When a nearby hospital asks Barrymore to "loan out" a surgeon for six weeks, he sends Craig. On the road, Craig meets a melancholy woman. Later, he discovers she is one of his new patients. Craig is immediately asked to co-sign papers committing gloomy Lucille Bremer (as Cynthia Grace) to a sanitarium. However, Craig has a feeling Ms. Bremer is more pretty than insane. He refuses to co-sign commitment papers...

    MGM looks to have been setting up an additional spin-off series with this entry, but this was the last of their "Kildare/Gillespie" films – which lost Lew Ayres in the leading role, years ago. Van Johnson' "Dr. Adams" replaced "Dr. Kildare" as the young surgeon, but checked out after becoming a major box-office star. "Dark Delusion" did feature Barrymore and the staff, but took the story to another hospital. The tone is morose, with both the hospital and Ms. Bremer photographed in sinister shadows. A couple years later, Mr. Ayres returned as "Dr. Kildare" in a radio series. By the 1960s, the doctor got a big shot in the arm on TV, in a popular series starring Richard Chamberlain. The highlights in "Dark Delusion" are Barrymore acting up his usual storm, Bremer's pointedly tight party dress, and the telephone chase scene wherein series regular Keye Luke "diagnoses" Warner Anderson's heart condition...

    Finally, there must be special mention of how director Willis Goldbeck and/or photographer Charles Rosher handle Craig and Bremer's climactic kissing scene – by spurting water in the lower left hand corner of your screen.

    **** Dark Delusion (6/25/47) Willis Goldbeck ~ James Craig, Lionel Barrymore, Lucille Bremer, Keye Luke

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    Related interests

    James Stewart in Rear Window (1954)
    Suspense Mystery
    Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
    Workplace Drama
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The 15th and final film in MGM'S long-running Dr. Kildare/Dr. Gillespie film franchise that ran from 1938 to 1947. The first nine films starred Lew Ayres as Kildare, and all 15 featured Lionel Barrymore as Gillespie.
    • Goofs
      During the opening credits, a bug crawling on the screen is visible on the bottom.
    • Quotes

      Dr. Leonard Gillespie: Be careful with those studs. A girl in Oklahoma City gave those to me.

      Dr. Lee Wong How: In Oklahoma City?

      Dr. Leonard Gillespie: Yes, I'd a married that girl if she hadn't liked Limburger Cheese for breakfast.

    • Connections
      Follows Internes Can't Take Money (1937)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 19, 1947 (Mexico)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Cynthia's Secret
    • Filming locations
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $875,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 1h 30m(90 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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