Reviewer:
karl_winter
-
favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite -
October 8, 2012
Subject:
Love, drama and happy ending.
Idealistic doctor, gifted with extraordinary healing capacity, struggles with greed and false fame. Finally he gets the right woman and finds his way. Great scenes of a forest fire.
Reviewer:
sipolandis
-
favoritefavoritefavorite -
August 26, 2006
Subject:
Mickey Saves the Day and Ralph Bellamy Saves His Honor
Ralph Bellamy is "The Healer" (the original title) in this 1930s morally-uplifting pot-boiler. Bellamy is a doctor that has come home to a warm springs to try to heal children from the unnamed crippling disease (polio). He runs a destitute camp for these children, assisted by Evelyn (Karen Morley) who looks upon the Doc as a great man. Mickey Rooney is Jimmy, a parapalegic kid whom the Doc promises to cure. This little triangle is interrupted by rich girl Joan who cons the good Doc into building a sanitorium for the wealthy with her father's money. Doc is momentarily swayed, but comes to his senses just as a forest fire threatens his original cabins around the warm spring. His treatment of Jimmy pays off as Jimmy rides a bicycle to save the day. Doc realizes that his true love is Evelyn, not the self-interested Joan.
I never was a Ralph Bellamy fan, but it's good to watch Rooney who could bring life even to a smarmy roll like this. Mickey Rooney obviously put himself into the role.