Film / Doctor at Large

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Doctor at Large is a 1957 film and the third of the Doctor... Series. It stars Dirk Bogarde, Muriel Pavlow, Donald Sinden, James Robertson Justice, Shirley Eaton, Derek Farr, and Michael Medwin.

Once more at St. Swithin's (with no mention of the events of the previous film), Dr. Simon Sparrow (Bogarde) insults Sir Charles Hopcroft (Ernest Jay), one of the St. Swithin's governors. As this happens, his old friends Tony Benskin (Sinden) and Joy Gibson (Pavlow) both fail their medical exams, leaving all three rather glum.

Feeling he needs a change after losing the job of Senior House Surgeon to Dr. Charlie Bingham (Medwin) after his prior incident with Sir Charles and a disastrous night with Nurse Nan MacPherson (Eaton) at the Judges Arms boarding house — run by Mrs. Digby (Judith Furse), an old battleaxe — Dr. Sparrow takes a job at a general practice under Dr. Hampton Hatchet (Lionel Jeffries), although he is forced to deal with the flirty behaviour of Jasmine (Dilys Laye), Dr. Hatchet's wife.

As this happens, Tony travels to Ireland and buys a medical degree from O'Malley (John Chandos), leading to a post in Wiltshire as Lady Howkins' (Athene Seyler) private physician, while he manages to land Dr. Sparrow a job at the Harley Street practice of Dr. Erasmus Potter-Shine (Farr), where the patients are all either dotty aristocrats like the Duke of Skye and Lewes (A. E. Matthews) or neurotic society women like Kitty (Barbara Murray).

After some time working with Dr. Farquarson (George Relph) in the country, Dr. Sparrow joins Dr. Benskin and Joy for a brief holiday in France after the passing of Lady Howkins, where they save Sir Charles from an embarrassing incident.

Dr. Sparrow once more returns to St. Swithin's, while Dr. Benskin gets a job as personal physician to the Maharajah of Branda (Martin Benson). It turns out Dr. Sparrow's return has come just at the right time, as he can witness Dr. Bingham humiliate himself owing to the delivery of several elephants to the hospital (with a little help from Joy) and, after chewing out Sir Lancelot Spratt (Justice), finally becomes a surgeon.

Tropes at Large:

• Accidental Misnaming: When recalling that Dr. Potter-Shine is playing golf with Joanna, Emerald accidentally calls her "Janet" at first.
• Adaptational Angst Downgrade: In the novel, Jasmine tries to have sex with Dr. Sparrow, so he'll prescribe her the Valium she's addicted to as a result of struggling to cope with her loveless marriage to Dr. Hatchet. Here, Dilys Laye plays Jasmine as a fun, flirty vamp, and the Valium addiction is nowhere to be seen.
• Advertised Extra: One of the posters has a large illustration of Dr. Sparrow spanking Kitty, even though Barbara Murray has less than five minutes of screentime.
• Affectionate Nickname: Emerald calls Dr. Potter-Shine "Razzy", short for his first name "Erasmus".
• Agony of the Feet: Sir Lancelot complains that he has a touch of the gout when Tony comes into his office.
• Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: Kitty blames her tantrum over not being able to see Dr. Potter-Shine on the brandy she had at lunch.
• All There in the Script: Several characters' names aren't given in the film:
  • The Apron Matron of an innkeeper at the Judges Arms is called "Mrs. Digby".
  • The man who gets Dr. Sparrow the job with Dr. Hatchet is "Smith".
  • The Irishman whom Tony sees for his medical exam is called "O'Malley".
  • The Duke who rides the exercise horse is the Duke of "Skye and Lewes".
  • The woman whom Dr. Sparrow spanks and goes out with is called "Kitty".
  • The fish poacher is called "Sam", and the Colonel he poaches from has the surname "Graves".
• Alliterative Name: Dr. Hampton Hatchet.
• Amicable Exes: Dr. Sparrow and Joy are no longer together but remain close friends as he tries to help her pass her medical exams.
• Annoying Patient: Mrs. Wilkins demands wind medicine that she doesn't need and gets her husband to threaten Dr. Sparrow with legal action:
  Mrs. Wilkins: I want me medicine!
• Apron Matron: Mrs. Digby, the constantly sniffing innkeeper of the Judges Arms, is an overbearing prude who single-handedly manages to ruin Dr. Sparrow and Nurse MacPherson's night of romance by giving them separate rooms on opposite ends of her boarding house.
• Big Friendly Dog: A large, friendly dog is always barking at Joy's window, hoping that she, Dr. Sparrow, or Tony will feed it.
• Blackmail: Mr. Wilkins threatens Dr. Sparrow that if he doesn't give his wife her red medicine (which he knows he doesn't really need but still wants), then he'll state his case before the National Health Service's local executive council and have Dr. Sparrow fined. Despite this, Dr. Sparrow takes no nonsense and kicks him out of his office.
• Blind Without 'Em: Sir Charles Hopcroft can't see anything without his glasses, which causes problems when he leaves his glasses to go for a swim, causing him to enter the wrong changing room and get screamed at by some French women.
• Brick Joke: For Dr. Bingham and Nurse MacPherson's honeymoon, Dr. Sparrow recommends the Judges Arms — the place where he and Nurse MacPherson spent a horrible night at the beginning of the film.
• Brownface: The Maharajah of Branda is played by Martin Benson, a British actor covered in makeup.
• Bungled Hypnotism: Tony is unable to hypnotise Joy, although he does succeed in hypnotising himself.
• The Bus Came Back: Tony, Joy, Sir Lancelot, and the Padre all return from Doctor in the House (1954) after missing Doctor at Sea.
• Busman's Holiday: Dr. Sparrow accidentally reveals his profession to a waiter during his stay at the Judges Arms, leading the waiter and the eavesdropping Major Porter to try and get him to examine them.
• Buxom Beauty Standard: Eva has large breaths, sorry breasts, for a thixteen-year-old.
• Comedic Spanking: Dr. Sparrow spanks Kitty during her tantrum:
  Kitty: You struck a woman!
• Crazy Jealous Guy: Dr. Hatchet hints that he will murder Dr. Sparrow if he tries anything with Jasmine.
• Creator Cameo: The author of the original novels, Richard Gordon, once again appears as Stubbins, an anaesthetist.
• Cruel Elephant: One of the elephants sent to St. Swithin's stands up to an angry Sir Lancelot and knocks off his hat.
• Curse Cut Short:
  • Just before telling Mr. Wilkins he'll get a kick up the backside, Dr. Sparrow stops himself:
    Dr. Sparrow: If you don't get out of here, you're going to get a kick up— er, on the coccyx, if you know all the medical terms.
  • O'Malley trails off during Tony's so-called "medical examination":
    Tony: Do you know what I'd do? Go to the telephone and call in the nearest specialist.
    O'Malley: Full marks. Now, who could object to that treatment? Make the devils work instead of sittin' on their— Ah, here we are now.
  • Dr. Benskin stops himself from swearing after he sees a pretty nurse:
    Dr. Benskin: Oh, by the way, I've given old Lady Howkins' 15,000 to St. Swithin's. Tell them to stuff... some pillows with it.
• Distracted by the Sexy:
  • During their trip to France, Dr. Benskin admires two women — one in black, one in white — as a waiter comes up behind him with a teapot. Dr. Sparrow asks him, "Black or white?", to which Dr. Benskin admits they both have their points... before spotting the teapot and asking for black.
  • While complaining about giving Lady Howkins' £15,000 to St. Swithin's, Dr. Benskin trails off when a pretty nurse passes by him.
• Double Meaning Gag: During Tony's so-called "medical examination", O'Malley asks him what he knows about urea, to which Tony asks if he means "the chemical substance or my lughole". The next question is fibrillation, which Tony answers is "a bit of a nerve", which O'Malley laughs, "That's what we've all got, isn't it?".
• Elephants Never Forget: When chewing out Dr. Bingham for sending two elephants to St. Swithin's, Sir Lancelot tells him, "Dr. Bingham, they assure me that elephants never forget. Allow me to assure you, neither do consultant surgeons".
• Fee Fi Faux Pas: During his medical finals, Tony manages to accidentally insult his examiners' age:
  Tony: After all, the patient was senile. Dash it, he was seventy — practically ga-ga.
  Examiner: And I shall be seventy-six myself next birthday. Thank you for reminding me that I'm well past my job.
• The Film of the Book: The film is based on Richard Gordon's 1955 novel of the same name.
• Fingore: Sir Charles Hopcroft cuts his finger at luncheon and so goes to St. Swithin's to have it personally sutured by Sir Lancelot.
• First Girl Wins: Joy was Dr. Sparrow's love interest back in Doctor in the House (1954), and after falling for Helene, Nurse MacPherson, and Kitty, he finally takes her back at the end of the film when he asks to marry her.
• Gasshole: Mrs. Wilkins suffers from wind, or at least she did before taking her red medicine for almost fifteen years.
• Get Out!: Sir Lancelot roars at Dr. Sparrow and orders him to leave his office:
  Sir Lancelot: I do not growl like a bear, I roar like a lion! Get out!
• The Ghost: Several characters are mentioned but never seen, such as:
  • Drs. Christmas, O'Higgins, O'Rourke, O'Toole, Solomons, Assiz, and Wu, the assistant doctors who worked with Dr. Hatchet before Dr. Sparrow did.
  • Joanna, a patient of Dr. Potter-Shine's with whom he plays golf.
  • Willoughby, Dr. Potter-Shine's assistant before Dr. Sparrow.
  • Old Halebridge, an anaethetist at St. Swithin's whom Dr. Benskin briefly works for.
• Given Name Reveal: Jessup, the porter from Doctor in the House (1954), returns and is given the first name "Harry", after his actor, Harry Locke.
• Gratuitous French: Sir Charles struggles to use some French words on holiday:
  Sir Charles: Oh, pardon, madame, er mad-mademoiselle.
• Horrible Honeymoon: Dr. Sparrow tells Dr. Bingham that he should go to the Judges Arms for his and Nurse MacPherson's honeymoon — the same place where he and Nurse MacPherson spent a horrible night at the beginning of the film.
• Hospital Hottie: The lovely Nurse Nan MacPherson catches the eye of both Dr. Sparrow and Dr. Bingham.
• Implied Death Threat: Dr. Hatchet gives a long speech about doctors who have murdered and gotten away with murder to Dr. Sparrow, in an attempt to keep him away from his wife, Jasmine.
• I Need a Freaking Drink: When Dr. Bingham kisses her, Nurse MacPherson winces and knocks back the rest of her drink.
• Incoming Ham: Sir Lancelot makes his first appearance in the film blaring his car horn and yelling at a dustman:
  Sir Lancelot: Get your wretched garbage van out of the way, man!
• Inconsistent Spelling: Is the surname of Shirley Eaton's character "Macpherson" or "MacPherson"? The DVD subtitles use the former, but the script uses the latter.
• "L" Is for "Dyslexia": A sign at the Ives' farm warns about a "feerce" dog.
• Laughing Mad: Pascoe cackles like a madman after quoting Macbeth to Sir Lancelot.
• Literal Ass-Kicking: Dr. Sparrow nearly threatens to kick Mr. Wilkins up the backside after he threatens to Blackmail him with a fine if he won't give his wife her red medicine, but the doctor restrains himself and says he'll on the coccyx instead.
• Mistaken Identity: When Dr. Sparrow first meets Jasmine, he wrongly assumes that she is Dr. Hatchet when he is actually her husband.
• Mondegreen Gag: The lisping Eva mistakes "breaths" for "breasts".
• Naked People Are Funny: Dr. Benskin walks in on the Maharajah of Branda sitting on a couch stark naked beside his turban, much to his embarrassment.
• Nasal Trauma: One of the patients at St. Swithin's is a dustman with an unsightly cyst on his nose. Drs. Sparrow and Bingham both want to treat it and row over who is to have the pleasure.
• No Full Name Given:
  • We don't get to know Emerald, Ernest, Eva, George, or Seamus' last names.
  • The same can be said for Dr. Hatchet, Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins, Dr. Farquarson, Lady Howkins, Pascoe, Mrs. Dalton, Mr. Wayland, Old Ives, Mrs. Ives, Major Porter, Mrs. Law, and Muffin's first names.
• Nose Nuggets: The dustman picks his nose during his conversation with Sir Lancelot.
• Not So Above It All: After Dr. Sparrow has finished calling out Sir Lancelot for the first time in his life, the cranky old chief surgeon laughs to himself after Dr. Sparrow leaves his office. Furthermore, Sir Lancelot then goes on to make him a surgeon too.
• Not What It Looks Like: Dr. Hatchet catches Dr. Sparrow and Jasmine fighting over a box of sleeping pills and believes they are embracing behind his back.
• One-Steve Limit: The film has three characters named "Charlie/Charles" — Dr. Charlie Bingham, Sir Charles Hopcroft, and Charlie Whittle.
• Parking Problems: A dustman needing his cyst looked at parks his dustcart in Sir Lancelot's reserved space and then dares to tell him to move it himself.
• Purely Aesthetic Glasses: Joy wears glasses to her medical final, only so she will appear smarter.
• Putting the "Medic" in Comedic: The film derives much of its comedy from doctors dealing with difficult patients, such as Mrs. Wilkins trying to hit Dr. Sparrow with a ceramic jug or Kitty having to be spanked to stop her tantrum.
• Rank Up:
  • Dr. Bingham beats Dr. Sparrow to the post of St. Swithin's resident Senior House Surgeon.
  • After buying a medical degree, Tony finally becomes a doctor.
  • Dr. Sparrow finally becomes a surgeon at the end of the film when Sir Lancelot promotes him after being chewed out by the young doctor.
• Recycled Soundtrack: Throughout the film, an instrumental version of "Je ne sais pas" from Doctor at Sea plays as background music.
• Relative-ly Flimsy Excuse: Dr. Sparrow claims that he and Nurse MacPherson are cousins when staying at the Judges Arms.
• Retcon: The film carries on from where Doctor in the House (1954) left off with no mention of the events of Doctor at Sea.
• Right in Front of Me: Dr. Sparrow chews out Sir Charles Hopcroft in front of everyone in the outpatients department believing that he was trying to jump the queue, not realising that he is one of St. Swithin's governors. As a result, he loses the Senior House Surgeon role he was hoping for to Dr. Bingham.
• The Rival: Dr. Bingham is Dr. Sparrow's insufferable rival, with the two competing over the job of Senior House Surgeon.
• Sequel Non-Entity: Helene has disappeared after falling in love with Dr. Sparrow in the previous film.
• Shirtless Scene: Dr. Benskin and the Maharajah both have their shirts off when Dr. Sparrow returns from his date with Kitty and catches them doing yoga.
• Shot in the Ass: Sam needs Dr. Sparrow to help him with treatment for this issue. He lies that his dog set off his shotgun when he was actually shot while poaching fish:
  Sam: Sit down, won't you?
  Dr. Sparrow: How about you?
  Sam: I like standin' up, if you don't mind.
  Dr. Sparrow: Well, what can I do for you?
  Sam: The fact is, Doctor, I had a little accident with my gun.
  Dr. Sparrow: Oh, I see. You, er, got some shot in you, have you?
  Sam: That's it.
  Dr. Sparrow: Ha-ha, where?
  Sam: Oh... where it makes me prefer standin' up.
  Dr. Sparrow: Oh, I see. How on earth did you manage to shoot yourself there?
• Shout-Out to Shakespeare: Pascoe quotes Macbeth when playing a trick on Dr. Sparrow and Sir Lancelot. When asked if he's coughed up any more nuts or bolts, he produces a surgical saw and asks, "Is this a dagger I see before me?".
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: After yet another humiliation and ensuing chewing out from Sir Lancelot, Dr. Sparrow can't take it anymore and calls him out:
  Sir Lancelot: I understand you're interested in surgery. What makes you think your gifts lie in that direction? Some people might consider that a nuts and bolts factory would be a more suitable habitat for you, than an operating theatre. Or have you what is called a "vocation"?
  Dr. Sparrow: Yes, I have. I have a "vocation", if that's what you choose to call it, and one of these days, I'm going to prove it, though I shan't have a title, a ruddy great Rolls, and a conceit as big as me backside to advertise it!
  Sir Lancelot: Young man, you're being remarkably insulting.
  Dr. Sparrow: And I'm thoroughly enjoying it. And this time, I don't apologise. And if you don't mind me saying so, I should've thought it might have been rather an interesting clinical experience for you to be on the receiving end for once. Good morning.
• Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer: Derek Farr is nowhere to be found in the film's trailer.
• Smart People Wear Glasses: Joy wears fake glasses to her medical final, to try and make the examiners look past the fact that she is a woman and see how qualified she truly is.
• Smithical Marriage: Dr. Sparrow gives his last name as "Phillimore" when staying at the Judges Arms with Nurse MacPherson. The only problem is that he still signs his own surname in the book, leading Mrs. Digby to give them two separate rooms.
• Smug Snake: Dr. Bingham, Dr. Sparrow's rival, is a smug, self-satisfied doctor who never stops bragging about his achievements.
• Spoonerism: Joy calls a circus asking to send all they've got on elephants to St. Swithin's but gets sent all the elephants they've got (although it's implied that Joy had the mistake made intentionally to undermine Dr. Bingham):
  Dr. Bingham: Oh, no! I told them to send all they'd got on elephants, not all the elephants they'd got!
• Something We Forgot: When Dr. Sparrow is about to see to the Maharajah of Branda, he is interrupted by Kitty, who is in a tizzy looking for Dr. Potter-Shine. Dr. Sparrow ends up taking her on a date and forgets about the Maharajah until she says the word "oriental".
• Tagline: "All the BARE FACTS and FIGURES that add up to a young medic's love life!".
• Taxidermy Is Creepy: One of the many things about the Judges Arms that turns off Nurse MacPherson is the large number of stuffed animals on display. She even compares the place to a game reserve.
• The Teetotaler: Dr. Bingham normally never drinks, but he makes an exception to celebrate his engagement to Nurse MacPherson.
• [Verb] This!: "Doctor this!" is yelled by Mrs. Wilkins, before she attempts to throw a jug at Dr. Sparrow:
  Mrs. Wilkins: Call yourself a doctor? Well, doctor this!
• "Which Restroom?" Dilemma: Sir Charles Hopcroft runs into trouble on a French beach when he takes off his glasses and accidentally tries to enter the female changing room.