The Story of Dr. Wassell

The Story of Dr. Wassell
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Cecil B. DeMille
Screenplay by	Alan Le May Charles Bennett
Story by	Corydon M. Wassell James Hilton
Produced by	Cecil B. DeMille
Starring	Gary Cooper Laraine Day Signe Hasso Dennis O'Keefe Carol Thurston
Cinematography	Victor Milner William E. Snyder
Edited by	Anne Bauchens
Music by	Victor Young
Color process	Technicolor
Production company	Paramount Pictures
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	July 4, 1944 (1944-07-04) (US)
Running time	140 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Story of Dr. Wassell is a 1944 American World War II film set in the Dutch East Indies, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and starring Gary Cooper, Laraine Day, Signe Hasso and Dennis O'Keefe. The film was based on a book of the same name by novelist and screenwriter James Hilton.

The book and film were inspired by the wartime activities of U.S. Navy Doctor Corydon M. Wassell which were referred to by President Roosevelt in a radio broadcast made in April 1942. The appropriate section of this broadcast appears toward the end of the film.

For their work on this film, Farciot Edouart, Gordon Jennings and George Dutton received a nomination for the Oscar for Best Effects.^[1]

Story[]

Dr Wassell is a missionary doctor from Arkansas, who had in the past worked in China (which is shown in the first half of the film as a series of flashback (narrative)s) and after the Japanese invasion of Batavia finds himself (now as a doctor in the US Navy) caring for twelve American soldiers badly wounded during Japanese strafing of some cruisers. Ignoring advice to abandon his patients, Wassell manages to care for them while leading them through the jungle until they can be evacuated by boat to Australia.^[2]

Cast[]

• Gary Cooper as Dr. Corydon M. Wassell
• Laraine Day as Madeleine
• Signe Hasso as Bettina
• Dennis O'Keefe as Benjamin 'Hoppy' Hopkins
• Carol Thurston as Tremartini
• Carl Esmond as Lt. Dirk Van Daal
• Paul Kelly as Murdock
• Elliott Reid as William 'Andy' Anderson
• Stanley Ridges as Cmdr. William B. 'Bill' Goggins
• Renny McEvoy as Johnny Leeweather
• Oliver Thorndike as Alabam
• Philip Ahn as Ping
• Barbara Britton as Ruth
• Cecil B. DeMille as Narrator (uncredited)
• unbilled players include Richard Aherne, Irving Bacon, Sven Hugo Borg, Victor Borge, Yvonne De Carlo, Ann Doran, Milton Kibbee, Elmo Lincoln, Richard Loo, Gavin Muir, Jack Norton and Philip Van Zandt

Production[]

It was originally announced that Yvonne De Carlo would play the role of the Javanese nurse.^[3]

DeMille wanted Alan Ladd to play the role of Hoppy, but he had to go into military service.^[4]

Reception[]

The film was the seventh most popular film of the year released in Australia in 1945.^[5]

It was the fifth most popular movie of 1946 in France with admissions of 5,866,693.[1]

In popular culture[]

In the Truman Capote novella Breakfast at Tiffany's, Holly Golightly was to have auditioned for the role of Dr. Wassel's nurse, but impulsively left for New York City.

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Story of Dr. Wassell.

• The Story of Dr. Wassell at the American Film Institute Catalog
• The Story of Dr. Wassell at IMDb
• The Story of Dr. Wassell at the TCM Movie Database
• Roosevelt: 'A Call for Sacrifice', April 28, 1942

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