Zeus

Bedside (1934)

• Director
  • Robert Florey
• Writers
  • Lillie Hayward(screen play)
  • James Wharton(screen play)
  • Manuel Seff(story)
• Stars
  • Warren William
  • Jean Muir
  • Allen Jenkins

  Having previously played dishonest politicians, lawyers, and businessmen, Warren William is cast as a fraudulent doctor in Warner Bros.' Bedside. Riding on the crest of a publicity wave, Dr. Louis (William) is able to move in the finest social circles with impunity. Only when he is unable to provide proper medical care for his own sweetheart Caroline (Jean Muir) does the truth come out: William "earned" his diploma by providing illegal drugs to a dope-fiend doctor (David Landau). Eventually, our "hero" comes to realize the gravity of his lies and rather belatedly vows to redeem himself. Reviewers in 1934 noted that the screenwriters worked so hard to make Warren William's character a heel that his last-minute reformation was thoroughly unconvincing; more to the point, William is more fun to watch when he's a louse.