On This Day... Crisis (1950)

On today's date back in 1950, Cary Grant's 55th full length feature film, Crisis, was released. 

Summary: 

Husband and wife Americans Dr. Eugene (Cary Grant) and Mrs. Helen Ferguson (Paula Raymond) - he a renowned neurosurgeon - are traveling through Latin America for a vacation. When they make the decision to return to New York earlier than expected, they are detained by the country's military. They learn the reason is that President Raoul Farrago (José Ferrer), the tyrannical military dictator of the country, has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and will die without an operation to remove it, and has chosen Gene as the doctor to lead the surgical team. Because of the volatile politics within the country and for his own safety, as revolutionary forces would like to see him dead, Farrago refuses to go to a hospital for the operation, instead it to be done at his home. Despite not particularly liking Farrago or his ways, Gene agrees purely in his oath as a doctor. However, he ends up being caught in the middle between Farrago/his brutal regime and the revolutionaries, each side who is willing to use him and Helen to get what they want, namely the life or death of Farrago.

Cast:

Cary Grant... Dr Eugene Norland Ferguson

José Ferrer...Raoul Farrago (as Jose Ferrer)

Paula Raymond...Helen Ferguson

Signe Hasso...Senora Isabel Farrago

Ramon Novarro...Colonel Adragon

Gilbert Roland...Roland Gonzales

Leon Ames...Sam Proctor

Did You Know?

The film was originally banned in Mexico, Central and South America.

The South American dictator, Farrago, and his beautiful wife, seem clearly modeled on Argentine dictator Gen. Juan Domingo Perón and his wife Eva Perón, something writer-director Richard Brooks conceded in a 1965 interview.

Although great pains were used to disguise the name of the country in the film, Dr. Ferguson mentions that President Farrago should go to a neurological hospital (which he mentions is just across the border) in Chile--which narrows the country down to either Argentina, Bolivia or Peru. Other hints include: Peso/Dollar law, the blankets worn on the train, license plates on vehicles.

Directorial debut of Richard Brooks.  Brooks was at the Santa Anita race track where he met Cary Grant and struck up a conversation about this film; Brooks wrote the story but also wanted to direct; however, none of the studios would let him. Grant asked for a copy of the script and loved it... so much so that he went to MGM and said he would love to do the movie but only if Brooks was the director.

The original story was about the doctor's daughter getting kidnapped and there was no wife. However, once MGM had Cary Grant cast it insisted on a re-write so that Grant would have a love interest.

Quotes:

[Farrago is about to be operated by Eugene]

Raoul Farrago: Doctor, do many people die in an operation like this?

Dr. Eugene Norland Ferguson: Under the best conditions, about 12 percent. These are not the best conditions.

Raoul Farrago: You don't like me, do you?

Dr. Eugene Norland Ferguson: I try to regard my patients impersonally.

Raoul Farrago: Can you?

Dr. Eugene Norland Ferguson: No.

Raoul Farrago: Well, doctor, did the operation go well?

Dr. Eugene Norland Ferguson: Fine. You just died.

Raoul Farrago: At least permit me to thank you. You have done a great service not only to me but to the people of my country.

Dr. Eugene Norland Ferguson: I only saved your life I didn't vote for you.

Raoul Farrago: Neither did they.

Posters:

Directed by Richard Brooks.

Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Running time: 95 minutes

Artwork by Rebekah Hawley at Studio36.