Dr. Christian was a staple of network radio from 1937 to the mid fifties and along the way, the series spawned six films. As a radio show it stood alone as the only program to use listener submitted scripts. Each week one story would be broadcast from among thousands submitted. The stories were surprisingly good and kept listeners tuning in even after television has pretty much destroyed dramatic radio. The Dr. Christian movies were written by professionals. Perhaps the film-goers would have been better served if the amateurs had also been invited to write the movie scripts. "Remedy for Riches" is the fourth of the six "Dr. Christian" films. It's pleasant and predictable. The "Doc" saves the whole town--not using his medical skills, but rather by doing a bit of detecting-or "rat smelling" to be more precise. Included in the cast is Edgar Kennedy who starred in a bunch of short comedies in the 40's. Warren Hull is the male romantic lead. He gained fame as a radio announcer on a program called "Stike it Rich" and later took it to television where it was a top hit into the late 1950's. If you're an old radio buff, you will love "Remedy for Riches".
Add a Review
-
bkoganbing24 April 2015Not any medicine is practiced by Jean Hersholt in Remedy For Riches. But Dr. Christian once again proves to be the salvation of the town of River's End when he questions a new found oil discovery on some worthless land belonging to Edgar Kennedy the grocer.
Warren Hull comes to town ostensibly looking to buy land to build a resort hotel, but he discovers 'oil' conveniently salted into the land by Hull and his partner Jed Prouty. He's an old friend of druggist Robert Baldwin from college and he uses his friendship with Baldwin to gain acceptance in River's End.
Not that Baldwin is suspicious at first, but when Hull starts cutting in on his time with Dorothy Lovett who is Jean Hersholt's nurse that sets Baldwin on edge.
Walter Catlett playing a sharp talking but not terribly bright policeman adds a lot to the comedy here. Catlett together with Edgar Kennedy brings more comedy than was present in the previous Dr. Christian films.
Some secondary comedy bits involve Jean Hersholt and Walter Catlett trying to bake a replacement cake after Catlett eats a big chunk of one that Maude Eburne who is Dr. Christian's housekeeper bakes. And there's a strutting rooster slated for dinner who becomes a pet of the two spinster Purdy sisters, Hallene Hall and Margaret McWade.
All in all a really nice and gentle film with the ever wise Dr. Christian showing himself to be like George Bailey, the indispensable man of his town of River's End. -
Yeah! Today I got to see the last of six Dr. Christian films. While they are NOT uniformly good films, they are mildly entertaining and when they are good (like "Dr. Christian and the Women") they are very entertaining.
In this film, an out-of-towner comes to River's End and people mistakenly assume this land investor is definitely interested in buying up property in town. As a result, the word spreads and people see a chance to get rich selling their land to him. However, soon there appears to be oil and everyone goes nuts--instead of selling to him, now they want to invest their life savings so they can drill for oil! As usual, the town of River's End, are idiots--as you'll see in subsequent films, the people are unusually dim!! What they don't know is that the guy is NOT an investor but a con-man--and everyone is more than eager to become suckers and won't listen to common sense or even ordinary questions. And, as usual, the only person with an IQ above 12 in town (the good doctor) is Christian--and no one will listen to him. All they can see is riches and none of the potential problems. Wow, am I glad I don't live in THAT town (unless I, too, wanted to become a con-man)! After all, guys like Edgar Kennedy are the typical sort of resident! In a subplot, Christian and a particularly dim resident accidentally eat the housekeeper's cake she intended for a contest. So, it's up to the two bumblers to try to make a new one so no one's the wiser...yeah, right! It's actually pretty funny...and you see that perhaps Christian, too, isn't all that bright! In another subplot, two old ladies (Abby and Gertrude) pop in and out of the film--providing some laughs and cute vignettes. I liked seeing them deal with their new pet chicken.
Overall, the main plot is only okay, as it only solidified in my mind that the townsfolk were abnormally dim (remember, I've seen them in all six films--I know what I'm talking about--maybe they built the town on some sort of toxic waste dump). However, the subplots were very good and provided a cute small town atmosphere--even more than usual. It's all harmless fun--and a better than usual B-film. Not great, but very pleasant entertainment. -
boblipton25 January 2019There's a lot going on in River's End. Dr. Christian's nurse, Dorothy Lovett, is dating the local druggist, Robert Baldwin. All the women are preparing cakes and flowers for the fair. To top it off, Baldwin's college friend, Warren Hull, shows up in town. He's a developer, heading on to the next town, but Baldwin talks him into staying over for a few days. This gives storekeeper Edgar Kennedy a chance to sell him some land. While the contractors are digging up the sites, they strike oil and everyone in town sees the chance of riches.
Longtime movie actor Jean Hersholt starred as canny and kindly Dr. Christian for fifteen years, on the radio, in television and of course in the movies. Of the role, Hersholt said "Dr Christian is such a sweet sentimental fellow, I'd hate to be stuck with playing him for the rest of my life." Yet he did, amidst various honors and having the Academy's humanitarian award named after him. He was that sort of man in real life.
The movies, released through RKO, were small-town affairs. This one is eked out with some comedy professionals. Kennedy, of course, does his patented slow burn over a mountain of canned goods that keep getting knocked down; Walter Catlett plays a self-important, slow-witted and fast-talking cop; and Maude Eburne plays Dr. Christian's housekeeper, who stuffs everyone with cake. It's a view of small-town America that pleased America, even though it seems strange to modern society's fast pace, and the slapstick chase sequence at the end, although not very well executed, was also a favored staple of the era. -
mark.waltz10 August 2018Oh, yes! "General Hospital", in 1982, basically stole the plot of this film for six months of storytelling. Much of the details were updated, but one thing is clear: nothing much had changed but the decade.
Introduced for the second installment of the "Dr. Christian" series is Edgar Kennedy as the town grocer, seen early in the film trying to hold in his temper as the battleaxe Rene Riano samples his fruits and vegetables, borrowing string and getting free parsley from him without spending a dime. When she spills gossip about hotel planners looking for property in the area to buy, she ends up with a delicious box of strawberries as thanks, but it turns out that her confidences placed with him is already known through the rumor mill. But oil is allegedly discovered on another property which the hotel owners are interested in, and this stirs up the town to put their pennies together to invest. Jean Hersholt's wise Dr. Christian feels something isn't quite right and begins to investigate, which leads to a mad dash to save the town from being swindled.
Veteran character actor Jed Prouty is memorable in the role of the eccentric thief who aids Hersholt in discovering the truth, and Walter Catlett is very funny as the town traffic cop who helps Hersholt try to replace a cake that housekeeper Maude Eburne made for the town carnival contest. Very funny performances by Margaret McWade and Hallene Hill as spinster sisters deal with their adopting of a chicken Eburne found literally tap-dancing in one of her delicious cakes. The mixture of comedy concerning the preparations for the town carnival and all of its contests (reminding me of "Ma & Pa Kettle at the Fair") and the oil scam come together at the end, although sometimes the two different themes threaten to overpower the others. Still an amusing entry in the brief "Dr. Christian" series with a bunch of fine character actors giving amusing true to life performances.