Plot
The film is based at the (fictitious) St Swithin's Hospital, where Dr Gaston Grimsdyke, an accident-prone doctor and cad, is more interested in the nurses than the patients.
Grimsdyke is sacked from his job as a medical officer at a men's prison for his misbehaviour with the Governor's daughter, so he enrols in a refresher course with his old medical tutor Sir Lancelot Spratt, who is determined to make him a successful surgeon.
Grimsdyke discovers that a plum senior medical post is shortly to become vacant, and starts scheming to be considered, even after his cousin Miles tells him that he has already been unofficially offered the job.
Spratt and the newly appointed hospital matron clash, leading Spratt to 'volunteer' Grimsdyke to romance her and 'soften her up'. But she believes Spratt to be a genuine admirer, and various complications ensue.
Grimsdyke has already fallen in love with the much younger physiotherapist Jeanine, but she considers him to be too old for her. Grimsdyke tries various methods to make himself look younger and more appealing to Jeanine, but without success. Eventually, he declares his love to her, but she replies that he is very sweet but she has just become engaged to be married to Lambert Symington, whom Grimsdyke had tried to convince that she had no feelings for him.
At a hospital dance, a 'rejuvenation serum', which Grimsdyke has accidentally injected into Sir Lancelot, causes the latter to run amok at the party and romance the new matron. She decides to resign and a new matron is appointed. But she turns out to be equally opposed to Spratt's ideas of how the hospital should be run.
When Grimsdyke is told the senior medical post has gone to his cousin, and that he was not successful because he is considered to be too young-looking, this lifts his mood.
Production
The novel Doctor in Clover was published in 1960. [4] Film rights were bought by the Rank Organisation, whose head of production Earl St John announced the film for production in 1961. [5] However, it took a number of years for the film to be made. The film was formally announced in 1964, one of a series of comedies that Rank were making at the time (others including Carry On Cleo and That Riviera Touch ). [6]
The film was shot in Carnaby Street, Wormwood Scrubs and Pinewood Studios. [7] [8] [9]
The opening credits include the following acknowledgement: We are grateful for the help and facilities given at Wexham Park Hospital by the staff of the Hospital, Humphreys Ltd. and The Windsor Group Hospital Management Committee.
While the film was shown at its full 101-minute duration [2] in most other countries, the British Board of Film Classification ordered that the UK cinema version had to be cut down to 97 minutes in order to get an "A" (adult) classification, and that duration has remained in later British video releases. [10]
Reception
The film opened in London on 4 March 1966, with general release following on 3 April. [10]
Critical
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Apart from a flurry of schoolboy smut about blanket baths and so forth, this depressing comedy relies almost exclusively on well-tried slapstick routines: people pulling each other into a swimming-pool, a fire extinguisher getting out of hand and soaking everybody in sight, laughing gas set off among the guests at a party. James Robertson Justice, Leslie Phillips and Joan Sims work hard without a funny line to share between them; and Arthur Haynes contributes a tiresome comedy turn (based on his TV persona) as an argumentative patient." [11]
"The title alone will go a long way towards selling this picture", noted Graham Clarke in Kinematograph Weekly , "and it backs this with a good ration of knockabout fun." [12]
Filmink argued it "felt different from others in the “doctor” franchise because the main doctor was not a straight man like Dirk Bogarde or Michael Craig but Phillips, who played a broad character type. However, there are genuine funny moments and stunning women and the movie was a big hit in Britain." [13]
Box office
The film was among the 15 top money-makers at the British box-office that year. [14]
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