vincentlynch-moonoi There are some problems with this film, but overall I liked it.Problem # 1: Olivia deHavilland was 39 years old when this film was made, but the part was of a 20-something young lady. She's still lovely and almost pulls it off, but when you think that GWTW was 16 years earlier...well, that kinda stuck in my mind. And, BTW, just why did she have to have a Swedish accent??? Nevertheless, deHavilland is a superb actress, and when you put her age out of the equation, her acting is -- as always -- excellent.Problem # 2: Frank Sinatra became quite a good actor, but in my view that potential doesn't show through here. He is totally unconvincing as a med student and future doctor, although later in the film he seems to be more comfortable in the role.Problem # 3: What did directors see in Gloria Grahame? The first half of this film follows the two med students -- Robert Mitchum and Frank Sinatra -- through medical school. Mitchum can't afford medical school, in part because his father (Lon Chaney, Jr.) is a drunk and has squandered all his money. So, Mitchum marries a sweet girl (Olivia deHavilland) for her limited savings.The second half of the film follows Mitchum into practice in a small city. Here, another solid performance by a veteran character actor -- Charles Bickford as the local doctor -- adds to the stature of the film. This part of the story revolves around Mitchum's floundering to discover his own strengths as a man, which is only resolved when he finally fails -- attempting to save his mentor (Bickford). Unfortunately, he gets sidelined along the way with an affair with an almost laughable Gloria Grahame sham of a role.The most interesting surprise in this film is the outstanding performance by Broderick Crawford. Crawford as a Dr. Gillespie type? It seemed like such as odd role for Crawford, but he excels in it! To be honest, it surprised me at how effective Robert Mitchum was in the male lead, here (although he took second billing to DeHavilland). Lon Chaney, Jr. was effective as the alcoholic father, unfortunately apparently type casting. You'll also see Jesse White, Harry Morgan, and Lee Marvin in minor roles.I think this is quite a good film, and I'm surprised at how little known it is today. Recommended at least once...and maybe even for your DVD shelf.

MartinHafer This is a long and rather ambitious film that has about as much going for it as it has going against it. The film is about an earnest medical student (Robert Mitchum) who is struggling to pay his way. Unable to scrape up money anywhere, his only prospect is to either quit school or marry spinster Olivia de Havilland. In a very odd bit of casting, de Havilland has had her hair dyed blonde and sports a rather cheesy Swedish accent. Also, while she was only a year older than Mitchum in real life, she plays a woman who appears about a decade older than the virile Mitchum. Mitchum really doesn't love her but he does seem to like her but not appreciate what a great gal she is.Interestingly enough, de Havilland is not the only Swedish-American in the film. Virginia Christine (known to most Americans as "Mrs. Olsen" from the old Folger's commercials) and Harry Morgan also are on hand. Christine sounded Swedish since she spoke Swedish in real life, but Morgan so over-did the accent it was embarrassing. John Qualen, long known for playing such roles, would have been much better than Morgan, but he was not in the film. Why they chose them to be Swedes, I really don't know, as this was NOT important to the film.Back to the film. In medical school, Mitchum was a top student with a great mind but he also had a strong superiority complex--and seemed very judgmental of others. Several times throughout the film this became an issue and by the end of the film, this became the main focus of the stirring conclusion.After medical school, Mitchum and wife went off to a small town to work in a hospital. Oddly, the first and second halves of the movie were almost like two separate movies and both lasted about as long as a shorter full-length movie. In both were an amazing variety of actors that show that this obviously was a big-budget film for first-time director, Stanley Kramer (who went on to much greater things, except for THE PRIDE AND THE PASSION, which was the awful film that immediately followed NOT AS A STRANGER). In support of Mitchum and de Havilland were Broderick Crawford, Charles Bickford, Frank Sinatra, Gloria Grahame, Lon Chaney, Jr. and Lee Marvin (among others). So because of this, you can't blame the mediocrity of the film on the actors and Kramer was a great director. My feeling is that the plot was just too complex and soap opera-like. The film is a good example of a movie that might have been better had it been a bit shorter and simpler, as well as a bit less histrionic (as it was on occasion, such as when de Havilland threw a temper tantrum in a room by herself near the end for no discernible reason whatsoever).Overall, it's an interesting but obvious film that could have benefited from a bit of a re-write.

dglink Although a couple of the actors are too old for their parts or otherwise poorly cast, "Not as a Stranger" has some good performances and an engrossing story. Based on a popular novel by Morton Thompson, the film was producer Stanley Kramer's first directorial attempt. The plot follows a young medical student through his studies and internship and into the early years of his practice. If the nearly-40-year old Robert Mitchum can be accepted as a struggling student, then possibly Olivia de Havilland can play a young Swedish nurse. De Havilland should have sued the film's hair stylist for the phony blonde dye job and the stiff 1950's hair-do. Olivia's hair and wardrobe make the actress, who was actually a year younger than Mitchum, look more like a matronly aunt than a young intern's romantic interest. Unfortunately, her Swedish accent is about as convincing as her blonde roots.The rest of the star-studded cast, which includes five Oscar winners, is more appropriate. Broderick Crawford portrays a humorless professor, Frank Sinatra is the rash student who pursues the money in medicine, and Charles Bickford plays a dedicated small-town doctor. Whenever slinky, sultry Gloria Grahame appears on screen, she always spells trouble for leading men, and here she is the dark-haired bad girl to de Havilland's blonde angel of mercy. Situations between the characters play out expectedly. Only Mitchum, whose character evidently learns from his mistakes, grows and matures over the years. Despite his miscasting, Mitchum's performance is effective, and, at any opportunity, he rewards his fans by doffing his shirt and displaying his admirable pecs. Obviously Mitchum was not cast just for his acting skills.Kramer's heavy-handed direction avoids the social preaching that mar some of his other films, which is not to say that "Not as a Stranger" lacks a message; it would not be a Kramer film without one. With lines like "doctors wear rubber gloves so they don't leave fingerprints" and "only in medicine can you get away with manslaughter," Kramer's opinion of the medical profession is evident. The compromises forced on the initially idealistic Mitchum underline the corruption that Kramer evidently saw lurking under the white coats and stethoscopes.Kramer is also obvious in his imagery. A suggestive scene between Grahame and Mitchum that takes place outside a stable with two horses has to be the most blatant sexual symbolism since the fireworks in "To Catch a Thief." Filmed in black and white by Franz Planer from a script by Edna and Edward Anhalt, "Not as a Stranger" offers a literate story and professional performances for passable, if dated, entertainment. However, viewers will have to overlook a few flaws and the controversial social message and focus on the star power and Mitchum's physical assets.

niborskaya Well, I just saw this on TCM last night, and it was an engrossing hoot. An interesting story oddly cast, with some heavy-handed directing.Silliness: Broderick Crawford as a Jewish doctor/med. school professor; Lee Marvin, Robert Mitchum, Frank Sinatra - yes, I'd date, any one of them, but none would be my first choice for a PCP. There's a great scene where the young interns sit around and discuss which specialties and locations are the most profitable. To hear Lee Marvin and Sinatra discussing this in their best tough-guy, city-cynic gamblers' accents is just hysterical. and unreal. "dees, dems and dos" Olivia de Havilland: She does a great good job, as usual, despite her borka-borka-borka sing-song pseudo-Swedish accent. She's really nails the character of the career OR nurse, past the first bloom of youth.Gloria Graham is a little over-blown and sultry as a wealthy, lonely member of the "horse-set" on the prowl. But she plays the role well, not as an evil predatory witch, but somewhat sympathetically. Not easy to do. Mitchum becomes a totally different kind of man when he's around her. Finally, he's in his elemental "I'm gonna throw you around, you're gonna like it, baby." There is one totally ridiculous scene between them, horses, neigh-ing, wind blowing, hormones throbbing. That was almost unwatchable in it's heavy-handedness.Charles Bickford is on the top of my list of favorite character actors. He's as great in this role, a "old country doctor", as he is in everything he's done that I've seen. There's one scene, when Mitchum, while testing a new stethoscope on Bickford, discovers what Bickford already knows...that he has an aortic aneurysms and is not long for the world. There are a few seconds there, when Bickford makes a split second decision to let Mitchum discover his secret ailment. Watch that scene and you'll see why I just love Charles Bickford.It's always nice to see Mitchum try to play outside of his comfort zone (Two for the Seesaw). Doesn't always mean you're comfortable watching it, he doesn't always pull it off, but it's always interesting. He's just not the neurotic type.Still, it was a pleasant diversion, fun to see Broderick Crawford bellowing out his doctor lines a la Willie Stark.No reason not to watch it, unless Magnificent Obsession is playing opposite.