Some films are just too ambitious for the era in which they were made – whether narratively or visually; there are occasional instances of a film having very strong ideas that just aren’t given the attention they deserve by virtue of the era in which they were made. In the case of Bedside Manner, it would appear that the story of a dedicated plastic surgeon who stops over in her small town in an indeterminable part of the American Midwest, and is constantly courted to join her uncle at his medical practice despite her fierce protest against settling down in a place as limited as the charming but otherwise dull town of Blythefield, needed a version of the industry that allowed some of its more bleak ideas to be developed, rather than shoehorning them into a very conventionally comedy-of-manners, which may not be a dreadful approach to the material, but could have been far better with slightly more dedication behind the camera. Andrew L. Stone stood at the helm of a very promising story, which was conceived and written by a team consisting of Malcolm Stuart Boylan, Robert Carson and Frederick J. Jackson, who in turn were inspired by a true life story that should have been subjected to a more concise and introspective series of discussions, rather than just configured into an off-the-wall screwball comedy, which may be very entertaining, but loses some of the more intriguing nuances that would otherwise be present had this story been told a few decades later (or at least addressed as a more dramatic piece). However, this doesn’t disqualify Bedside Manner from being a very charming little film, the kind of upbeat comedy that has good intentions and a lot of heart, just falling slightly short in those areas that needed to be developed along more consistent lines.

It would appear that the driving force behind much of Bedside Manner is the intention to craft this as an effervescent, charming comedy about small-town mentalities standing in opposition to the big city, a common theme that has been utilised for about as long as literature has aimed to have a slightly socially-aware component. The concept of the city mouse returning to the small hamlet in which she grew up, and has to navigate the fact that she feels like she has grown too mature for this place, which now seems detached from her, is a theme that could have just as easily have been dramatic, but it normally tends to work better when there is some element of humour, since culture clash stories tend to be more effective when they riff on the more endearing differences, rather than sowing genuine division, which usually leads to hostility, which is in turn not all that appropriate in a film such as this one, which is clearly intending to be a more positive affair. The battle between tradition and modernity is a tale as old as time, and while a film like Bedside Manner doesn’t intend to actually offer too much substance to this quandary, it does show some of the more delightful aspects of both, with the quaint small-town values intermingling with the revolutionary, cosmopolitan sensibilities brought by the protagonist, leads to hilarious misunderstanding and a lot of heartful commentary that feels genuinely very meaningful, even if only on the surface. I find that there is something valuable in every moment of the film, even if it is only a small joke or charming reference that doesn’t add much to the conversation, but instead gives the film a boost of positivity, which is vitally important in keeping this slight story afloat.

This film is certainly very funny at certain moments, but there is a depth to some of the comedy that is much more meaningful on a narrative and thematic level. The interesting aspect of Bedside Manner is that it is a surprisingly complex film in theory – it has its roots in reality, and a lot of its more intriguing elements come from the real-world aspects, rather than those constructed for this film in an effort to allow it to fit into the neatly compartmentalised structure that every major comedy at the time was expected to follow. The issue here isn’t that this film lacks a strong premise, but rather that stringent rules prevented it from being more attentive to the details, which are by far the most interesting elements that we find throughout this film. If we look beneath the blatant attempts to design this film along the very clear standards of the screwball comedy genre (which is a fantastic style of storytelling, granted there is a strong premise behind it – a screwball without depth is not very interesting or entertaining), and focus on the intentions of the film beyond the outrageous attempts at humour, we can see how it creatively navigates humour in a fun way, but not always predictable – there are a few darker moments, primarily in the form of the relationship between the protagonist and her uncle, which is loving but sometimes quite tense, since he is actively trying to recruit her to join his practice, with her preference being to continue her career in the big city. There are many very funny moments, but the ones that tend to have the most significant meaning are actually those that are slightly less predictable – the added elements of melodrama and social satire considerably elevate the film and make it such a captivating, enticing piece of cinema in some moments, with the clear evidence that this is a film slightly ahead of its time shining through in these instances.

Even at its most conventional, at least we can praise Bedside Manner for having very effective performances. Comedies at this time were normally always centred around their actors more than any other element, actually being constructed as starring vehicles for members of their cast, who signed onto this films not because the material was strong or the stories were intriguing, but rather in an effort to ensure that they were still in the spotlight – and considering the weight the studio system still held in Hollywood at the time, we can forgive these vanity-driven desires. This film features a trio of really terrific performances, all of whom are far better in this story than perhaps many would expect. Ruth Hussey is the central star, playing the part of the dedicated young doctor who may not be well-known within her community, but who is very well-regarded in her industry, and is undeniably very good at her chosen profession, in this case plastic surgery (although the film rarely elaborates on what plastic surgery in the 1940s meant – it’s almost entirely glossed over once it has been mentioned), which defines her identity, as well as being a source of a lot of conflict within her community once she decides to stop over in her hometown. John Carroll is her love interest, playing a dashing and heroic pilot who is coerced into a plot by the girl’s uncle to keep her there, the villain of the film being portrayed by Charlie Ruggles, who gives the best performance in the film, and the only one that seems to be constructed with some semblance of complexity, with the rest of the characters being defined more as archetypes. Bedside Manner is not remembered for the quality of its performances, but they are certainly strong enough to warrant our attention, and they help keep the film consistently entertaining and very funny, which is all they were required to do in the first place, so while it may not be groundbreaking, the performances of this cast do their best to keep the narrative afloat, and mostly do succeed.

Bedside Manner is a deeply competent film, the kind of by-the-numbers romantic comedy that doesn’t offer anything other than a few lovely scenarios and a generally upbeat, intriguing tone that keeps us engaged and invested in the individual journeys of the characters. This is not some immensely poignant or meaningful entry into the genre, but rather a very conventional film that plays by the rules in an almost derivative manner. This doesn’t disqualify it from making an impact – if anything, this is the rare case of a film from this era that has a very strong story that warranted a more experimental execution (since most romantic comedies were defined by an entirely formulaic approach that left very little room to expand on the ideas). Bedside Manner is a very charming film, filled with great performances and a real sense of humour. It doesn’t do anything we haven’t seen many times before, but it offers enough in terms of moments of hilarity and heartfulness to be a decent 80 minutes of solid, consistent storytelling. Compelling in its approach to looking at issues around gender and identity (although not enough to actually have this be anything more than a trivial element of the premise), and filled with lovely romance and genuinely funny moments, the film is a lovely work of run-of-the-mill romantic comedy, the kind that doesn’t do anything particularly groundbreaking, but remains a solid and well-crafted story that never aspires to be anything other than entertaining.