Doctor in Clover

2022-07-20T16:24:24Z

65.94.97.175: Added the mention of singer Kiki Dee singing the film,s song title of the same name .

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2013}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Doctor in Clover
| image = Doctor in Clover quad poster.jpg
| image_size =
| border = yes
| caption = Original British 1966 [[Film poster#Film poster sizes|quad film poster]]
| director = [[Ralph Thomas]]
| producer = [[Betty E. Box]]
| screenplay = [[Jack Davies (screenwriter)|Jack Davies]]
| based_on = {{based on|''[[Doctor in Clover (novel)|Doctor in Clover]]''|[[Richard Gordon (English author)|Richard Gordon]]}}
| starring = [[Leslie Phillips]] [[James Robertson Justice]] [[Shirley Anne Field]] [[John Fraser (actor)|John Fraser]] [[Joan Sims]] [[Arthur Haynes]]
| music = [[John Scott (composer)|John Scott]]
| cinematography = [[Ernest Steward]]
| editing = [[Alfred Roome]]
| studio = [[Rank Organisation]]
| distributor = Rank Film Distributors
| released = {{film date|df=y|1966|03|04|UK<ref>First advertisement in ''The Times'' was on Friday 4 March 1966, page 2, column A, showing it running at Leicester Square Theatre. Found in The Times Digital Archive on 16 May 2013</ref>|1967|08||US}}
| runtime = 101 minutes<ref name=SFI>[http://www.sfi.se/en-GB/Swedish-film-database/Item/?itemid=27242&type=MOVIE&iv=PdfGen&ref=/templates/SwedishFilmSearchResult.aspx?id%3d1225%26epslanguage%3dsv%26searchword%3ddoctor+in+clover%26type%3dMovieTitle%26match%3dBegin%26page%3d1%26prom%3dFalse Swedish Film Institute: Film facts ''Doctor in Clover''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303234704/http://www.sfi.se/en-GB/Swedish-film-database/Item/?itemid=27242&type=MOVIE&iv=PdfGen&ref=%2Ftemplates%2FSwedishFilmSearchResult.aspx%3Fid%3D1225%26epslanguage%3Dsv%26searchword%3Ddoctor+in+clover%26type%3DMovieTitle%26match%3DBegin%26page%3D1%26prom%3DFalse |date=3 March 2016 }} Linked 2013-05-16</ref>
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| budget =
}}
'''''Doctor in Clover''''' is a British comedy film released in 1966, starring [[Leslie Phillips]]. The film is based on the [[Doctor in Clover (novel)|novel of the same title]] by [[Richard Gordon (English author)|Richard Gordon]]. It is the sixth of the seven films in the ''[[Doctor (film series)|Doctor]]'' series.

The film was released in the US as '''''Carnaby, MD'''''.british singer Kiki Dee sang the film,s title track for Doctor In Clover .

==Synopsis==
The film is based at the (fictitious) St Swithin's Hospital, with Leslie Phillips as Dr Gaston Grimsdyke, an accident-prone doctor and [[cad (character)|cad]], 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 enrolls in a refresher course with his old medical tutor Sir Lancelot Spratt ([[James Robertson Justice]]), 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, instead of his cousin, who 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 mistakenly believes Spratt to be her admirer, and many funny and inevitable complications ensue.

Grimsdyke falls in love with the much younger Physiopherapist Jeanine ([[Elizabeth Ercy]]) but she considers him to be too old for her. Grimsdyke tries various hilarious
methods to make himself look younger and more appealing to Jeanine without success. Eventually he declares his love for her to her. Her reply to him is that he is very sweet
but she says that she has just become engaged to be married to Lambert Symington ([[Jeremy Lloyd]]).

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 that he was not successful in getting the plum senior medical post, instead of his older brother, because he is considered to be too young looking, this lifts his mood
and the film ends.

==Main cast==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*[[Leslie Phillips]] as Dr Gaston Grimsdyke
*[[James Robertson Justice]] as Sir Lancelot Spratt
*[[Shirley Anne Field]] as Nurse Bancroft
*[[John Fraser (actor)|John Fraser]] as Dr Miles Grimsdyke
*[[Joan Sims]] as Matron Sweet
*[[Arthur Haynes]] as Tarquin Wendover
*[[Fenella Fielding]] as Tatiana Rubikov
*[[Jeremy Lloyd]] as Lambert Symington
*[[Noel Purcell (actor)|Noel Purcell]] as O'Malley
*[[Robert Hutton (actor)|Robert Hutton]] as Rock Stewart
*[[Eric Barker]] as Professor Halfbeck
*[[Norman Vaughan (comedian)|Norman Vaughan]] as TV Commentator
*[[Terry Scott]] as Robert the hairdresser
*Elizabeth Ercy as Jeanine the Physiopherapist
*[[Alfie Bass]] as Fleming
*[[Anne Cunningham]] as Women's Ward Sister
*[[Suzan Farmer]] as Nurse Holliday
*[[Harry Fowler]] as Grafton
*[[Peter Gilmore]] as the Choreographer
*[[Bill Kerr]] as Digger
*[[Robin Hunter]] as Sydney
*[[Nicky Henson]] as Salesman
*[[Justine Lord]] as New Matron
*[[Alexandra Bastedo]] as Nurse at Party
*[[Lionel Murton]] as Publicity Man
*[[Ronnie Stevens (actor)|Ronnie Stevens]] as TV Producer
*[[Danny Green (actor)|Danny Green]] as Ashby (uncredited)
*[[Andre Maranne]] as Pierre in French Movie (uncredited)
*[[Wendy Richard]] as Nurse (with false eyelashes) (uncredited)
*[[Jack Smethurst]] as Long-haired Patient (uncredited)
{{div col end}}

==Production==
The novel ''Doctor in Clover'' was published in 1960.<ref>{{Cite news|title=I Books Today ! . __ i|date=21 January 1960|work=The New York Times|page=28}}</ref> Film rights were bought by the [[Rank Organisation]] whose head of production [[Earl St John]] announced the film for production in 1961.<ref>{{Cite news|title=BRITAIN'S SCREEN SCENE: Encouraging Survey, Rank's Dossier -- Footnotes on Three Luminaries|author=STEPHEN WATTS|date=23 April 1961|work=The New York Times|page=129}}</ref> 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]]'').<ref>{{Cite news|title=Pinewood carries on--with £9m|author=Our own Reporter|work=The Guardian|location=London (UK)|date=18 February 1964|page=5}}</ref>

The film was shot in [[Carnaby Street]], [[Wormwood Scrubs]] and [[Pinewood Studios]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-X4Fqb_YaCoC&q=doctor+in+clover+carnaby+street+locations&pg=PA38|title=London Film Location Guide|first=Simon|last=James|date=30 August 2007|publisher=Pavilion Books|isbn=9780713490626|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reelstreets.com/films/doctor-in-clover/|title=Reelstreets | Doctor in Clover|website=reelstreets.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6a90113a|title=Doctor in Clover (1966)|publisher=British Film Institute}}</ref>

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 minutes duration<ref name=SFI/> 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 [[History of British film certificates#1951–1970|"A"]] (adult) classification, and that duration has remained in later British video releases.<ref name=bbc>[http://www.bbfc.co.uk/search/releases/any/any/any/any/any/0/160/any/aff033659/any/any/any/any?advanced=true BBFC: ''Doctor in Clover (1965)''] Linked 2013-05-16</ref>

==Reception==
The film opened in London on 4 March 1966, with general release following on 3 April.<ref name=bbc />

===Critical===
"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."<ref>''Kinematograph Weekly'' vol 585 no 3048, 3 March 1966</ref>

===Box office===
The film was among the 15 top money-makers at the British box-office that year.<ref>The Times, 31 December 1966, article: ''Most popular star for third time'', page 5, column G. Found in The Times Digital Archive on 11 July 2012.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|0060321}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100423165508/http://www.britmovie.co.uk/films/Doctor-in-Clover_1966 ''Doctor in Clover''] at Britmovie
*[http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6a90113a ''Doctor in Clover''] at BFI
*{{BFI Explore|4ce2b6a90113a|Doctor in Clover}}

{{Gordon Doctor}}
{{Ralph Thomas}}

[[Category:1966 films]]
[[Category:1966 comedy films]]
[[Category:British comedy films]]
[[Category:Doctor in the House]]
[[Category:1960s English-language films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Ralph Thomas]]
[[Category:Films scored by John Scott (composer)]]
[[Category:Films shot in England]]
[[Category:Films set in hospitals]]
[[Category:Films shot at Pinewood Studios]]
[[Category:Films produced by Betty Box]]

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Doctor in Clover