"Men In White"

 Do you know the movie *Men In Black* (1997)? It is a thrilling comedy sci-fi film in which actor Tommy Lee Jones, who became widely known for playing strange aliens in a canned coffee commercial, teams up with Will Smith to face off against evil extraterrestrials. The term "Men In Black" does not refer to men dressed in black suits as the phrase might literally suggest, but instead refers to officers who are assigned to protective or security duties and wear black suits as uniforms. For example, in *Roman Holiday*, there is a scene where black-suited officers, dispatched from the home country to search for the missing princess, get off a plane in a large group, causing the princess's military attaché to lament, "I told you to come quietly." During a shipboard dance party at Castel Sant'Angelo, the captain finds the princess, but a big brawl ensues. In *The Matrix*, all the agents, including Agent Smith, played by Hugo Weaving, are also dressed in black suits. While I mainly focus on introducing Western films, I should also mention the Japanese film *SP: The Motion Picture* (2010), which was later adapted into a film and starred Junichi Okada. Fans might reprimand me if I don't mention it. Also, since I’m only talking about male characters, I should point out some female characters as well. *Men In Black* was so successful that two sequels were made, and a spinoff, *Men In Black: International* (2019), was released, featuring a female protagonist, Agent M. In Japanese cinema, there is also *Straw Shield* (*Wara no Tate*, 2013), in which Nanako Matsushima plays an SP escorting a dangerous criminal.

Sorry for the long preamble! Let me get back to the main topic. In this series, I have been focusing on films related to medicine. In the *Doctor Zhivago* post, I mentioned that there are not many films directly titled with terms like "doctor" or "physician." That led me to think that I might find something if I searched for *Men In White*, so I gave it a try. And I found several films, one of which was *Men In White* (1934). It’s an old black-and-white movie with the Japanese title *The Knight in White Coats*. I watched it online for the first time, and it’s a fascinating film, so I’d like to introduce it. The protagonist, a doctor, is played by Clark Gable, and his love interest, his fiancée, is played by Myrna Loy. At the time, Gable, at 33, was already starting to rise to stardom after his debut nine years earlier. He would later reach his peak playing Rhett Butler in *Gone with the Wind* and was dubbed the "King of Hollywood." Gable captivated audiences with his wild, masculine looks but his real popularity came from the fact that he was more sensitive than he appeared—he read Shakespeare and played musical instruments, showcasing a more sophisticated side. This role in *The Knight in White Coats* is said to have added an intellectual aspect to his persona.

The story was groundbreaking for its time, influencing many subsequent medical dramas. Themes like hospitals struggling with finances, cutting-edge medical equipment, the role of chief residents, romantic relationships between doctors and nurses, generational gaps among doctors, and the lives and inner struggles of interns can be seen in this film. These elements are common in later shows like *Ben Casey*, *Dr. Kildare*, *Gannon the Surgeon*, *ER*, *Grey’s Anatomy*, and *New Amsterdam*. There are even devices in the hospital where doctors can be summoned no matter where they are, and the work of telephone operators is integral to the plot—these things seem incredibly modern, especially considering this film is almost 90 years old. There’s also an alert system in the hospital for emergencies that was ahead of its time.

Here's a rough summary of the story: Dr. George Ferguson (Clark Gable) is a brilliant and promising surgeon. He works at St. George Hospital under the renowned Dr. Hochberg and plans to study further in Europe before returning to continue his work under Hochberg. He has a beautiful fiancée, Laura Hudson, whose father is a wealthy sponsor of the hospital. Laura feels neglected by George, who is absorbed in his work. One night, after a heated argument, George ends up in a relationship with Barbara (Elizabeth Allen), a young nurse who admires him. To save the hospital from financial ruin, the management asks Laura’s father for further investment, with the condition that George be given independence. George reluctantly agrees, much to the disappointment of Dr. Hochberg, who had hoped George would stay on as his successor. As their wedding approaches, Dr. Hochberg arranges for Laura to observe George perform a surgery, but ironically, the patient is Barbara, who is undergoing a difficult childbirth. Laura overhears their conversation and learns of their relationship. Barbara, accepting her fate, asks Laura not to hate George, and she dies despite George’s efforts to save her. What happens next would spoil the ending, so I’ll leave that for you to discover by watching the film. You can find the full movie online.

By the way, Tommy Lee Jones, whom I mentioned at the beginning, won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Deputy Gerard in the film *The Fugitive* (1993). It's surprising that an Oscar-winning actor was used in Japanese commercials for so long. In the TV series, the role of Deputy Gerard, played by Barry Morse, was quite different from Jones's portrayal. Speaking of *The Fugitive*, there was also a 2020 two-part TV drama aired by TV Asahi for their 60th anniversary, starring Ken Watanabe as Dr. Richard Kimble and Etsushi Toyokawa as Deputy Gerard. Recently, Hulu also produced an original TV drama titled *Doctor Fabulous* (2022), which is based on a comic. The story of a man on the run, accused of murdering his lover and continuing to fulfill his duty as a doctor while evading capture, bears a strong resemblance to *The Fugitive*.

In this post, I shared how searching for "White" led me to discover an incredibly significant film that seems to have roots in medical-themed movies and dramas. I also found another film titled *The Man in the White Suit*, which is not about doctors, but rather about a chemist. It was starred by a young Alec Guinness, who later became famous for roles like in *Doctor Zhivago*. But I’ll stop here before I digress even more!

Crick poster to the full movie