Product: Dr. Christian Meets The Women [VHS] (1940)
Rating: 4.0
A piece of history
This film turned out to be very interesting for a different reason than I thought it would. I bought it because it is the only other film available with Rod LaRocque in a role other than "The Shadow." Turns out, he is the villain, of sorts, in this one. He plays a snake oil salesman who travels from small town to small town in mid-century America, convincing the local women that he is selling a weight loss and exercise program that will make them all young and beautiful. Strangely modern in a sense. He is actually pushing a "vitamin" pill that makes them sick as they lose tons of weight, and the brave local doctor who sees through his slick chatter tries to have him chased out of town. Of course the women think the doctor is jealous of the 'competition' from the handsome stranger, so the story takes a few twists and turns. It is very funny on one level, as he ingratiates himself with the local mayor's wife and gets her to use her influence in town to bring the women into his 'exercise classes.' It is a real taste of small town America of that time, but it also reflects the current emphasis on losing weight that many women feel, and Rod LaRocque gets the smarmy character perfectly. The country doctor, played by Jean Hersholt, is the star of the series (this is the third of six films based on the radio show popular from 1937 to 1953) and he proves it by saving all the women of the town. Really a good film, and even a few laughs.