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The Fight for Life

The Fight for Life

Drama, History

1h 9m

March 7, 1940 (85 years ago)

Overview

The Fight for Life was documentary filmmaker Pare Lorentz' first "dramatic" film, utilizing the talents of several top New York stage actors. A tribute to the Chicago Maternity Center and its efforts to provide the best possible care for destitute mothers, the film is based on the book of the same name by Paul de Kruif. Myron McCormick plays the largest role as a dedicated intern, while others in the cast include such theatrical heavywrights as Will Geer, Dudley Digges and Dorothy Adams. The film's many vignettes range from the tragic (a mother dying in childbirth in the opening scene) to the exultant (another mother rescued from the brink of death in a disease-ridden tenement). Filmed in Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland, Fight for Life is a worthwhile effort, though Lorentz seems more comfortable with the "actuality" scenes than with the dramatized passages.

ActorAge thenAge now
Myron McCormick

Myron McCormick

Dr. O’Donnell

Birthday: February 8, 1908

32 July 30, 1962 (54)
Storrs Haynes

Storrs Haynes

Hanson

Birthday: -

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Will Geer

Will Geer

Ballou

Birthday: March 9, 1902

37 April 22, 1978 (76)
Dudley Digges

Dudley Digges

Chefarzt

Birthday: June 8, 1879

60 October 24, 1947 (68)
Woody Guthrie

Woody Guthrie

-

Birthday: July 14, 1912

27 October 3, 1967 (55)
Dorothy Adams

Dorothy Adams

The Young Woman

Birthday: January 6, 1900

40 March 16, 1988 (88)
Dorothy Urban

Dorothy Urban

The Grandmother

Birthday: -

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Effie Anderson

Effie Anderson

The Receptionist

Birthday: -

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