Shining Victory
Shining Victory is a 1941 American drama film based on the 1940 play, Jupiter Laughs, by A. J. Cronin. It stars James Stephenson, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Donald Crisp, and Barbara O'Neil, and it was the first film directed by Irving Rapper. Bette Davis makes a brief cameo appearance as a nurse in the film.
| Shining Victory | |
|---|---|
 Movie poster | |
| Directed by | Irving Rapper |
| Produced by | Hal Wallis |
| Written by | A. J. Cronin (play) Howard Koch |
| Starring | James Stephenson Geraldine Fitzgerald Donald Crisp Barbara O'Neil |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
| Cinematography | James Wong Howe |
| Edited by | Warren Low |
Production company | Warner Brothers |
| Distributed by | Warner Brothers |
Release date | June 7, 1941 |
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot summary
A brilliant research psychiatrist, Dr. Paul Venner is driven out of Budapest by another researcher who has taken false credit for Venner's work. After going to London, Dr. Venner is offered a job in a Scottish sanitarium where he can continue his research on dementia praecox, a disease from which his father had suffered.
Mary Murray, a young, pretty doctor, becomes his laboratory assistant. They fall in love, though she has plans to go to China to engage in medical missionary work in a year's time. Paul convinces her to remain with him, and the two become betrothed. A fire breaks out in the lab and Mary tragically dies in an effort to salvage Paul's valuable records. The deeply distressed doctor turns down several posts at prestigious universities in order to realize Mary's dream of helping the sick in China.
The working title of the film was Winged Victory, but this was changed after it was learned that Moss Hart was writing a play with that title. Hart's Winged Victory was filmed in 1944.
Cast
- James Stephenson as Dr. Paul Venner
- Geraldine Fitzgerald as Dr. Mary Murray
- Donald Crisp as Dr. Drewett
- Barbara O'Neil as Miss Leeming
- Montagu Love as Dr. Blake
- Sig Ruman as Professor Herman Von Reiter
- George Huntley, Jr. as Dr. Thornton
- Richard Ainley as Dr. Hale
- Bruce Lester as Dr. Bentley
- Leonard Mudie as Mr. Foster
- Doris Lloyd as Mrs. Foster
- Frank Reicher as Dr. Esterhazy
- Hermine Sterler as Miss Hoffman
- Billy Bevan as Chivers
- Clare Verdera as Miss Dennis
- Crauford Kent as Dr. Corliss
- Alec Craig as Jeweller
- Louise Brien as Nurse
- Bette Davis as Nurse
- Barlowe Borland as Patient (uncredited)
