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. It is the first film directed by Irving Rapper. Bette Davis makes a brief cameo appearance as a nurse.
| Shining Victory | |
|---|---|
 Movie poster | |
| Directed by | Irving Rapper |
| Written by | A. J. Cronin (play) Howard Koch |
| Produced by | Hal Wallis |
| Starring | James Stephenson Geraldine Fitzgerald Donald Crisp Barbara O'Neil |
| Cinematography | James Wong Howe |
| Edited by | Warren Low |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
Production company | Warner Brothers |
| Distributed by | Warner Brothers |
Release date | June 7, 1941 |
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot summary
Dr. Paul Venner, a brilliant research psychiatrist, is driven out of Budapest by his superior, who has published and taken credit for Paul's work. In London, an old friend, Dr. Drewett, introduces him to the head of a Scottish sanitarium who offers him the opportunity to continue his research on dementia praecox, a disease from which Paul's father suffered.
Dr. Mary Murray becomes his laboratory assistant. They fall in love, although she plans to engage in medical missionary work in China 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 dies trying to salvage Paul's irreplaceable records. Deeply distressed, Paul turns down posts at several 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 discovered 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)
