Film / Doctor at Sea

That misadventurous medico finds himself uproariously afloat in the cause of duty.

"They say that worse things happen at sea, but what could be worse than being landed with Wendy?".

— Dr. Simon Sparrow justifying his reason for joining the crew of the SS Lotus.

Doctor at Sea is a 1955 film and the second of the Doctor... Series. It stars Dirk Bogarde, Brenda de Banzie, Brigitte Bardot, James Robertson Justice, Maurice Denham, Michael Medwin, and Hubert Gregg.

After fending off the advances of Wendy Thomas (Joan Sims) for the last time, Dr. Simon Sparrow (Bogarde) looks for a new career - one as a ship's doctor. He signs up on a cargo ship, the SS Lotus, under the command of the grouchy and prone to shouting Captain Wentworth Hogg (Justice).

Despite suffering from seasickness at first, Dr. Sparrow quickly settles into life on board, getting to know Steward Easter (Denham), Third Officer Trail (Medwin) and Second Officer Aubrey Archer (Gregg). After arriving in Brazil, he meets Helene Colbert (Bardot), a young French nightclub singer.

Captain Hogg is then ordered to let Helene and her friend Muriel Mallet (De Banzie) come along for the return trip, as Miss Mallet is the daughter of the chairman of the shipping company.

Hilarity Ensues as romance blossoms between Helene and Dr. Sparrow, while Miss Mallet chases after Captain Hogg, and tries to lure him to her with promises of promotion if the two marry.

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Tropes at Sea:

• Abhorrent Admirer:
  • Wendy is mad about Dr. Sparrow, but he wants nothing to do with her. It gets to the point where he takes a job at sea just to get away from her:
    Wendy: Oh, have you got a headache?
    Dr. Sparrow: Yes, I have, rather.
  • Miss Mallet often flirts with Captain Hogg, who can't stand her, and calls her "the one with the teeth".
• Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene: Harry's operation is all played dead seriously for such a normally carefree and frothy comedy.
• Actor Allusion: When the crew is in jail, Chippie sings the Manchester Grammar School song. His actor, George Coulouris, attended the Manchester Grammar School.
• Affectionate Nickname: Easter calls Captain Hogg "Father".
• The Alcoholic: Chippie takes to the booze to fight off his sadness over leaving Wapping.
• Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: Chippie's drinking habit leads him to have nasty turns and get violent.
• Alliterative Name:
  • Aubrey Archer.
  • Miss Mallet's first name isn't said in the film, but her full name is Muriel Mallet.
• All There in the Script: Several characters' names aren't given in the film:
  • Miss Mallet's first name is "Muriel".
  • Dr. Thomas' first name is "George".
  • The girl who accompanies Trail to the ship's dance is called "Jill".
  • Another girl is called "Phyllis".
• Ask a Stupid Question...: When Trail sees Archer dressed up smartly:
  Trail: Going ashore, Second?
  Archer: Well, I'm not dressed like this to go down to the engine room.
• Ass Shove: Archer accidentally gives Miss Mallet one with his umbrella when the two are boarding a lifeboat:
  Archer: Let's take our proper places, Miss Mallet.
  Miss Mallet: Oh! (Beat) Please, let us keep our umbrellas in their proper places, too.
• Bad Boss: Dr. Thomas spends all his time off at social events and playing golf, leaving poor Dr. Sparrow to take all the unpleasant work and surgeries.
• The Big Damn Kiss: Dr. Sparrow gives one to Helene after he tells her she has received a job offer for Rio which means the two can be together.
• Brief Accent Imitation: Easter picks up a Chinese accent when telling Dr. Sparrow of the time he worked as Pin Yung, his Chinese magician character.
• Bungled Suicide: Jenkins' attempt to hang himself is cut short by Dr. Sparrow and Mr. Whimble coming to the rescue.
• The Casanova: Trail only has one thing on the mind - women. He goes off looking for girls in Bellos, tries to pull Jill during the ship's dance and when he thinks the ship is sinking, he is the first to ask if Helene and Miss Mallet have made it to safety.
• Comically Missing the Point:
  • When Archer is told he has athlete's foot, his first remark about the issue is that he doesn't know any athletes.
  • Jenkins takes out his teeth before he tries to hang himself because he doesn't want to swallow them and choke to death.
  • During the evacuation of the ship, Miss Mallet sees a rescue flare go off and starts going on about how much she loves fireworks.
• Covered in Gunge: When Chippie runs across the deck screaming, he bumps into Archer, making him spill his athlete's foot remedy on his face.
• *Crack!* "Oh, My Back!": Corble slips a disc while stoking and finds himself stuck in a bent-over position.
• Curse Cut Short:
  • During Easter's explanation of the location of Dr. Sparrow's cabin, he is cut off by a flushing toilet:
    Easter: It's them pipes, sir. You are situated, as you might say, indelibly below the Captain's-
  • Captain Hogg's orders to Fellowes are cut off by the ship's horn:
    Captain Hogg: Mr. Fellowes, you'll oblige me by having this engine room telegraph cleaned up. It looks as it been out all night in a shower of-
• Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon: Jill's father threatens to cut Dr. Sparrow into tiny pieces and trample him into the carpet when he catches him with her while she's drunk and in a compromising position.
• Dances and Balls: Captain Hogg throws a ship's dance on the Lotus to look superior to Captain Beamish.
• "Dear John" Letter: Jenkins thinks he has received one from his wife:
  Jenkins: "Dear Vic, just to tell you... I'm in trouble because of my lover. Rosie".
  Dr. Sparrow: Can I have a look? (Beat) Jenkins, can't you read? She says, "I'm in trouble because of my liver".
• Dirty Cop: Fellowes warns Dr. Sparrow that the police in Bellos will arrest anyone first chance they get.
• Dirty Old Man: Harry, one of the men working on the Lotus. When the ship docks in Bellos, he immediately tries chasing after a young local.
• Double Entendre: After Dr. Sparrow gives Harry a life-saving operation, the rest of the crew give him Sandyman's pet bird as a token of appreciation. Helene asks him of his thoughts on the gift:
  Helene: Are you glad they have given you the bird?
  Dr. Sparrow: Er, yes, in a way.
• Driven to Suicide: Jenkins tries to hang himself after he thinks that his wife has found another man.
• The Film of the Book: The film is based on Richard Gordon's 1953 novel of the same name.
• Gargle Blaster: At the ship's dance, Easter serves surgical spirit and pretending it to be a cocktail he calls "fire alarm". Trail finds it tremendous, but it proves to be too strong for Jill, his dance partner.
• Get Out!: Captain Hogg has no time for Archer after he tries asking him about his impending marriage to Miss Mallet and so kicks him out of his cabin:
  Captain Hogg: And now get out. Get out!
  Archer: (Beat) The meteorological repor-
  Captain Hogg: GET OUT!
• The Ghost:
  • Sir Wallaby Glebe, an ophthalmic surgeon and husband of Archer's cousin.
  • McGlusky, a crewmember onboard the Lotus who suffers from insomnia.
  • Sir Arthur Mallet, the father of Miss Mallet and chairman of the Lotus' shipping company.
  • Rosie Jenkins, Jenkins' wife who he believes to be unfaithful.
• Grievous Bottley Harm: During his drunken episode, Captain Hogg attempts to throw a bottle of alcohol at Mr. Hornbeam. Luckily for Mr. Hornbeam, however, Captain Hogg misses.
• Hypocritical Humour: When Captain Hogg tells his crew the new ship rules added to accommodate for Miss Mallet and Helene, one of his rules is "No ruddy swearing".
• Inconsistent Spelling: The crewman with the bird is called "Sandeman" on the DVD subtitles, but "Sandyman" in the script.
• I Need a Freaking Drink:
  • The stress of Harry's upcoming appendicitis makes Easter hit the brandy.
  • When it is believed that the ship is sinking, Easter reminds Dr. Sparrow to keep the brandy on hand.
• Lady Drunk: Jill has too much fire alarm at the ship's dance and ends up completely trashed.
• Large Ham: Captain Hogg is one just as all of James Robertson Justice's characters tend to be, but when he mixes his pills with alcohol, it hits all new levels:
  Captain Hogg: Mutinous scum! I'll have the Board of Trade on the lot of you for this!
• Laughing Mad: Captain Hogg cackles maniacally during his drunken episode after he throws a bottle at Mr. Hornbeam.
• Leg Focus: When Corble catches sight of Helene's legs, the films treats the viewers to a close-up shot of Brigitte Bardot's lovely legs.
• "L" Is for "Dyslexia": Jenkins misreads a letter from his wife and mistakes trouble with her "liver" for trouble with her "lover".
• Malaproper:
  • Colonel Porella calls Helene a "nightshirt" instead of a "nightingale".
  • After a long night of drinking, Archer says "chocked it" instead of "checked it".
• Mistaken for Pregnant: When Jenkins gets a letter from his wife, Rosie, he misreads her writing about trouble with her liver and thinks she's written about trouble with her lover, leading him to think she is pregnant and to try and hang himself.
• No Full Name Given:
  • We don't get to know Harry, Fred, or Rosita's last names.
  • The same can be said for Easter, Trail, Fellowes, Mr. Whimble, Chippie, Corble, Captain Beamish, Colonel Porella, Captain Draper, Mr. Hornbeam, Ordinary Seaman Wilson, Ordinary Seaman Merritt, Sandyman, Mrs. Thomas, Johnson, or Williamson's first names.
• No Guy Wants to Be Chased:
  • Wendy's advances on Dr. Sparrow drive him out of the country and into a job at sea.
  • Miss Mallet's flirting with Captain Hogg are a subject of constant irritation for him.
• Noodle Incident: Captain Hogg recalls once having a First Officer believe he was Cleopatra VII in a heat-fueled delusion.
• Not What It Looks Like:
  • Wendy's attempts to rub Dr. Sparrow's neck end with her falling on top of him. When her parents walk in, they think they're intruding on something romantic.
  • When Dr. Sparrow tries to tuck a drunken Jill into bed, her father catches them and believes he's drugged her to have his way with her.
• Papa Wolf: When Jill's father believes Dr. Sparrow is trying to take advantage of her, he tells Dr. Sparrow he's going to murder him.
• Parenthetical Swearing: Captain Hogg's attitude towards the ship's dance rubs the crew the wrong way, so when he slips after demanding more balloons, Mr. Hornbeam is quick to poke fun at him:
  Mr. Hornbeam: And "balloons" to you... sir.
• Pink Elephants: Chippie's alcoholism causes him to see things, such as giant green Alsatians.
• Police Are Useless: The policemen in Bellos do nothing about the frequent stealing as they're all too busy off gambling.
• Posthumous Character: Dr. Flowerday, Dr. Sparrow's predecessor on the SS Lotus.
• Pun: The Tagline claims Dr. Sparrow is "she-sick", a play on "seasick" that pokes fun at his troubles with women.
• Putting the "Medic" in Comedic: The film involves Dr. Sparrow working as the doctor on board the SS Lotus and most of the comedy arises from his struggles to deal with difficult patients, such as when he has to try and calm down a drunken Captain Hogg.
• The Rival: Captain Beamish is to Captain Hogg, to the point where Captain Hogg throws a ship's dance just to prove how much better the Lotus is to his ship.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After enduring Wendy's advances alongside having to take all of Dr. Thomas' dirty work, Dr. Sparrow quits his position and takes a new job at sea.
• Sequel Non-Entity: Despite his relationship with Nurse Gibson, Dr. Sparrow makes no mention of her as he is pursued by Wendy and falls in love with Helene.
• Serious Business: Seeing as it is to be used to make Captain Beamish look inferior, Captain Hogg treats his upcoming ship's dance with the utmost importance:
  Captain Hogg: This is a ship's dance, Mr. Hornbeam, not an excuse for loafing and idleness.
• Shipper on Deck: When Mrs. Thomas catches Dr. Sparrow and Wendy in a suggestive position, she looks on approvingly and takes Dr. Thomas away to let them be alone.
• Shirtless Scene:
  • Wilson has one during his examination, revealing a giant tattoo.
  • Trail has one when the Lotus prepares to leave Bellos:
    Trail: Madam, it is the Lotus and I am the Third Officer.
    Miss Mallet: Oh, so sorry, but you do look a little jim-jammy in that get-up.
• Shot in the Ass: When trying to give Captain Hogg a surprise injection, Dr. Sparrow accidentally backs his rear into the needle Easter is holding.
• Shout-Out: One of Captain Hogg's previous First Officers once had a time where he believed himself to be Cleopatra.
• Shower Scene: Dr. Sparrow catches Helene just as she comes out of his shower, unaware that his cabin has been given to her and Miss Mallet.^note  Brigitte Bardot was believed to have been the first actress in British cinema to film a nude scene.
• Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer: Michael Medwin and Hubert Gregg make brief appearances in the film's trailer but aren't listed with the film's other stars.
• Slippery Skid: Captain Hogg slips on some French chalk on the deck before the ship's dance.
• Something Else Also Rises: When Corble hurts his back, he is stuck in a bent-over position, and nothing seems to be able to get him upright again... until he catches sight of Helene's lovely long legs which straightens up his spine once more.
• Staircase Tumble: Captain Hogg falls down some incredibly steep stairs when trying to attack Dr. Sparrow:
  Easter: Cor! He ain't half gonna have a headache when he wakes up in the morning, Doc.
• Suddenly Shouting: Captain Hogg flies back and forth from 0 to 100 in seconds when disciplining Ordinary Seamen Wilson and Merritt after their brawl.
• Tagline: "That doctor is back... and she-sick".
• The Tooth Hurts: Corble has a pain in his tooth, so Dr. Sparrow has to use pliers to extricate the molar. The only issue is the tooth is so hard to remove that attempting to do so sends Corble, Dr. Sparrow, and Easter all crashing to the floor. Trail, who also has a toothache, witnesses this and leaves as soon as possible.
• Trrrilling Rrrs: When Captain Hogg asks Trail for balloons, he specifies that he wants "rrround ones".

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