By all accounts, Preston Sturges was fully invested in the story of William T. G. Morton (nicely played by Joel McCrea of Sullivan's Travels), the Massachusetts dentist who invented general anesthesia. Though Morton dedicated his life to eradicating pain from surgical procedures, his efforts brought him nothing but grief, making 1944's The Great Moment one of the writer-director's more downbeat efforts. Sadly, Sturges' experience would echo Morton's when the making—and unmaking—of his passion project also proved disappointing.
Sturges adapted the script from René Fülöp-Miller's 1940 book Triumph Over Pain, one of several titles under consideration, including Great Without Glory. He begins with Morton's sudden death in 1868 at the age of 48. Had he lived longer, his fortunes might have improved. Instead, he died believing that he had never received sufficient credit for his discovery.
The mood rarely lifts as Sturges travels back in time to Morton's early years with his wife, Elizabeth (Betty Field, The Southerner). After setting up a dental practice, Morton decides he can no longer stand the infernal howling, so he sets out to do something about it. He starts by consulting with his former professor, Dr. Jackson (Julius Tannen, a welcome comic presence), a crotchety fellow with little faith in his efforts, but plenty of useful advice.
Then he reunites with his former partner, Dr. Wells (Louis Jean Heydt), but Wells' impatience nearly proves fatal to their first patient, a pattern throughout the film, since almost every helpful character proves equally unhelpful in some way.
Out of desperation, Morton tries to experiment with the family dog, who gives him a wide berth, before he finally experiments on himself, a risky move that leads Elizabeth to believe he's been drinking, but it proves he's on the right track. He names his invention letheon for purposes of confidentiality and patent protection. The medical community soon figures out that he's simply found a new use for ether, contributing to a reputation for greed and selfishness, even as his highly-rectified concoction proves successful in a series of high-profile demonstrations.
It's to the film's detriment that it is never clear whether or not Morton really wanted to profit from his discovery, or even why that should be such a bad thing. As much as he was building on the work of previous inventors, he did the leg work to come up with the most successful application.
As director Peter Bogdanovich (What's Up, Doc?), an avid Sturges admirer, notes in the accompanying featurette, the film ends abruptly. Bogdanovich and Sturges' youngest son, Tom, claim that Paramount producer Buddy DeSylva was largely to blame for the awkward construction. He also demanded several cuts, resulting in a film that left no one happy.
To add insult to injury, the studio marketed it with off-base taglines, like "Hilarious as a whiff of laughing gas!" The Great Moment is still worth seeing for the engaging story and lively performances. A strong optional purchase for classic and biographical film collections.
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