
The Fight for Life
Drama · History
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.
Top Cast


Myron McCormick
Myron McCormick
Dr. O’Donnell
Myron McCormick
Dr. O’Donnell
Storrs Haynes
Storrs Haynes
Hanson
Storrs Haynes
Hanson


Will Geer
Will Geer
Ballou
Will Geer
Ballou


Dudley Digges
Dudley Digges
Chefarzt
Dudley Digges
Chefarzt


Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie


Dorothy Adams
Dorothy Adams
The Young Woman
Dorothy Adams
The Young Woman
Dorothy Urban
Dorothy Urban
The Grandmother
Dorothy Urban
The Grandmother
Effie Anderson
Effie Anderson
The Receptionist
Effie Anderson
The Receptionist
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