The Magic Bullet

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For other uses of the term, see Magic bullet.

The Magic Bullet, also known as Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet, is a 1940 movie starring Edward G. Robinson, based on the true story of Doctor Paul Ehrlich.

[edit] Story

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Paul Ehrlich (Edward G. Robinson) is a physician working in a German hospital. He is dismissed for his constant disregard for hospital rules, which are bound by bureaucratic red tape. The reason for his conflict is his steadily-rising interest in research for selective color marking of cells and microorganisms for disagnostic purposes, based on optical microscopia. After attending a medical presentation of one Dr. Koch (Albert Basserman) showing that tuberculosis is a viral disease, Ehrlich is able to obtain a sample of the isolated virus. After an intense time of research and experimentation in his own lab, paired with a portion of luck, he is able to develop a marking process for this virus. This result is honored by Koch and medical circles as a highly valuable contribution to diagnostics.

During his work, Koch is infected with a disease still known as being deadly. Therefore, Ehrlich travels with his wife Hedwig (Ruth Gordon) to Egypt for recovery and relief. There he starts to discover the properties of the human body with regard to immunity. This discovery helps Ehrlich and colleague Emil von Behring (Otto Kruger) to fight a diphtheria epidemic that is killing off many children in the country. The two doctors are rewarded for their efforts.

Ehrlich concentrates on work to create his "magic bullets" - chemicals injected into the blood to fight various diseases. The medical board, headed by Dr. Hans Wolfert (Sig Rumann), believes much of Ehrlich's work is a waste of money and resources and fight for a reduction, just as Ehrlich begins to work on a cure for syphilis. Ehrlich is financially backed by the widow of Jewish banker Georg Speyer, Franziska Speyer (Maria Ouspenskaya) and after 606 tries he finally discovers the remedy for the disease. This substance, first called "606", is now known as Arsphenamine or Salvarsan.

The joy of discovery is short-lived, as 38 patients who receive the treatment die. Dr. Wolfert takes Ehrlich to court to stop the use of 606, but Dr. Von Bering (who had earlier told Ehrlich to give up his pipe dreams of cures by chemicals) believes that 606 is responsible for the death of syphilis itself. Ehrlich is exonerated, but the strain and stress from the trial are too much for his ill body and he dies shortly thereafter, first telling his assistants and colleagues about taking risks with regard to medicine.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Trivia

The film was released by Warner Bros. in 1940, with some controversy considering the subject of syphilis in a major studio release.
It has been said that the film was the favorite of its star, Edward G. Robinson.
The film was nominated for an Academy Award for its original screenplay (by Norman Burnstine, Heinz Herald and John Huston), but lost to The Great McGinty.