one man's journey movie

Not Available

Oh no! Turner Classic Movies isn't available in your region.

Welcome, DISH customer! Please note that we cannot save your viewing history due to an arrangement with DISH.

Watchlist and resume progress features have been disabled.

One Man's Journey (1933)

Directed by john s. robertson.

• AllMovie Rating 1
• User Ratings ( 0 )
• Your Rating
• Overview ↓
• User Reviews ↓
• Cast & Crew ↓
• Related ↓

Description by Wikipedia

One Man's Journey is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film starring Lionel Barrymore as Dr. Eli Watt. The picture was based on the short story Failure written by Katharine Haviland-Taylor. It was remade by RKO as A Man to Remember (1938). The story tells of a small-town doctor working under difficult circumstances in a rural area somewhere in the United States.

Alternate Titles

• Rankings FA
• TV Premiere Calendar
• Coming in 2024
• Latest Reviews

One Man's Journey

• Credits 
• Image gallery  [1]

All images are copyrighted by their respective copyright holders and/or producers/distributors.

• Buster Phelps
• June Filmer

• See all credits

All copyrighted material (movie posters, DVD covers, stills, trailers) and trademarks belong to their respective producers and/or distributors.

User history

One Man’s Journey (1933) Review, with Lionel Barrymore, May Robson, and Joel McCrea

Published by danny on may 27, 2016 may 27, 2016.

Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film

• Pre-marital sex.

One Man’s Journey: Never Ending Story

“I can’t prevent God, making life and death go on… All I can do is to make it a little easier for people to take the blows.”

One Man’s Journey is a quiet tale, one so simple and sweet that it could easily lull you to sleep. A brilliant doctor ends up back in his dusty hometown after the death of his wife, raising his son on his own. He acquires Sarah, a wry housekeeper, and a surrogate daughter, Letty, through his travails. Because of a patient’s death early in his tenure, he becomes to the go-to doctor for the poor farmers in the area. This means that Dr. Watt works for years off of potatoes and gruff hugs, but he does his job and he does it well.

There’s real emotion that you could find in the way a man lives his life, and the gentleness of One Man’s Journey alludes to that. It’s a hardnosed, determined existence not out of choice but coming from passion and determination. Watt asks for nothing more and follows his heart. That takes care of him.

The moral of the film is fairly tidy: there’s more honor in helping those that no one else will help and in sticking with it than in all of the praise, riches and glory you could earn otherwise. It’s a peon to humility and kindness. But real life ain’t like that. A week after everyone toasts Watt’s hard work, they’ll be back at their schmoozing. The famous research doctors will be remembered for decades to come, while the poor get their history erased. All those lives saved become forgotten in the endless tragedy of the mundane. I’m not trying to be a downer here, just practical– for all the film’s lauds that it flings Watt’s way, it makes him out to be the noblest of the noble and the purest of the pure. His happiness and comfort is what he made out of it.

And, look, I understand that the movie is a fable, but compare it to So Big!, which similarly covers a person’s life of living on other people’s terms and eventual success. The conflict here is completely flaccid– compare McCrea’s boastful realization about his dad’s commitment to work versus Hardie Albright’s sudden realization that he’d gotten everything wrong, and it’s easy to see how One Man’s Journey lacks that gut punch.  One Man’s Journey  is so quietly sure that there’s no reason to ever doubt its central message, meaning that the dramatic fireworks are always met with cold water.

End spoilers.

The biggest reason to recommend One Man’s Journey is Lionel Barrymore’s performance– he only gets one speech and he smartly underplays it. It’s a quietly non-showy showy role covering several decades and showing how life wears at a man. Joel McCrea seems wasted but fine and the same goes for Frances Dee. May Robson gets to play a cranky old woman with enough push and charm to get by. David Landau, one of the great gruff character actors of the time, does some wonderful work as the man whose life runs parallel to Watt’s, but it lacks the luck and grace of the man he’d hate and eventually become friends with.

Dorothy Jordan isn’t much good– her character should be the focal point for much of the drama (and is, indeed, the most foreplay focused of the bunch) but there’s something tinny to it. She just doesn’t have the chops to maneuver between being spurned and being a mother, and part of the reason the movie seems to lack much of a conflict comes from her and her character.

All that being said, One Man’s Journey isn’t bad, just disposable. For people who love the idea of a certain ethos to their being and a purity of vision, that belief that hard work and sacrifice are virtues into themselves and should be central to any life, I can imagine that the movie may move them. I’m a bit more pragmatic and undoubtedly more cynical that the movie ever gives me credit for.

Click to enlarge. All of my images are taken by me at full screen size– please feel free to reuse with due credit!

Trivia & Links

• Remade in 1938 as A Man to Remember with Edward Ellis and Anne Shirley.
• Some reviews and background on this one from TCMDB :

Working in uncharacteristic understatement as Watt, Lionel Barrymore creates a warmly sympathetic portrait of a man who does good simply because it never occurs to him to do anything else. Mordaunt Hall wrote in The New York Times, “Mr. Barrymore lends amazing sincerity to his role…He is never too fatigued to attend to the ills of those who are unable to pay for medical attention. He is always even-tempered, in fact a lovable character.” Time magazine’s reviewer considered that Barrymore acted “so shrewdly that Katharine Havilland-Taylor’s lachrymose little story has moments of validity.”

Director John S. Robertson had enjoyed his greatest success with the 1920 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, starring another Barrymore – John. In One Man’s Journey he handles his entire cast sensitively. It’s difficult to imagine a more appealing young couple than McCrea and Dee as they appear here. The two were married on October 20, 1933, a month after the film’s release. They remained a couple until McCrea’s death in 1990.

Awards, Accolades & Availability

• This film is one of six that was given to producer Merian C. Cooper after a dispute with RKO. That means that his estate, not RKO, held the rights to it until TCM picked them up. They released them on DVD a few years back including One Man’s Journey , but sadly it appears they are now out of print. This one still pops up on TCM now and again.

More Pre-Code to Explore

Danny is a writer who lives with his lovely wife, adorable children, and geriatric yet yappy dog. He blogs at pre-code.com , a website dedicated to Hollywood films from 1930 to 1934, and can be found on Twitter @PreCodeDotCom .

Camille · May 27, 2016 at 1:31 am

Sorry to be one of those tiresome grammar people, but I think you may have used “peon” where you meant “paean.”

Comments are closed.

Related posts.

Lady With a Past (1932) Review, with Constance Bennett and Ben Lyon

Constance Bennett gets pygmalion'd into a sex bomb in Lady With a Past (32). Will David Manners muck everything up like usual?

The Night of June 13 (1932) Review, with Clive Brook and Frances Dee

Is a quiet suburban street the scene of A MURDER? No, no it's not.

The Final Edition (1932) Review, with Mae Clarke and Pat O’Brien

An ace newspaper reporter hunts down a murderer in order to take down a crime syndicate-- and she's a woman?! Bless my stars and garters.

Beautiful, interesting, incredible cinema.

Father and son doctors disagree over the son’s materialistic goals.

Letterboxd — Your life in film

Forgotten username or password ?

• Start a new list…
• Add all films to a list…
• Add all films to watchlist

Add to your films…

Press Tab to complete, Enter to create

A moderator has locked this field.

Add to lists

Where to watch

One man's journey.

Directed by John S. Robertson

EVERY WOMAN'S SHAME --and EVERY WOMAN'S GLORY

Dr. Eli Watt, a widower, comes to a small town, considering himself a failure in his attempt to have a meaningful career in New York. He raises his son Jimmy as well as Letty, a baby whose mother has died in childbirth and whose father blames Watt and abandons the child. Watt dreams of returning to do research studies, but always something gets in the way: an epidemic, his children's needs, or the needs of his generally ungrateful patients. Only with the passing years does he come to find that his future isn't over and his past isn't quite the failure he believed.

Lionel Barrymore May Robson Dorothy Jordan Joel McCrea Frances Dee David Landau Buster Phelps June Filmer James Bush Oscar Apfel Samuel S. Hinds Hale Hamilton Colin Kenny Dave O'Brien

Director Director

John S. Robertson

Writers Writers

Samuel Ornitz Lester Cohen Katharine Haviland-Taylor

RKO Radio Pictures

Releases by Date

31 aug 1933, releases by country.

• Theatrical NR

72 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Jillian Michelle ★★½

Definitely not Joel’s greatest performance, but it wasn’t really his film anyway — it’s Barrymore’s! 

Joel’s early films are fun because he’s so handsome, but sometimes his delivery is just so awkward. The great thing about this early film of his is that in his very few and very short scenes with Frances Dee he didn’t need to act at all. The chemistry between the couple is so obvious, and I was so disappointed we were scammed out of a kiss?! How dare they cut right as they move in towards each other! 

Frances Dee is amazing as always, and although she has minimal screen-time, she stole the show. I really think it’s a shame her talent was underused in so many of her films.

Review by russman ★★

Never accept potatoes as payment

Review by Chris ★★½ 5

Pretty dull melodrama, with disappointingly dull performances by Joel McCrea and most of the rest of the cast.

One exception being May Robson, who now ranks as one of the earliest born performers I've taken a liking to. She was born in 1858. You know what else happened in 1858...

Denver became a city. Minnesota became a state. Canada wasn't a country yet. And Abraham Lincoln was not a president.

That's really long ago.

Anyway, she's pretty great.

But the best thing in this is Lionel Barrymore. As predictable and dull as this is, and how obvious it is where this is going, when it finally gets there Barrymore has a moment that got to me. And not for the first time he made cry. The movie doesn't really deserve praise, but Barrymore does.

Review by PUNQ ★★

This is supposed to be a heartwarming story about a kind small village doctor who sacrifices his greater career to stay and help the poor folks in his home town. However everything about this movie is staged so damn contrived that it becomes incredibly hokey. Just the way the city specialists come to admire this man for healing his patience with human kindness instead of modern medicine is cringe worthy.

But it is a well meaning story and while the scenes are profoundly uneven, Lionel Barrymore shines through with his eccentric mannerisms. Also May Robson helps bring some color to this. But I had trouble taking in Dorothy Jordan performance in this. Thankfully she only pops up once in a while and lets Barrymore do his job of keeping this picture together....

Review by Lowbacca ★★★

A fairly solid Lionel Barrymore performance here serves as the anchor here, as his performance as main character Dr. Eli Watt really is this focus of a whole life as a country doctor. I don't think there's anything about the story that is particularly standout, and a big part of that for me is that I think doesn't do a too great of a job connecting some of the pieces of the story. I do somewhat appreciate the way that it captures a passage of time by showing Barrymore's mode of transportation evolving, but most of the transitions are a lot rougher and took me a while to recontextualize. There's also that May Robson may be the only particularly strong supporting role in here (maybe also Frances Dee), and she and Barrymore work well on screen together.

It's not particularly bad, but it's very much a standard doctor story without any particularly interesting hooks or takeaways.

Review by e🌸 ★★

when joel pulls frances into his lap on the stairs 🥵  like please you two we get it you are married

Review by Timmy ★★★★

After I started watching this, I thought I'd seen it before despite having never logged it. It turns out I sort of had seen it! It was remade as A Man to Remember (1938) , making this another movie to add to my list of pre/post-code (re)makes , a phenomenon I've been pretty interested in lately (check out the link to my list, and if have any suggestions for movies to add, please throw 'em my way).

It's a sweet story. It's not exactly a great film, but it's solidly "nice" - and sometimes that's just what I'm looking for in a movie when I wake up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep.

Review by Kari ★★½

I had hoped it would be more charming and not so stilted. May Robson was wonderful.

Review by Jim Beaver ★★★★

In IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, Lionel Barrymore played the face of greed, Mr. Potter, in a story about a good man finding out just how great an impact he has had on a town. In ONE MAN'S JOURNEY, made 13 years earlier, Barrymore is the good man who comes to understand just how important his contribution to a small town has been.

Barrymore plays Eli Watt, a country doctor who provides his services for potatoes or for free, who gets all of the blame when something goes wrong, but little reward. He constantly dreams of returning to his medical studies to do research so that he might "really" contribute to society, but always the needs of his patients and his…

Review by tcmforever59 ★★★

A little tedious at times, but you can see how a talented actor like Lionel Barrymore can elevate an average story about a small-town doctor.

Review by Lou Flees ★★★

Lionel Barrymore is a country doctor who is really a great physician but never gets a chance to practice in the big city due to life’s vicissitudes. Reminded me a little bit of “It’s a Wonderful Life” in how the main character is kept tied down to the small town due to feeling that he must sacrifice his own dreams for the good of others. May Robson plays a good part as his sister who helps out in his practice.

Review by Jess McGrath ★★½

Lionel Barrymore resists chewing the scenery, despite being given material that’s crying out for him to do just that. That may be the most remarkable aspect of this otherwise flat Pre-Code piece. Lionel’s a country doctor who eschews bigger opportunity for family and his small town, and he’s ultimately lauded for it. Always get a kick out of seeing real-life couple McCrea and Dee as an on-screen romance.

Select your preferred backdrop

Select your preferred poster.

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

• About Rotten Tomatoes®
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening This Week
• Top Box Office
• Coming Soon to Theaters
• Certified Fresh Movies

Movies at Home

• Fandango at Home
• Prime Video
• Most Popular Streaming Movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• 77% Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Link to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
• 95% Rebel Ridge Link to Rebel Ridge
• 100% His Three Daughters Link to His Three Daughters

New TV Tonight

• 59% Emily in Paris: Season 4
• -- Three Women: Season 1
• -- Universal Basic Guys: Season 1
• -- My Brilliant Friend: Story of the Lost Child: Season 4
• -- The Old Man: Season 2
• -- How to Die Alone: Season 1
• -- Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy: Season 1
• -- The Circle: Season 7
• -- Jack Whitehall: Fatherhood with My Father: Season 1
• -- In Vogue: The 90s: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• 54% The Perfect Couple: Season 1
• 76% Kaos: Season 1
• 83% The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 2
• 100% Slow Horses: Season 4
• 100% Dark Winds: Season 2
• 89% Terminator Zero: Season 1
• 97% English Teacher: Season 1
• 93% Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist: Season 1
• 93% Bad Monkey: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV

Certified fresh pick

• 100% Slow Horses: Season 4 Link to Slow Horses: Season 4
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

Best TV Shows of 2024: Best New Series to Watch Now

All Tim Burton Movies Ranked

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

The Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Cast on Reuniting with Tim Burton

New Movies and TV Shows Streaming in September 2024: What to Watch on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Max and more

• Trending on RT
• Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
• Top 10 Box Office
• Toronto Film Festival
• Popular Shows on Amazon Prime

One Man's Journey Reviews

Another excellent performance by Lionel Barrymore. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | May 14, 2021

Lionel Barrymore gives an expert, straightforward, and curiously gentle performance.

Full Review | Oct 14, 2019

• Movies & TV
• Featured Categories

Image Unavailable

• Sorry, this item is not available in
• Image not available
• To view this video download Flash Player

One Man's Journey

Product details.

• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Dolby
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01GWDD5TG

Customer reviews

• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 39% 13% 30% 18% 0% 39%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 39% 13% 30% 18% 0% 13%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 39% 13% 30% 18% 0% 30%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 39% 13% 30% 18% 0% 18%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 39% 13% 30% 18% 0% 0%

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

• Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

• Amazon Newsletter
• About Amazon
• Accessibility
• Sustainability
• Press Center
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Sell on Amazon
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Supply to Amazon
• Protect & Build Your Brand
• Become an Affiliate
• Become a Delivery Driver
• Start a Package Delivery Business
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Become an Amazon Hub Partner
• › See More Ways to Make Money
• Amazon Visa
• Amazon Store Card
• Amazon Secured Card
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Credit Card Marketplace
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Amazon Prime
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices
• Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
• Registry & Gift List
• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices

One Man's Journey (1933)

One Man's Journey is not available for streaming.

Let us notify you when you can watch it.

Watch similar movies on Apple TV+ for free

7 Days Free

Then $9.99 / month

Something wrong? Let us know!

One Man's Journey streaming: where to watch online?

We try to add new providers constantly but we couldn't find an offer for "One Man's Journey" online. Please come back again soon to check if there's something new.

Dr. Eli Watt, a widower, comes to a small town, considering himself a failure in his attempt to have a meaningful career in New York. He raises his son Jimmy as well as Letty, a baby whose mother has died in childbirth and whose father blames Watt and abandons the child. Watt dreams of returning to do research studies, but always something gets in the way: an epidemic, his children's needs, or the needs of his generally ungrateful patients. Only with the passing years does he come to find that his future isn't over and his past isn't quite the failure he believed.

Popular movies coming soon

Upcoming Drama movies

Similar Movies you can watch for free

More popular Movies directed by John S. Robertson

Other popular Movies starring Lionel Barrymore

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

One Man's Journey

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More from this title

More to explore, recently viewed.