Medic - Break Through The Bars (3/3)

Dr. Konrad Styner (Richard Boone) is your host in this episode of Medic, "Break Through The Bars." The subject is mental illness and its treatment.

Henry Fisher (Lee J. Cobb) is an assistant bank teller who begins one day feeling absolutely dejected. His depression continues through the morning but in the afternoon Henry becomes hyperactive, aggressive and overconfident. This behavior continues into the night at which time his sister locates him at a local club where his frenzied behavior is about to land him in trouble with the owner.

His sister is able to convince Henry to "accompany her" to the hospital where he is subsequently confined in the mental ward and treated with electrotherapy and counseling. Henry's mental disorder is referred to as manic depression in this show, which originally aired on March 15, 1955. It is now referred to as bipolar disorder.

James Anderson appears as Dr. Barth, the psychiatrist who treats Henry.

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[RichHartley19671]

Thank you for posting these episodes of "Medic." The black-and-white aspect of the film and the ECT treatments as depicted, really put a momentary terror into me. It put me in mind of the time I watched "The Snake Pit" when I was a child.

I am very fond of these posts. I did miss the age of the 1940s and 50s though an accident of birth, but I can have it back in these fine films. Thank you very much, for your labor in order that we who view your films may enjoy them.



[hwy61media]

@RichHartley19671 Thank you for a great comment. I'm glad that you are enjoying my uploads. -Michael

[chogiepath]

I watched Medic when I was seven years old in 1954. This was one of my favorite shows on our first TV. Next to the Adventures of Superman and Tales of Tomorrow.

Far cry from the sleaze my Grandson sees today.

[hwy61media]

@chogiepath Thank you. That's what classic television is all about; a look into the world of television before it became what it is today. Television in which a performer had to have the talent to entertain an audience without being vulgar.

[melollylolly]

would love to see even more medic episodes--thank you!

[hwy61media]

You will and you're welcome :)

[ferociousgumby]

This is a very accurate depiction of what we now call bipolar disorder. In fact, I've never seen a better one in more recent TV and movies. Bipolar is poorly understood and still deeply stigmatized (after all these decades!). He is having a classic manic episode. Though the treatments were different, the insight into the disease was remarkable for that time.

[TheRetro64]

I think the best thing about these "Medic" episodes is that they can be used in health classes as they learn about different illnesses. This episode can easily be shown in Psychology classes as a learning tool for the students to learn about manic depression and what it's like in the psychiatric ward of a hospital.

You have a great channel, hwy61media. Keep up the good work!

[Bidil6]

The brain is what gives us a character, a personality intergrated with past experiences and family life with a touch of environment all formulating a person, a soul. How each one of these contributes to a person's bring is still being studied to day. I love to study how much each contributes to the development of a person, too.

[hwy61media]

I wonder if he had autism. The hyperactivity common to these children sometimes caused a lot of frustration. I believe that lobotomies were sometimes used to calm them down. Of course the operation had these terrible side effects.