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'{{Infobox play |name = Dr Cook's Garden |image = |image_size = |caption = |writer = [[Ira Levin]] |chorus = |characters = |mute = |setting = |premiere = September 18, 1967 |place = New York |orig_lang = English |series = |subject = |genre = |web = }} '''''Dr Cook's Garden''''' is a play by [[Ira Levin]]. It was adapted as a [[television film|made-for-television film]] in 1971 starring [[Bing Crosby]]. ==Plot James Tennyson is a young and idealistic doctor who returns to his hometown of Greenfield to work with Doctor Leonard Cook, his mentor who is a father figure to him. Tennyson's own father was an abusive brute who broke his arm in a drunken rage. Doctor Cook seems to be a positive role model to Tennyson and a pilar of the community who welcomes his young protégé home. Cook's housekeeper Dora tells Tennyson of Doctor Cook's heart troubles and how he needs an assistant. Upon his homecoming, Tennyson is also reunited with Jamey Roush his childhood sweetheart and in the process begins to become suspicious of Doctor Cook's activities. He discovers that many of his patients have died suddenly and mysteriously. He discovers in the doctor's medicine cabinet a large supply of poisons. The town constable tells Tennyson that he feels that the Lord has blessed the town because "nice" people have lived to a ripe old age and the mean ones have died off. He begins to look through the doctors files and finds a mysterious code "R" which he notices is also in the doctors garden and he interprets it to mean removal of those the doctor considers unworthy humans. Tennyson confronts his mentor who freely admits to euthanizing those he considers unworthy. He tells him of killing his abusive father and considers his actions to be of community service using his beautiful garden as a metaphor. Cooks attempts to poison Tennyson and they wage a battle to the death which ends in Cook suffering a heart attack and dying after Tennyson refuses to bring him his medicine in a perverse act of final mercy ==Original Production== The play premiered on Broadway in 1967 with a cast including [[Burl Ives]] and [[Keir Dullea]]. [[George C. Scott]] was meant to direct<ref>News of the Rialto: So Many Busy People So Many Busy People By LEWIS FUNKE. New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 27 Aug 1967: D1.</ref> but was replaced during rehearsals by Levin.<ref>[http://www.playbillvault.com/Show/Detail/10800/Dr-Cooks-Garden Playbill for 1967 production] accessed 15 June 2013</ref> The play's Broadway production was covered in [[William Goldman]]'s book on Broadway, ''[[The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway]]''. ==Television film== {{Infobox television | show_name = Dr. Cook's Garden | image = | caption = | based_on = ''Dr. Cook's Garden'' play by [[Ira Levin]] | writer = [[Art Wallace]] | director = [[Ted Post]] | starring = [[Bing Crosby]]<br>[[Frank Converse]]<br>[[Blythe Danner]]<br>[[Barnard Hughes]]<br>[[Bethel Leslie]] | music = [[Robert Drasnin]] | country = United States | language = English | producer = [[Bob Markell]] | editor = John McSweeney | cinematography = Urs Furrer | runtime = 75 minutes | company = [[Paramount Television]] | distributor = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] | budget = | network = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] | first_aired = {{Start date|1971|1|19}} | website = }} The play was adapted for television in 1971 with [[Bing Crosby]] in the title role and [[Frank Converse]] as his young colleague Dr. Tennyson. It was well received with [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] magazine commenting, inter alia: "‘Doctor Cook’s Garden’ was an unusually satisfying entry in ABC’s ‘Movie of the Week’ series . . . For Bing Crosby, the title role was an acting triumph. In his long list of films, ‘Garden’ was only his second straight acting role (the other was ''[[The Country Girl (1954 film)|The Country Girl]]'' in 1955) and he has indeed come a long way since his first ‘doctor’ film - ‘[[Doctor Rhythm]]’ in 1938. Playing a part that easily could have been hammed-up, Crosby let the fictive character take over—no small trick for a star with a forty-year identity as a singer and light comedy artist."<ref>{{cite journal|title=Variety|date=January 27, 1971}}</ref> ;Cast *[[Bing Crosby]] as Dr. Leonard Cook *[[Frank Converse]] as Jimmy Tennyson *[[Blythe Danner]] as Janey Rausch *[[Barnard Hughes]] as Elias Hart *[[Bethel Leslie]] as Essie Bullitt ==See also== * [[List of American films of 1971]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== * {{IBDB title|2949}} * {{IMDb title|0065657}} [[Category:1967 plays]] [[Category:1971 television films]] [[Category:American television films]] [[Category:1970s drama films]] [[Category:American drama films]] [[Category:Films directed by Ted Post]] [[Category:Paramount Pictures films]] {{1970s-drama-film-stub}}'