Captain Newman, M.D. (1963): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1963, Captain Newman, M.D. is a comedy, drama and war film directed by David Miller, running about 126 minutes. “It speaks to you in the language of love, laughter and tears!...” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. In 1944, Capt. Josiah J. Newman is the doctor in charge of Ward 7, the neuropsychiatric ward, at an Army Air Corps hospital in Arizona. The hospital is under-resourced and Newman scrounges what he needs with the help of his inventive staff, especially Cpl. Jake Leibowitz. The military in general is only just coming to accept psychiatric disorders as legitimate and Newman generally has 6 weeks to cure them or send them on to another facility. There are many patients in the ward and his latest include Colonel Norville Bliss who has dissociated from his past; Capt. Paul Winston who is nearly catatonic after spending 13 months hiding in a cellar behind enemy lines; and 20 year-old Cpl. Jim Tompkins who is severely traumatized after his aircraft was shot down. Others come and go, including Italian prisoners of war, but Newman and team all realize that their success means the men will return to their units.

Who’s in it. Captain Newman, M.D. stars Gregory Peck as Capt. Josiah "Joe" Newman, MD, Tony Curtis as Cpl. Jackson "Jake" Leibowitz, Angie Dickinson as Lt. Francie Corum and Eddie Albert as Col. Norval Algate Bliss, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.5/10, Captain Newman, M.D. has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Captain Newman, M.D. page.

If you liked it. Fans of Captain Newman, M.D. tend to enjoy Forrest Gump, Parasite, Life Is Beautiful and Fight Club.