Lloyd C. Douglas published his book “Green Light” in March 1935. His main character was a young surgeon named Dr. Newell Paige. When Paige’s mentor, Dr. Bruce Endicott, accidently killed a patient during an operation, Paige covered for him and lost his job. He ended up in a shack in Boone, Montana trying to find a vaccine for Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF). The plot included a love story, of course, and also featured an Episcopal priest who advised most of the characters throughout the book. As far as the RMSF subplot was concerned, however, the book didn’t have much to do with reality. For example, as a surgeon, Paige was neither a pathologist, an entomologist, nor a bacteriologist. And the researchers in Douglas’ story worked in secret, pretending to be down-and-out drifters, while the real-life researchers had the support of the town around them.
In the book, when Endicott finally learned that Paige was in Montana researching RMSF, he was horrified and decided to confess that he was the true culprit:
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“Green Light” was a best-seller for Lloyd Douglas and was reprinted into the early 1960s. This cover from the 1959 edition featured a beautiful woman superimposed on an image of an operation. No ticks!
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Of course, you haven’t made the big time unless you’re in the movies; when Lloyd Douglas’ book “Green Light” made it to the movie screen in 1937, even more Americans became familiar with Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) research. The movie cut most of the book’s religious conversations and added more to the love story. It also included Dr. Newell Paige testing the RMSF vaccine on himself, as Dr. Roscoe Spencer had done in real life—perhaps the screenwriters had read Lucy Salamanca’s article.
Directed by Frank Borzage, the movie starred Errol Flynn as Dr. Paige. Flynn was known for his swashbuckling roles and wanted a more dramatic role. The tale of self-sacrifice, love, and loyalty did well at the box office, pulling in $1,254,000 domestically and becoming Warner Brothers Studios’ second most popular film in 1937.
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In this publicity photo for the movie “Green Light”, Dr. Newell Paige (on right, played by Errol Flynn) emphasizes a point by poking the chest of fellow RMSF researcher Dr. John Stafford (played by Walter Abel). Warner Bros., 1937.
