The Shame of Paula Marsten

Episode aired Apr 19, 1961
1h

YOUR RATING

Comedy Drama

Paula Marsten is an attempted suicide who has been brought to a mental hospital in a state of nervous collapse. Dr. King, the head physician, seems to recognize Paula, and he refuses to beco... Read allPaula Marsten is an attempted suicide who has been brought to a mental hospital in a state of nervous collapse. Dr. King, the head physician, seems to recognize Paula, and he refuses to become involved in the case.Paula Marsten is an attempted suicide who has been brought to a mental hospital in a state of nervous collapse. Dr. King, the head physician, seems to recognize Paula, and he refuses to become involved in the case.

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User reviews1

Featured review

9/10

Really well written and acted...I was impressed.

As a trained psychotherapist, I have a different perspective on "The Shame of Paula Marsten". I saw it and was very impressed, as the teleplay did a nice job of showing what therapy in a psychiatric hospital might have been like in the early 1960s. I can only assume whoever wrote it really did their homework or once worked in the field.

Paula (Anne Baxter) has been brought to the hospital in terrible shape. She tried to commit suicide and is very resistant to treatment and also has a hysterical paralysis. Over time, Dr. Stoddard (Peter Mark Richmond) is able to get her to trust him and through hypnosis he's able to unlock some of her feelings of guilt. Oddly, however, his supervising psychiatrist (Gene Raymond) seems to know more than he admits about Ms. Marsten and he behaves as if he's hiding something.

This story works because it is very well written and acted. Peter Mark Richmond and Anne Baxter are terrific and it was nice to see Raymond in one of his later performances. Well worth seeing.