Strange Lady In Town

It doesn't take Boston physician Julia Garth long to experience the genuine West after she arrives in dusty Santa Fe to set up practice. Her first patient is brought in by a youth folks call Billy the Kid. How Julia wins acceptance in what most people then considered man's work shapes the in-color sagebrush tale Strange Lady in Town. Auburn-haired Greer Garson adds to her career resume of confident, strong women (Pride and Prejudice, Mrs. Miniver, Madame Curie), bringing to the screen this "Strange Lady" who introduces Santa Fe to new antiseptic procedures and new medical tools like the stethoscope, offers healing compassion and know-how for rich and poor alike, and along the way gains the respect and romantic affections of the town's established doc (Dana Andrews). Director Mervyn LeRoy (Madame Curie) balances light hearted moments with brawling drama as he guides Garson for the fourth time.

• western