My Friend, the Devil

This drama, which takes an anti-atheist stance, was based on the novel Doctor Rameau by Georges Ohnet. Young George Dryden (Ben Grauer) sees his mother (Myrtle Stewart) suffer at the hands of his cruel stepfather (Adolph Milar). During one of their arguments, the mother is killed by lightning, and from that day on, George refuses to believe in God. He grows up (played by Charles Richman) and becomes a doctor, marrying Anna Ryder (Barbara Castleton) and having a daughter along the way. Anna has an affair with an artist (Robert Frazer) who is painting her portrait. Dryden discovers them together and drives the artist out of the house. Later, when he finds him by the road, injured, he takes him home but refuses to call a priest. Anna becomes hysterical and later on dies of heart disease. Years afterwards, just before Dryden’s daughter, Beatrice (Peggy Shaw), is about to be married, he finds old love letters that the artist wrote his wife. He takes his anger out on his daughter and drives her away. She returns, ill and dying, and no other doctor can do anything for her. Finally, Anna’s spirit leads Dryden to Beatrice’s room and he calls on God to cure her. The shadow of death leaves the room and Dryden learns that God really does exist.