Poster

Something the Lord Made ()


Reference View | Change View


A dramatization of the relationship between heart surgery pioneers Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas.

Director:
Awards:
  • Won 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 14 wins & 32 nominations.
  • See more »
Reviews:

Photos and Videos

Cast

Edit
Cliff McMullen ...
Lodel Williams
...
Vivien Thomas (as Mos Def)
...
Charles Manlove
...
Dr. Alfred Blalock
...
Clara Thomas
...
Francis Grebel
...
William Thomas (as Charles Dutton)
Clayton LeBouef ...
Harold Thomas
...
Man at Bank
Harold J. Abell Sr. ...
Man #1
Michael E. Russell ...
Bank Officer
Henri Edmonds ...
Mary Thomas
Cora Shay Buck ...
Young Theodosia Thomas
Zoe Buck ...
Young Olga Thomas
...
Mary Blalock
John Leslie Wolfe ...
Dr. Walter Dandy
...
General John Cunningham
Matthew Welborn ...
William Blalock
Mackenzie Jo Pardi ...
Mary Elizabeth Blalock
...
Doctor at Party
...
Dr. Helen Taussig
...
Dr. William Longmire
...
Dr. Cooley (as Timothy Scanlin)
...
Dr. Kelven
...
Security Guard
Linda Williams ...
May
...
Dr. Hecker
Brooke Gaigler ...
Baby Saxon (as Brooke and Kera Gaigler)
Kera Gaigler ...
Baby Saxon (as Brooke and Kera Gaigler)
Douglas Watson ...
Dean Hamilton
...
Mrs. Saxon
...
Dr. Ford (as Alan L. Brown)
Michael Eastering ...
Landlord
...
Janitor
...
Payroll Clerk
...
Mr. Saxon
Marty Lodge ...
Father Aucott
Sean MacLaughlin ...
Dr. Swedlin
Dave Trovato ...
Dr. Harmel
Carolyn Nelson ...
Nurse Charlotte Mitchell
...
Nurse at Paging Station
Alan Sader ...
Hecker's Crony
Allan Kulakow ...
Dr. Petrovsky
Ralph Cosham ...
Dr. Craford
Nat Benchley ...
Karsh
...
Morgan State Admissions Officer
...
Dr. Johnston
...
Resident #1
Matthew Russell ...
Resident #2 (as Matt Russell)
Brigid Cleary ...
Vivien's Secretary
Joseph Petty ...
Janitor Lowering Flag
...
Adult Olga Thomas
Carlyncia S. Peck ...
Adult Theodocia Thomas (as Carlyncia Peck)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
...
Day Laborer
Michael Ahl ...
Doctor at Party (uncredited)
Brian Eric Alexander ...
Street Teen (uncredited)
...
Johns Hopkins Med. School Teaching Physician (uncredited)
...
Resident Doctor (uncredited)
Briel Banks ...
Guest at Reception (uncredited)
...
Nurse (uncredited)
Patricia Talmadge Berry ...
Dist. Party Guest (uncredited)
Ian Bonds ...
Medical Intern (uncredited)
Chris Boykin ...
Bellhop (uncredited)
...
Dishwasher (uncredited)
...
Lt. Comm. Andrews (uncredited)
Rick Burk ...
Business Man (uncredited)
...
Concerned Mother in Waiting Room (uncredited)
...
College Student (uncredited)
Tim Colmus ...
Doctor (uncredited)
Kelvin Davis ...
Bank Customer (uncredited)
Clary Davison ...
1943 Doctor (uncredited)
...
Patient (uncredited)
Robin Dorsey ...
Nosey Neighbor (uncredited)
...
Staff Doctor 1940's (uncredited)
...
Military Wife (uncredited)
...
Doctor's Wife (uncredited)
...
Mrs. Ford (uncredited)
...
Resident Doctor (uncredited)
Alan Gates ...
Student Doctor (uncredited)
Duke Greenhill ...
Student (uncredited)
...
Bank Customer (uncredited)
...
Johns Hopkins Hospital Resident (uncredited)
Justin Hinnant ...
Neighborhood Kid (uncredited)
...
Bank Cop (uncredited)
Heaven Leigh Horton ...
Hopscotch Kid (uncredited)
Katherine Hoskins Mackey ...
General's Wife (uncredited)
James A. Howard ...
Dr. Chadwick (uncredited)
...
Bus Boy (uncredited)
Yolanda Jenkins ...
Housekeeper (uncredited)
...
Self (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
James Jones ...
House Worker #1 (uncredited)
...
Self (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
Z.M. Nan Khan ...
Luncheon Cashier (uncredited)
...
Self (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
...
Navy Admiral (uncredited)
...
Doctor's Wife (uncredited)
...
Medical Intern (uncredited)
...
Self (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
...
Dist. Party Guest (uncredited)
Kerry Meushaw ...
Doctor (uncredited)
...
Intern (uncredited)
Jim Page ...
Resident Doctor (uncredited)
Joe Peck ...
Orderly (uncredited)
Vito Pietanza ...
Party Singer (uncredited)
...
Cafeteria Lady (uncredited)
Jasmyn Proctor ...
Neighborhood Kid (uncredited)
Carolyn Rawleigh ...
Guest at Reception (uncredited)
Tyrone Requer ...
3rd Resident (uncredited)
...
1971 Doctor (uncredited)
...
Doctor (uncredited)
Thomas W. Stewart ...
Doctor (uncredited)
Anastasia Summers ...
1943 Nurse (uncredited)
...
Medical Intern (uncredited)
LeRoy Taylor ...
Carpenter (uncredited)
Tom Townsend ...
Security Guard (uncredited)
...
Mother / Bus Rider (uncredited)
...
Resident Doctor (uncredited)
...
Military Officer (uncredited)

Directed by

Edit
Joseph Sargent

Written by

Edit
Peter Silverman ... (written by) and
Robert Caswell ... (written by)

Produced by

Edit
Robert W. Cort ... executive producer
Mike Drake ... producer
Eric Hetzel ... executive producer
Julian Krainin ... producer
David Madden ... executive producer
Irving Sorkin ... co-producer

Music by

Edit
Christopher Young

Cinematography by

Edit
Donald M. Morgan

Editing by

Edit
Michael Brown

Editorial Department

Edit
Adam Mesinger ... post-production coordinator
Andrew Morgado ... post-production runner
Kevin O'Connor ... colorist

Casting By

Edit
Lynn Kressel
Pat Moran

Production Design by

Edit
Vincent Peranio

Art Direction by

Edit
Halina Gebarowicz

Set Decoration by

Edit
Susan Kessel

Costume Design by

Edit
Karyn Wagner

Makeup Department

Edit
Wyatt Belton ... hair stylist
Lydia Bensimmon ... hair stylist (as Lydia Benaim)
Thomas R. Burman ... prosthetic effects
Bari Dreiband-Burman ... prosthetic effects
Diane Hammond ... makeup artist
Janice Kinigopoulos ... key hair stylist
Sandra Linn Koepper ... makeup artist
Annabelle MacNeal ... makeup artist
Jennifer Santiago ... assistant hair stylist
Denise Tunnell ... makeup artist
Janice Tunnell ... additional makeup artist
Taurance F. Williams ... hair stylist
Debi Young ... key makeup artist
Gina W. Bateman ... makeup artist (uncredited)
Sherri Bramlett ... additional hair stylist (uncredited)
Ngozi Olandu Young ... additional makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management

Edit
Jasmine Kosovic ... additional post-production supervisor
Karyn McCarthy ... unit production manager
Greg Spence ... post-production supervisor
Pamela Winn-Barnett ... post-production executive (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

Edit
Joe Incaprera ... second assistant director (as Joseph Incaprera)
Eric A. Pot ... first assistant director: additional photography
Xanthus Valan ... second second assistant director
Michele 'Shelley' Ziegler ... first assistant director (as Michele Ziegler)

Art Department

Edit
Bryan Badman ... welder gang boss
Jennie Bell ... scenic
Edward Bellafiore ... art department coordinator (as Ed Bellafiore)
Anthony L. Brennan Jr. ... scenic (as L. Anthony Brennan Jr.)
Patty Burgee ... sign painter (as Pat Burgee)
Carl Catanese ... props buyer
Richard Crandall ... scenic
Ronald J. Crouthamel ... carpenter
Melissa Demino ... art department production assistant
Jason Dunn ... prop assistant
Scott C. Dunn ... lead forman
Patrick T. Eagan ... swing
Albert W. Ford Jr. ... swing
Francesca Gerlach ... paint foreman
Susanna Glattly ... scenic
Jeffrey Pratt Gordon ... assistant property master
Beth Grunder ... swing
Randy G. Herbert ... construction coordinator
Clark Hospelhorn ... swing
Billy 'Jilly Bones' Jones ... scenic artist
Ted Lubonovich II ... welding foreman
John Millard ... on set dresser
Silvija L. Moess ... scenic
Ted Nolan ... prop maker
Dawson Nolley ... art department researcher
Lucinda E. Pealer ... scenic
Ellen Sara Popiel ... props buyer
Robert Raber III ... scenic (as Robert E. Raber III)
Michael Sabo ... leadman
David Scheper ... propmaker
Craig Lee Schuman ... scenic
Claire Sharp ... scenic gang boss (as Claire Sharp-Lutz)
Timothy W. Stamey ... set designer
John Struss ... construction gang boss (as John E. Struss)
Norm Thurston Jr. ... swing (as Norman Thurston Jr.)
Keith Weaver ... charge scenic
John Weiffenbach ... construction gang boss
Brook Yeaton ... property master

Sound Department

Edit
Rick Ash ... re-recording mixer
David Ball ... adr recordist
Vincent Cirilli ... ProTools engineer
Jeff Gunn ... foley artist
Ivan Hawkes ... sound utility
James B. Howe ... foley mixer
Adam Jenkins ... re-recording mixer
Mark Kamps ... sound editor
Sonya Lindsay ... dialog & adr editor (as Sonya Henry)
Bruce Litecky ... sound mixer / sound
Lorenzo Millan ... boom operator
Doug Mountain ... supervising sound engineer (as Douglas Mountain)
Ryan Murphy ... sound recordist
Joseph T. Sabella ... foley artist
Richard Taylor ... supervising sound editor
Karen Vassar Triest ... dialog editor (as Karen Vassar)

Special Effects by

Edit
Hank Atterbury ... special effects coordinator
William Catania ... special effects technician
Alison Haygood ... special effects technician
Thomas Turnbull ... special effects technician
Dan Crawley ... special effects technician (uncredited)

Visual Effects by

Edit
Travis Baumann ... inferno artist: Digiscope
David C. Bryant ... digital artist: Digiscope
Enid Dalkoff ... digital artist
Amit Dhawal ... roto artist
Christopher Dusendschon ... digital imaging supervisor: iO FILM
Fortunato Frattasio ... digital effects artist
Mitch Goldstrom ... senior systems administrator
Ralph Maiers ... digital compositor
Brennan Prevatt ... visual effects
Ron Simonson ... visual effects supervisor
Christopher Stack ... data manager: Digiscope
Brennan Prevatt ... digital compositor (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

Edit
Alex Applefeld ... video assist
Wayne Arnold ... second assistant camera (as Wayne Richard Arnold)
Nathaniel Du Bois Arnot III ... grip
Ted Ayd ... best boy
Kevin 'Vinnie' Campbell ... electrician
Frank Caslin ... generator operator (as Frank Caslin III)
Dean Citroni ... best boy grip
Rodney French ... dolly grip (as Rodney G. French)
John-Anthony Gargiulo ... additional grip
Michael Gearhart ... grip
Bob Greene ... still photographer
John Hamilton ... second assistant camera: 'b' camera
John R. Hamilton ... second assistant camera: 'b' camera (as John Hamilton)
Chris Henry ... rigging electric
Mark Hutchings ... electrician
Dave Insley ... camera operator
Aaron Johnson ... grip
Larry Kaster ... gaffer
Philip Kathrens ... electrician
Mike Krebs ... first assistant camera: 'b' camera
Jerry Lane ... camera operator: 'b' camera / steadicam operator
Thomas Loizeaux ... camera operator
Charlie Newberry ... camera loader
David Noble ... key grip
Todd Norton ... electrician
Blackford 'Boots' Shelton ... first assistant camera (as 'Boots' Shelton)
Julian Sternthal ... best boy rigging grip
Rick Strodel ... grip (as Richard W. Strodel)
Wade Tyree ... lighting technician
Russell A. Wicks ... electrician (as Russel Wicks)
Peter Albert ... digital video assist operator: Los Angeles re-shoot (uncredited)

Casting Department

Edit
Brian Cooper ... extras casting
Shamos Fisher ... extras casting assistant
Jaime Rembo ... casting assistant
John Strawbridge ... casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department

Edit
Jo Sherryl Amos ... tailor (as Jo-Sherryl Amos)
Kelly Chambers ... wardrobe production assistant
Dona Adrian Gibson ... costumer fitter (as Dona A. Gibson)
Deborah Latham ... costume supervisor (as Deborah Latham Binkley)
Mara Majorowicz ... key costumer
Mary F. Miles ... tailor

Location Management

Edit
Charley Armstrong ... location manager
Patrick Burn ... assistant location manager
Rehya Young ... assistant location manager

Music Department

Edit
Pete Anthony ... orchestrator
Selena Arizanovic ... music assistant
Bruce Babcock ... conductor / orchestrator
Brett Banducci ... viola
Frank Bennett ... orchestrator
Wael Binali ... scoring coordinator: Christopher Young
Tom Brown ... music preparation
George Doering ... musician
David Giuli ... scoring coordinator
Jim Hoffman ... music preparation
Evyen Klean ... music supervisor (as Evyen J. Klean)
David Low ... music contractor
William V. Malpede ... scoring coordinator
Thomas Milano ... supervising music editor
Jen Monnar ... music editor
Flavio Motalla ... score producer
Sujin Nam ... score coordinator
Jonathan Price ... score coordinator
Peter Rotter ... orchestra contractor
Steven L. Smith ... music preparation
Karl Vincent ... musician
Gernot Wolfgang ... orchestrator: score
Jim Honeyman ... orchestrator (uncredited)
Philip Tallman ... music editor: temp (uncredited)
Sebastian Toettcher ... musician: cello (uncredited)
Mike Vaccaro ... musician: clarinet (uncredited)

Script and Continuity Department

Edit
Christine Moore ... script supervisor

Transportation Department

Edit
Charles E. Bauer ... driver
Thomas F. Lombardi ... picture car coordinator
Michael Luckeroth ... driver
Gerald Titus ... driver
Douglas A. Walk ... transportation co-captain
Jacqueline L. Hurd ... picture car coordinator (uncredited)

Additional Crew

Edit
Kate Amer ... production coordinator
Mark Colegrove ... production assistant
Gabriel DellaVecchia ... payroll accountant
Melissa Demino ... additional staff
Jacques Derosena ... stand-in
Scott Foster ... additional production assistant
Ginny Galloway ... assistant production coordinator
John Goodwill ... production coordinator: additional photography, Los Angeles
Thomas C. Hessenauer ... production assistant
Douglas M. Jones ... set production assistant (as Douglas Jones)
Micaiah Jones ... set security
Andrea Kalin ... executive consultant
Cyndi Martin ... production assistant
Chris Menke ... production assistant
Kerry Newberry ... second assistant accountant (as Kerry Yancheski)
Karri O'Reilly ... production coordinator: additional photographer, Los Angeles
Patrick Tendai Pfupajena ... additional production assistant
Deborah Ricketts ... archive researcher
Ryan Robertson ... main title producer
Jill Rosenblatt ... first assistant accountant
Daniel Ross ... stand-in
Howard Samuelsohn ... dialect coach: Alan Rickman
Nina Saxon ... title designer
Matt Small ... titles
Mary Sunshine ... production accountant
Miranda Thompson ... studio executive
Rebecca Thornell ... clearance
Robert S. Wilhelm Jr. ... key set production assistant
Dave Willis ... production assistant
Mimi Zora ... assistant: Mr. Cort
Rick Kain ... stand-in: Bolton Marsh (uncredited)

Production Companies

Edit

Distributors

Edit

Special Effects

Edit

Other Companies

Edit

Storyline

Edit
Plot Summary

Alfred Blalock (1899-1964), a cardiologist (therefore, self-confident to the point of arrogance), leaves Vanderbilt for Johns Hopkins taking with him his lab technician, Vivien Thomas (1910-1985). Thomas, an African-American without a college degree, is a gifted mechanic and tool-maker with hands splendidly adept at surgery. In 1941, Blalock and Thomas take on the challenge of blue babies and invent bypass surgery. After trials on dogs, their first patient is baby Eileen, sure to die without the surgery. In defiance of custom and Jim Crow, Blalock brings Thomas into the surgery to advise him, but when Life Magazine and kudos come, Thomas is excluded. Will he receive his due? Written by

Plot Keywords
Taglines A breakthrough that changed the face of medicine. A unique partnership that broke the rules. See more »
Genres
Parents Guide View content advisory »
Certification

Additional Details

Edit
Also Known As
  • La création de Dieu (France)
  • Ein Werk Gottes (Germany)
  • A corazón abierto (Spain)
  • Pienten sydänten pelastajat (Finland)
  • Me ti theia empnefsi (Greece)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 110 min
Official Sites
Country
Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Did You Know?

Edit
Trivia According to a Johns Hopkins Medical Archives website about Blalock, Thomas, Taussig, and the Blue Baby surgeries, Eileen Saxon, the infant depicted in the movie as the first to undergo the procedure, became cyanotic again several months later. She died after another attempt at the surgery. Her experience helped the surgical team determine that the procedure worked best on patients who were over 3 years old. See more »
Goofs When Reader's Digest publishes a photograph of the first operation, one participant is identified as Dr. Michael DeBakey. Although he was a professor at Tulane, he was on leave as a consultant to the Surgeon General in Washington. See more »
Movie Connections Featured in The 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2004). See more »
Soundtracks Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy See more »
Quotes Alfred Blalock: They say you haven't lived unless you have a lot to regret. I regret... I have some regrets. But I think we should remember not what we lost, but what we've done.
See more »

Contribute to This Page


Recently Viewed