Dr. Thomas Noguchi speaks frankly about his time as chief medical examiner-coroner in Los Angeles in this Slamdance premiere doc
During a decades-long career in Los Angeles County, Dr. Thomas Noguchi conducted autopsies on celebrities from Marilyn Monroe to John Belushi, along with hundreds of other folks. The new film about Dr. Noguchi isn’t clear on who first referred to him as “Coroner to the Stars,” whether it was himself or someone else, but there’s little doubt that he assisted after several notable deaths. After an attention-grabbing open, the fascinating and macabre Coroner to the Stars tells Dr. Noguchi’s story via interviews with the subject and his family, friends, co-workers and others (including George Takei).
While the construction of this documentary from directors Ben Hethcoat and Keita Ideno is fairly straightforward and chronological, interspersed among the chapters of Dr. Noguchi’s biography are the famous autopsies he completed. Soon after he starts work in Los Angeles, he’s assigned to Marilyn Monroe’s forensic case. Besides the medical evaluation completed, Dr. Noguchi talks about the psychological autopsy (a new-ish science at the time) done on Monroe. “We are in the business of dealing in fact,” he asserts.
Coroner to the Stars depicts film industry pressures and misinformation as forces working against Dr. Noguchi, along with the systemic racism he faced as the first Japanese-American coroner in the country. The storytelling style is such that even the civil service hearings held against him (in 1969 and 1982) make for gripping real-life drama. There are lighter moments, as well; we learn that the ‘70s mystery series “Quincy, ME” was loosely based on Dr. Noguchi and the show interrupted work at the LA coroner’s office to film there.
This documentary on Dr. Noguchi shows the impact he’s made on his county department, as well as the field of forensic science in general. Although the film has true crime elements, Coroner to the Stars never feels exploitative. The documentary keeps its focus on the man at its center.
Coroner to the Stars premiered Sunday at Slamdance Film Festival, and screens again Tue, Feb 25th, 6:45 PM @ Landmark Theater 4.
