This board is hilarious
Poorly Lived and Poorly Died, Poorly Buried and No One Cried

Back in the 50's a doctor who spoke with a foriegn accent would have been perceived as someone who had studied at a world famous university somewhere in Europe like Vienna or Paris. It was believed that those universities produced better doctors than the ones here in the USA.
Pipe smoking was common back in the 50's. People from all walks of life smoked them.I tried one myself back in the early 70's but I did not much care for it.

Back in the day, pipe smoking was definitely a mark of intelligence, and speaking with an accent usually means you're forthright and a very capable doctor.