diff --git a/Lib/test/README b/Lib/test/README
index 0a663e0..4850957 100644
--- a/Lib/test/README
+++ b/Lib/test/README
@@ -55,14 +55,32 @@
 to run over the tests in the module.  The test for the difflib module
 provides a convenient example:
 
-    from test_support import verbose
-    import doctest, difflib
-    doctest.testmod(difflib, verbose=verbose)
+    import difflib, test_support
+    test_support.run_doctest(difflib)
 
 If the test is successful, nothing is written to stdout (so you should not
 create a corresponding output/test_difflib file), but running regrtest
-with -v will give a detailed report, the same as if passing -v to doctest
-(that's what importing verbose from test_support accomplishes).
+with -v will give a detailed report, the same as if passing -v to doctest.
+
+A second argument can be passed to run_doctest to tell doctest to search
+sys.argv for -v instead of using test_support's idea of verbosity.  This
+is useful for writing doctest-based tests that aren't simply running a
+doctest'ed Lib module, but contain the doctests themselves.  Then at
+times you may want to run such a test directly as a doctest, independent
+of the regrtest framework.  The tail end of test_descrtut.py is a good
+example:
+
+    def test_main(verbose=None):
+        import test_support, test.test_descrtut
+        test_support.run_doctest(test.test_descrtut, verbose)
+
+    if __name__ == "__main__":
+        test_main(1)
+
+If run via regrtest, test_main() is called (by regrtest) without specifying
+verbose, and then test_supprot's idea of verbosity is used.  But when
+run directly, test_main(1) is called, and then doctest's idea of verbosity
+is used.
 
 See the documentation for the doctest module for information on
 writing tests using the doctest framework.
diff --git a/Lib/test/regrtest.py b/Lib/test/regrtest.py
index 2c09f63..16d51ea 100755
--- a/Lib/test/regrtest.py
+++ b/Lib/test/regrtest.py
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@
         elif verbose:
             cfp = sys.stdout
         else:
-            cfp = Compare(outputfile)
+            cfp = Compare(outputfile, sys.stdout)
     except IOError:
         cfp = None
         print "Warning: can't open", outputfile
@@ -386,7 +386,8 @@
         print line
 
 class Compare:
-    def __init__(self, filename):
+    def __init__(self, filename, origstdout):
+        self.origstdout = origstdout
         if os.path.exists(filename):
             self.fp = open(filename, 'r')
         else:
@@ -395,6 +396,9 @@
         self.stuffthatmatched = []
 
     def write(self, data):
+        if test_support.suppress_output_comparison():
+            self.origstdout.write(data)
+            return
         expected = self.fp.read(len(data))
         if data == expected:
             self.stuffthatmatched.append(expected)
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_cookie.py b/Lib/test/test_cookie.py
index 40c881f..7d452f5 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_cookie.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_cookie.py
@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
 # Simple test suite for Cookie.py
 
-from test_support import verify
+from test_support import verify, verbose, run_doctest
 import Cookie
-from test_support import verify, verbose
-import doctest
 
 # Currently this only tests SimpleCookie
 
@@ -46,4 +44,4 @@
 verify(C['Customer']['path'] == '/acme')
 
 print "If anything blows up after this line, it's from Cookie's doctest."
-doctest.testmod(Cookie)
+run_doctest(Cookie)
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_descrtut.py b/Lib/test/test_descrtut.py
index 1f8f5c8..a0fe0f1 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_descrtut.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_descrtut.py
@@ -484,10 +484,15 @@
 # This worms around a bootstrap problem.
 # Note that doctest and regrtest both look in sys.argv for a "-v" argument,
 # so this works as expected in both ways of running regrtest.
-def test_main():
-    import doctest, test.test_descrtut
-    doctest.testmod(test.test_descrtut)
+def test_main(verbose=None):
+    # Obscure:  import this module as test.test_descrtut instead of as
+    # plain test_descrtut because the name of this module works its way
+    # into the doctest examples, and unless the full test.test_descrtut
+    # business is used the name can change depending on how the test is
+    # invoked.
+    import test_support, test.test_descrtut
+    test_support.run_doctest(test.test_descrtut, verbose)
 
 # This part isn't needed for regrtest, but for running the test directly.
 if __name__ == "__main__":
-    test_main()
+    test_main(1)
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_difflib.py b/Lib/test/test_difflib.py
index 3b2f821..9c63d9a 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_difflib.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_difflib.py
@@ -1,3 +1,2 @@
-from test_support import verbose
-import doctest, difflib
-doctest.testmod(difflib, verbose=verbose)
+import difflib, test_support
+test_support.run_doctest(difflib)
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_doctest.py b/Lib/test/test_doctest.py
index 00c0928..82ab398 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_doctest.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_doctest.py
@@ -1,3 +1,2 @@
-from test_support import verbose
-import doctest
-doctest.testmod(doctest, verbose=verbose)
+import doctest, test_support 
+test_support.run_doctest(doctest)
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_generators.py b/Lib/test/test_generators.py
index 0e9d060..118b1d9 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_generators.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_generators.py
@@ -1351,16 +1351,16 @@
 # This worms around a bootstrap problem.
 # Note that doctest and regrtest both look in sys.argv for a "-v" argument,
 # so this works as expected in both ways of running regrtest.
-def test_main():
-    import doctest, test_generators
+def test_main(verbose=None):
+    import doctest, test_support, test_generators
     if 0:   # change to 1 to run forever (to check for leaks)
         while 1:
             doctest.master = None
-            doctest.testmod(test_generators)
+            test_support.run_doctest(test_generators, verbose)
             print ".",
     else:
-        doctest.testmod(test_generators)
+        test_support.run_doctest(test_generators, verbose)
 
 # This part isn't needed for regrtest, but for running the test directly.
 if __name__ == "__main__":
-    test_main()
+    test_main(1)
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_support.py b/Lib/test/test_support.py
index 0e87131..53e8ae7 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_support.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_support.py
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 
 import sys
 
-
 class Error(Exception):
     """Base class for regression test exceptions."""
 
@@ -22,6 +21,26 @@
 verbose = 1              # Flag set to 0 by regrtest.py
 use_resources = None       # Flag set to [] by regrtest.py
 
+# _output_comparison controls whether regrtest will try to compare stdout
+# with an expected-output file.  For straight regrtests, it should.
+# The doctest driver should set_output_comparison(0) for the duration, and
+# restore the old value when it's done.
+# Note that this control is in addition to verbose mode:  output will be
+# compared if and only if _output_comparison is true and verbose mode is
+# not in effect.
+_output_comparison = 1
+
+def set_output_comparison(newvalue):
+    global _output_comparison
+    oldvalue = _output_comparison
+    _output_comparison = newvalue
+    return oldvalue
+
+# regrtest's interface to _output_comparison.
+def suppress_output_comparison():
+    return not _output_comparison
+
+
 def unload(name):
     try:
         del sys.modules[name]
@@ -156,3 +175,29 @@
             raise TestFailed("errors occurred in %s.%s"
                              % (testclass.__module__, testclass.__name__))
         raise TestFailed(err)
+
+#=======================================================================
+# doctest driver.
+
+def run_doctest(module, verbosity=None):
+    """Run doctest on the given module.
+
+    If optional argument verbosity is not specified (or is None), pass
+    test_support's belief about verbosity on to doctest.  Else doctest
+    sys.argv for -v.
+    """
+
+    import doctest
+
+    if verbosity is None:
+        verbosity = verbose
+    else:
+        verbosity = None
+
+    oldvalue = set_output_comparison(0)
+    try:
+        f, t = doctest.testmod(module, verbose=verbosity)
+        if f:
+            raise TestFailed("%d of %d doctests failed" % (f, t))
+    finally:
+        set_output_comparison(oldvalue)