Night Nurse (1931 film)
Encyclopedia
Night Nurse is a 1931 Pre-Code
, Prohibition
-era, Warner Bros.
crime drama and mystery film
directed by William A. Wellman
and starring Barbara Stanwyck
, Ben Lyon
, Joan Blondell
and Clark Gable
. The film was considered risqué at the time of its release, particularly the scene where Stanwyck and Blondell are seen in their lingerie
. Gable portrays a vicious chauffeur gradually starving two little girls to death after having run over and killed their sister with his car.
) for not having graduated from high school. Fortunately, a chance encounter with the hospital's chief of staff, Dr. Arthur Bell (Charles Winninger
), in an uncooperative revolving door
gets that requirement waived. Lora's roommate and fellow nurse, Miss Maloney (Joan Blondell
), becomes her best friend.
One day, Lora treats bootlegger
Mortie (Ben Lyon
) for a gunshot wound and earns his gratitude by letting herself be persuaded not to report it to the police as required by law. He also admires the pretty young nurse.
After she passes her training, Lora is hired for private duty, looking after two sick children, Desney and Nanny Ritchie (Betty Jane Graham and Marcia Mae Jones
) at the mansion of their alcoholic
socialite
mother (Charlotte Merriam
), where there is always a party going on. When a drunk guest tries to molest her, Nick the brutish chauffeur (Clark Gable
) knocks him out. Then, when she turns down his demand that she pump out the stomach of a very drunk Mrs. Ritchie, he knocks Lora out and removes her to her room.
Lora becomes alarmed by the treatment prescribed by Dr. Milton Ranger (Ralf Harolde
) for the children, because she sees that they are being slowly starved to death, but she is unable to get anybody to take her seriously. She quits and takes her suspicions to Dr. Bell. He is initially reluctant to interfere with another doctor's patients, but eventually advises her to return to her job so she can gather evidence. She manages to persuade Dr. Ranger to take her back.
Finally, Nanny Ritchie becomes so weak, Lora fears for her life and tries unsuccessfully get Mrs. Ritchie to show any concern. By chance, Mortie is making a delivery of booze to the perpetual party at the mansion. Desperate, Lora sends Mortie for milk for a bath for the child, a folk remedy recommended by the frightened housekeeper, Mrs. Maxwell (Blanche Friderici
). Maxwell gets drunk and confides to Lora her suspicion that Nick and Dr. Ranger are working to murder the children in order to get at their trust fund. Mrs. Ritchie is in love with Nick, and he plans to marry her. After being threatened by Mortie, Dr. Bell shows up and examines the little girl. However, when Bell tries to get the child to the hospital, Nick punches him. Mortie stops Nick from interfering further, and the child's life is saved by an emergency blood transfusion
provided by Lora.
The next day, Mortie gives Lora a lift in his car. To allay her worries, he informs her that he told some of his friends that he didn't like Nick. Elsewhere, an ambulance brings a body dressed in a chauffeur's uniform to the hospital's morgue
.
, on Turner Classic Movies
, the part of "Nick the Chauffeur" was originally intended for James Cagney
, but his success in The Public Enemy
prevented that, paving the way for Gable.
highly praised the film and mentioned that it was well photographed, directed and acted and that the quality of the filmed story surpassed that in the original novel.
Pre-Code
Pre-Code Hollywood refers to the era in the American film industry between the introduction of sound in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines. Although the Code was adopted in 1930, oversight was poor and it did not become rigorously...
, Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
-era, Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
crime drama and mystery film
Mystery film
Mystery film is a sub-genre of the more general category of crime film and at times the thriller genre. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of a crime by means of clues, investigation, and clever deduction.The...
directed by William A. Wellman
William A. Wellman
William Augustus Wellman was an American film director. Although Wellman began his film career as an actor, he worked on over 80 films, as director, producer and consultant but most often as a director, notable for his work in crime, adventure and action genre films, often focusing on aviation...
and starring Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra...
, Ben Lyon
Ben Lyon
Ben Lyon was an American film actor and a 20th Century Fox studio executive.-Life:Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Lyon entered films in 1918 after a successful appearance on Broadway opposite Jeanne Eagels. He attracted attention in the highly successful film Flaming Youth , and steadily developed into...
, Joan Blondell
Joan Blondell
Rose Joan Blondell was an American actress who performed in movies and on television for five decades as Joan Blondell.After winning a beauty pageant, Blondell embarked upon a film career...
and Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
. The film was considered risqué at the time of its release, particularly the scene where Stanwyck and Blondell are seen in their lingerie
Lingerie
Lingerie are fashionable and possibly alluring undergarments.Lingerie usually incorporates one or more flexible, stretchy materials like Lycra, nylon , polyester, satin, lace, silk and sheer fabric which are not typically used in more functional, basic cotton undergarments.The term in the French...
. Gable portrays a vicious chauffeur gradually starving two little girls to death after having run over and killed their sister with his car.
Plot
Lora Hart (Barbara Stanwyck) applies for a job as a trainee nurse in a hospital, but is rejected by Miss Dillon (Vera LewisVera Lewis
Vera Lewis was an American film and stage actress, beginning in the silent film era. She appeared in 183 films between 1915 and 1947....
) for not having graduated from high school. Fortunately, a chance encounter with the hospital's chief of staff, Dr. Arthur Bell (Charles Winninger
Charles Winninger
Charles Winninger was an American stage and film actor, most often cast in comedies or musicals, but equally at home in drama.-Biography:He began as a vaudeville actor...
), in an uncooperative revolving door
Revolving door
A revolving door typically consists of three or four doors that hang on a center shaft and rotate around a vertical axis within a cylindrical enclosure. Revolving doors are energy efficient as they prevent drafts, thus preventing increases in the heating or cooling required for the building...
gets that requirement waived. Lora's roommate and fellow nurse, Miss Maloney (Joan Blondell
Joan Blondell
Rose Joan Blondell was an American actress who performed in movies and on television for five decades as Joan Blondell.After winning a beauty pageant, Blondell embarked upon a film career...
), becomes her best friend.
One day, Lora treats bootlegger
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
Mortie (Ben Lyon
Ben Lyon
Ben Lyon was an American film actor and a 20th Century Fox studio executive.-Life:Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Lyon entered films in 1918 after a successful appearance on Broadway opposite Jeanne Eagels. He attracted attention in the highly successful film Flaming Youth , and steadily developed into...
) for a gunshot wound and earns his gratitude by letting herself be persuaded not to report it to the police as required by law. He also admires the pretty young nurse.
After she passes her training, Lora is hired for private duty, looking after two sick children, Desney and Nanny Ritchie (Betty Jane Graham and Marcia Mae Jones
Marcia Mae Jones
Marcia Mae Jones was an American actress whose prolific career spanned 47 years.-Career:Jones made her film debut at the age of two in the 1926 film Mannequin...
) at the mansion of their alcoholic
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
mother (Charlotte Merriam
Charlotte Merriam
-Silent film star:Born to an army colonel in Sheridan, Illinois, Merriam's film career began in 1919 with a role in The Flip of a Coin. She visited Universal Pictures that year and was offered a part in a comedy series starring Eddie Lyons and Leo Moran. Merriam accepted...
), where there is always a party going on. When a drunk guest tries to molest her, Nick the brutish chauffeur (Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
) knocks him out. Then, when she turns down his demand that she pump out the stomach of a very drunk Mrs. Ritchie, he knocks Lora out and removes her to her room.
Lora becomes alarmed by the treatment prescribed by Dr. Milton Ranger (Ralf Harolde
Ralf Harolde
Ralf Harolde was an American character actor. Between 1920 and 1963, he appeared in 99 films, including Jimmy the Gent, Night Nurse, Baby Take a Bow, A Tale of Two Cities, Our Relations, and Murder, My Sweet.Harolde was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and died in Santa Monica,...
) for the children, because she sees that they are being slowly starved to death, but she is unable to get anybody to take her seriously. She quits and takes her suspicions to Dr. Bell. He is initially reluctant to interfere with another doctor's patients, but eventually advises her to return to her job so she can gather evidence. She manages to persuade Dr. Ranger to take her back.
Finally, Nanny Ritchie becomes so weak, Lora fears for her life and tries unsuccessfully get Mrs. Ritchie to show any concern. By chance, Mortie is making a delivery of booze to the perpetual party at the mansion. Desperate, Lora sends Mortie for milk for a bath for the child, a folk remedy recommended by the frightened housekeeper, Mrs. Maxwell (Blanche Friderici
Blanche Friderici
Blanche Friderici , sometimes credited as Blanche Frederici, was an American film and stage actress.-Early life and education:She was born in Brooklyn, New York.-Theatre:...
). Maxwell gets drunk and confides to Lora her suspicion that Nick and Dr. Ranger are working to murder the children in order to get at their trust fund. Mrs. Ritchie is in love with Nick, and he plans to marry her. After being threatened by Mortie, Dr. Bell shows up and examines the little girl. However, when Bell tries to get the child to the hospital, Nick punches him. Mortie stops Nick from interfering further, and the child's life is saved by an emergency blood transfusion
Blood transfusion
Blood transfusion is the process of receiving blood products into one's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used in a variety of medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood...
provided by Lora.
The next day, Mortie gives Lora a lift in his car. To allay her worries, he informs her that he told some of his friends that he didn't like Nick. Elsewhere, an ambulance brings a body dressed in a chauffeur's uniform to the hospital's morgue
Morgue
A morgue or mortuary is used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification, or removal for autopsy or disposal by burial, cremation or otherwise...
.
Production
According to Robert OsborneRobert Osborne
Robert Jolin Osborne is an American actor and film historian best known as the primary host for Turner Classic Movies, and previously a host of The Movie Channel.-Life and career:...
, on Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies is a movie-oriented cable television channel, owned by the Turner Broadcasting System subsidiary of Time Warner, featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and MGM, United Artists, RKO and Warner Bros. film libraries...
, the part of "Nick the Chauffeur" was originally intended for James Cagney
James Cagney
James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
, but his success in The Public Enemy
The Public Enemy
The Public Enemy is a 1931 American Pre-Code crime film starring James Cagney and directed by William A. Wellman. The film relates the story of a young man's rise in the criminal underworld in prohibition-era urban America...
prevented that, paving the way for Gable.
Cast (in credits order)
- Barbara StanwyckBarbara StanwyckBarbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra...
as Lora Hart - Ben LyonBen LyonBen Lyon was an American film actor and a 20th Century Fox studio executive.-Life:Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Lyon entered films in 1918 after a successful appearance on Broadway opposite Jeanne Eagels. He attracted attention in the highly successful film Flaming Youth , and steadily developed into...
as Mortie - Joan BlondellJoan BlondellRose Joan Blondell was an American actress who performed in movies and on television for five decades as Joan Blondell.After winning a beauty pageant, Blondell embarked upon a film career...
as B. Maloney - Clark GableClark GableWilliam Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
as Nick, the Chauffeur - Blanche FridericiBlanche FridericiBlanche Friderici , sometimes credited as Blanche Frederici, was an American film and stage actress.-Early life and education:She was born in Brooklyn, New York.-Theatre:...
as Mrs Maxwell, the Housekeeper - Charlotte MerriamCharlotte Merriam-Silent film star:Born to an army colonel in Sheridan, Illinois, Merriam's film career began in 1919 with a role in The Flip of a Coin. She visited Universal Pictures that year and was offered a part in a comedy series starring Eddie Lyons and Leo Moran. Merriam accepted...
as Mrs Ritchey - Charles WinningerCharles WinningerCharles Winninger was an American stage and film actor, most often cast in comedies or musicals, but equally at home in drama.-Biography:He began as a vaudeville actor...
as Dr Arthur Bell - Edward J. NugentEdward J. NugentEdward Nugent was an American film actor. He appeared in 81 films between 1928 and 1937.He subsequently had a second acting career on Broadway. Brooklyn USA , the comedy Junior Miss , and See My Lawyer were some of his best roles...
as Eagan - Vera LewisVera LewisVera Lewis was an American film and stage actress, beginning in the silent film era. She appeared in 183 films between 1915 and 1947....
as Miss Dillon, Superintendent of Nurses - Ralf HaroldeRalf HaroldeRalf Harolde was an American character actor. Between 1920 and 1963, he appeared in 99 films, including Jimmy the Gent, Night Nurse, Baby Take a Bow, A Tale of Two Cities, Our Relations, and Murder, My Sweet.Harolde was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and died in Santa Monica,...
as Dr Milton A. Ranger - Walter McGrailWalter McGrailWalter McGrail was an American film actor. He appeared in over 150 films between 1916 and 1951.He was born in Brooklyn, New York and died in San Francisco, California, at the age of 81.-Selected filmography:...
as Mack, the Drunk
Reception
Time MagazineTime (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
highly praised the film and mentioned that it was well photographed, directed and acted and that the quality of the filmed story surpassed that in the original novel.