Night Nurse (1931)

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Grace Perkins (novel)
Oliver H.P. Garrett (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

8 August 1931 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

A nurse enlists the help of a petty criminal to foil a sinister plot to murder two children.

Plot Keywords:

Prohibition | Pre Code | Flapper | Child In Peril | Forbidden Hollywood

Cast

Barbara Stanwyck	...	Lora Hart
Ben Lyon	...	Mortie
Joan Blondell	...	B. Maloney
Clark Gable	...	Nick, the Chauffeur
Blanche Friderici	...	Mrs. Maxwell, the Housekeeper (as Blanche Frederici)
Charlotte Merriam	...	Mrs. Ritchey
Charles Winninger	...	Dr. Arthur Bell
Edward J. Nugent	...	Eagan (as Edward Nugent)
Vera Lewis	...	Miss Dillon, Superintendent of Nurses
Ralf Harolde	...	Dr. Milton A. Ranger
Walter McGrail	...	Mack, the Drunk
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Allen	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
James Bradbury Jr.	...	Wounded Prisoner (uncredited)
Jim Farley	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Willie Fung	...	Hospital Patient (uncredited)
Betty Jane Graham	...	Desney Ritchey (uncredited)
Marcia Mae Jones	...	Nanny Ritchey (uncredited)
Allan Lane	...	Intern (uncredited)
Betty May	...	Nurse Bryan (uncredited)
Bob Perry	...	Mortie's Pal (uncredited)
Jed Prouty	...	Archie, Father-to-Be (uncredited)
Lucille Ward	...	Woman Wanting Screen for Son's Bed (uncredited)
Davina Whitehouse	...	Teenager (uncredited)

Directed by
William A. Wellman

Writing credits
Grace Perkins		(novel) (as Dora Macy)
Oliver H.P. Garrett		(screenplay)
Charles Kenyon		(additional dialogue)

Cinematography by
Barney McGill

Film Editing by
Edward M. McDermott		(as Edw. M. McDermott)

Art Direction by
Max Parker

Costume Design by
Earl Luick		(gowns)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Frank Shaw	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Owen Compton	....	key grip (uncredited)
Harry Davis	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)
Kenneth Green	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
Aaron Hower	....	dolly grip (uncredited)
Leo Hughes	....	director of photography: second unit (uncredited)
Claude Hutchinson	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Bobby Robinson	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
Homer Van Pelt	....	still photographer (uncredited)
William P. Whitley	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Music Department
Leo F. Forbstein	....	conductor: Vitaphone orchestra

Other crew
Dr. Harry Martin	....	technical director
Sabine Baring-Gould	....	hymnist: "Onward Christian Soldiers" (uncredited)
Hanlin	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Hegarty	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Sorenson	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures (as Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.)

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1931) (USA) (theatrical) (as Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (video)
• Vitaphone Corporation, The

Other Companies

• Vitaphone Orchestra  orchestra

Runtime:

72 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-G | USA:Not Rated

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

James Cagney was originally supposed to play Nick, but when The Public Enemy (1931) became a big hit, it was decided that he should no longer be relegated to supporting roles, allowing the relatively unknown Clark Gable to step in instead.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Lora first sees the two children, one of them faints and falls from her bed onto the floor. The next shot ends with Lora lifting her up and placing her on the bed with the child's feet towards the wall. In the next shot, the child has turned 180 degrees, with her head towards the wall.

Quotes:

Maloney: Say, I was afraid the hospital would burn down before I could get into it. Now I have to watch myself with matches.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Onward Christian Soldiers

It Ain't Young Doctor Kildare

Gritty depression era flick, showing why Warner Bros. was the studio of record. It's tough broads here that get the leads. There's Stanwyck (before her teeth were fixed) and Blondell (gum-popping her way through the Nurse's Oath), both trying to survive grabby interns, unscrupulous doctors, murderous families, and no money. No, this isn't Young Doctor Kildare. Just compare Night Nurse with that sappy 1940's series for insight into what the Production Code did to social realism. Here nurses break the law, doctors violate their oath, and unless you go along, you don't work. Not exactly the professional AMA image. Sure, it's contrived melodrama. But there are elements of the real world here that would disappear from the screen for 35 years, courtesy the PC. Also included are gamey one-liners, mild strip scenes, and a really sardonic look at motherhood, along with a very scary Clark Gable. For a brief period from around 1930-34, Hollywood operated with the lid off, pressed by audiences with no work, no money and no prospects. Movies like NN reflect that reality, which was, of course, too unvarnished to survive. So catch up with this neglected period when you can, especially if the movie's from Warner Bros., like this little gem.