During the economic depression, socially conscious movies exposing the shenanigans of big business, prisons etc became popular and doctors and faceless hospitals also came under attack - "Men In White", "Private Worlds" etc. Then there were films like "Registered Nurse" who didn't know what it wanted to be - it seemed to settle for glossy soap opera!!!
With opening music more fitting to "Showgirls on Parade" than "Registered Nurse", not even finding that John Halliday or even Minna Gombell are in the cast is very comforting. Although they do try and Minna comes up trumps, even with the sudsy storyline she is given (she is engaged to a policeman and they are desperately saving for a little house in the country until one fatal night when he confronts an armed robber...you get the picture!!) That scenario must have turned the hard boiled Miss Gombell's stomach!!!
Sylvia Benson (Bebe Daniels) is married to belligerent drunk (Gordon Westcott) but after a violent quarrel which results in a car crash, she decides to go back to nursing. Three years later Benson is the best nurse at the hospital, all the doctors think so including dedicated surgeon Dr. Hedwig (John Halliday) and chronic skirt chaser Dr. Connolly (Lyle Talbot) who claims "First base - I'm still on the bench with her"!!! She is fighting them both off but she seems to be falling for Connolly's "charms"!! I thought a lot more could have been made of Mayo Methot's character, a tough nurse who is finding it hard letting go of Connolly. She was quite capable of being nasty to Benton and I was waiting for the old Mayo to spring into action. But Florey, usually so good, substituted comedy for dramatics - even stalwart, dependable Beulah Bondi was caught in the middle of a wrestling match between patients. This was not Florey's finest hour!!
Sylvia has a secret!! Yes, after the car crash her husband went insane and is now in an asylum. That's why any mention of insanity causes the usually efficient Benson to go into a dead faint!! and also why she is keeping the doctors at arms length whenever they mention marriage. Suddenly he escapes and finds himself at the same hospital where Sylvia is stationed (he doesn't know that) wanting an operation to return his sanity so he can make up to his wife for all those bitter years. A chance conversation with an interfering patient paves the way for Sylvia to find true happiness with......
"42nd Street" gave Bebe Daniel's career a new lease of life. All through the 20s she had been one of Paramount's brightest stars until sound came in and suddenly the head honchos didn't want to know. She showed them what for with "Rio Rita" and "42nd Street" which proved she could sing as well as act. "Registered Nurse" was one of the last movies Bebe made before she and her husband Ben Lyon made their home in England.
With opening music more fitting to "Showgirls on Parade" than "Registered Nurse", not even finding that John Halliday or even Minna Gombell are in the cast is very comforting. Although they do try and Minna comes up trumps, even with the sudsy storyline she is given (she is engaged to a policeman and they are desperately saving for a little house in the country until one fatal night when he confronts an armed robber...you get the picture!!) That scenario must have turned the hard boiled Miss Gombell's stomach!!!
Sylvia Benson (Bebe Daniels) is married to belligerent drunk (Gordon Westcott) but after a violent quarrel which results in a car crash, she decides to go back to nursing. Three years later Benson is the best nurse at the hospital, all the doctors think so including dedicated surgeon Dr. Hedwig (John Halliday) and chronic skirt chaser Dr. Connolly (Lyle Talbot) who claims "First base - I'm still on the bench with her"!!! She is fighting them both off but she seems to be falling for Connolly's "charms"!! I thought a lot more could have been made of Mayo Methot's character, a tough nurse who is finding it hard letting go of Connolly. She was quite capable of being nasty to Benton and I was waiting for the old Mayo to spring into action. But Florey, usually so good, substituted comedy for dramatics - even stalwart, dependable Beulah Bondi was caught in the middle of a wrestling match between patients. This was not Florey's finest hour!!
Sylvia has a secret!! Yes, after the car crash her husband went insane and is now in an asylum. That's why any mention of insanity causes the usually efficient Benson to go into a dead faint!! and also why she is keeping the doctors at arms length whenever they mention marriage. Suddenly he escapes and finds himself at the same hospital where Sylvia is stationed (he doesn't know that) wanting an operation to return his sanity so he can make up to his wife for all those bitter years. A chance conversation with an interfering patient paves the way for Sylvia to find true happiness with......
"42nd Street" gave Bebe Daniel's career a new lease of life. All through the 20s she had been one of Paramount's brightest stars until sound came in and suddenly the head honchos didn't want to know. She showed them what for with "Rio Rita" and "42nd Street" which proved she could sing as well as act. "Registered Nurse" was one of the last movies Bebe made before she and her husband Ben Lyon made their home in England.