What a tour-de-force for Carole Lombard! If you've only seen her in screwball comedies, you've got to check out her serious dramatic turn in Vigil in the Night. Rosalind Russell wasn't the only actress who played women of authority in the silver screen. Carole plays a serious, dedicated nurse who wants nothing more than to be efficient and useful.
Her sister, Anne Shirley, is also a nurse, but she doesn't hold her sister's ethics. In between the sisters' shifts, Anne leaves a critically ill patient to pour herself a cup of tea. It's only for a moment, but the patient dies, and Anne is called before the medical board. Carole takes the blame, lying and saying she was the one on duty instead. Of course, Carole is dismissed from the hospital and given bad references so she might never get another job. Carole vows she won't be broken and eventually, she accepts a lowly position at an underfunded hospital. She has to endure bad treatment, reminders of her past, and working her way up from the bottom with a strict overseer. Two rewards await her if she succeeds: the pride of knowing she didn't let one mistake beat her, and the handsome, supportive doctor Brian Aherne she's fallen in love with.
This unforgotten classic is a very strong movie with an even stronger performance by its leading lady. I was never a Carole Lombard fan, but I really like her when I'm able to catch her in a drama. She's made of strong stuff in this role. She's so believable as a nurse who's seen her share and can handle worse. If you like her in this movie that won her a Rag nomination for Best Actress, check her out in They Knew What They Wanted, which won her a Rag Award!
Her sister, Anne Shirley, is also a nurse, but she doesn't hold her sister's ethics. In between the sisters' shifts, Anne leaves a critically ill patient to pour herself a cup of tea. It's only for a moment, but the patient dies, and Anne is called before the medical board. Carole takes the blame, lying and saying she was the one on duty instead. Of course, Carole is dismissed from the hospital and given bad references so she might never get another job. Carole vows she won't be broken and eventually, she accepts a lowly position at an underfunded hospital. She has to endure bad treatment, reminders of her past, and working her way up from the bottom with a strict overseer. Two rewards await her if she succeeds: the pride of knowing she didn't let one mistake beat her, and the handsome, supportive doctor Brian Aherne she's fallen in love with.
This unforgotten classic is a very strong movie with an even stronger performance by its leading lady. I was never a Carole Lombard fan, but I really like her when I'm able to catch her in a drama. She's made of strong stuff in this role. She's so believable as a nurse who's seen her share and can handle worse. If you like her in this movie that won her a Rag nomination for Best Actress, check her out in They Knew What They Wanted, which won her a Rag Award!