If "Registered Nurse" were the only information we had about the 1930's I'd say it was a terrible era to live in. If this movie were indicative of life at that time I'd say what neanderthals we used to be.
A man put a woman in the hospital by breaking her ribs and blacking her eye, and it was made to seem like she was the type to deserve it. A woman couldn't get a divorce from her psychologically deranged husband because the law wouldn't allow her to. Slapping a woman on the ass was normal work procedure along with doctors hounding nurses for dates and sexual favors.
Check this out:
Sylvestrie (played by Sidney Toler) who hospitalized Sadie (Irene Franklin) was in the hospital himself with a broken leg. He told the nurse that Sadie was the cause, then followed it up with a proud, "Wait til you see her. I wrecked her," and it was as if he said nothing at all. As if he said he swatted a fly.
That same nurse, Nurse Benton (Bebe Daniels), told him, "If it'll help any, you can slap me now," as if that was standard protocol for nurses to calm ailing patients.
Good Grief. Maybe this was common and I'm just naive.
The main character, Sylvia Benton, separated from her husband Jim Benton (Gordon Westcott) after the two were in a terrible car accident due to his drunkenness. She got back into nursing and landed in a hospital with doctors Hedwig (John Halliday) and Greg Connolly (Lyle Talbot). Sylvia was a young attractive woman, so naturally both doctors wanted her.
Of the two doctors, Dr. Connolly was the youngest and most aggressive... ahem... forward. The more Sylvia rebuffed him, the more he wanted her. He understood that her rejections were not definite "Nos," they were just, "I-want-to-but-I'm-not-sures." As Dr. Connolly kept pressing Nurse Benton and forcibly kissed her, we find out that he's not the problem, the problem is that she's still married. She would divorce her husband, but her husband is clinically insane and she just couldn't do that to him, even IF the law allowed it.
It turned out she wouldn't have to worry about a divorce anyway. Her husband showed up at her very hospital looking for an operation to cure him of his madness.
I know, what are the odds?
While he was waiting for surgery he was paid a visit by Sylvestrie. Sylvestrie is that swell fellow I told you about who broke a woman's ribs. Well, he had the bright idea to swing by Jim's room and pretend like he didn't know who Jim was or that he was married to Sylvia. Sylvestrie went on to suggest that "if I was her husband I'd just jump out of a window" to give Sylvia her freedom.
Never underestimate the power of suggestion because that's exactly what Jim did. Love triangle fixed. Sylvia was then free to marry Greg Connolly if she so desired.
Plot twist. She didn't marry Greg. Greg proved himself to be a selfish a-hole, which we, the viewers, knew but thought he may have found the woman to cure him of that. She wound up with Dr. Hedwig (John Halliday), who had proposed to her before then respectfully gave her her space when she declined his proposal.
In general, I didn't really like this movie, however, I did like that Nurse Benton gave Greg (Lyle Talbot) the brush off in favor of the more respectful and less handsy Dr. Hedwig.
Free on YouTube.
A man put a woman in the hospital by breaking her ribs and blacking her eye, and it was made to seem like she was the type to deserve it. A woman couldn't get a divorce from her psychologically deranged husband because the law wouldn't allow her to. Slapping a woman on the ass was normal work procedure along with doctors hounding nurses for dates and sexual favors.
Check this out:
Sylvestrie (played by Sidney Toler) who hospitalized Sadie (Irene Franklin) was in the hospital himself with a broken leg. He told the nurse that Sadie was the cause, then followed it up with a proud, "Wait til you see her. I wrecked her," and it was as if he said nothing at all. As if he said he swatted a fly.
That same nurse, Nurse Benton (Bebe Daniels), told him, "If it'll help any, you can slap me now," as if that was standard protocol for nurses to calm ailing patients.
Good Grief. Maybe this was common and I'm just naive.
The main character, Sylvia Benton, separated from her husband Jim Benton (Gordon Westcott) after the two were in a terrible car accident due to his drunkenness. She got back into nursing and landed in a hospital with doctors Hedwig (John Halliday) and Greg Connolly (Lyle Talbot). Sylvia was a young attractive woman, so naturally both doctors wanted her.
Of the two doctors, Dr. Connolly was the youngest and most aggressive... ahem... forward. The more Sylvia rebuffed him, the more he wanted her. He understood that her rejections were not definite "Nos," they were just, "I-want-to-but-I'm-not-sures." As Dr. Connolly kept pressing Nurse Benton and forcibly kissed her, we find out that he's not the problem, the problem is that she's still married. She would divorce her husband, but her husband is clinically insane and she just couldn't do that to him, even IF the law allowed it.
It turned out she wouldn't have to worry about a divorce anyway. Her husband showed up at her very hospital looking for an operation to cure him of his madness.
I know, what are the odds?
While he was waiting for surgery he was paid a visit by Sylvestrie. Sylvestrie is that swell fellow I told you about who broke a woman's ribs. Well, he had the bright idea to swing by Jim's room and pretend like he didn't know who Jim was or that he was married to Sylvia. Sylvestrie went on to suggest that "if I was her husband I'd just jump out of a window" to give Sylvia her freedom.
Never underestimate the power of suggestion because that's exactly what Jim did. Love triangle fixed. Sylvia was then free to marry Greg Connolly if she so desired.
Plot twist. She didn't marry Greg. Greg proved himself to be a selfish a-hole, which we, the viewers, knew but thought he may have found the woman to cure him of that. She wound up with Dr. Hedwig (John Halliday), who had proposed to her before then respectfully gave her her space when she declined his proposal.
In general, I didn't really like this movie, however, I did like that Nurse Benton gave Greg (Lyle Talbot) the brush off in favor of the more respectful and less handsy Dr. Hedwig.
Free on YouTube.