Night Nurse

Released Aug 8, 1931

1h 12m

Crime

Drama

List

82%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

74%

Audience Score

500+ Ratings

Live-in nurse Lora Hart (Barbara Stanwyck) is sent to care for two ailing young children. As the health of her patients gets progressively worse, she begins to question the methods of the children's doctor. Eventually, Lora finds irrefutable evidence linking the doctor to a plot to murder the children. Unfortunately, it's the young nurse's word against the doctor's, and no one believes Lora. But she does have one ally -- a hardened criminal named Mortie (Ben Lyon) who owes Lora his life.

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Ada Hanifin

San Francisco Examiner

The story sustains interest and suspense as it mounts in dramatic strength and cumulative action.

Jul 7, 2021

Full Review

Harry Mines

Illustrated Daily News (Los Angeles)

Unusual in that It combines wise-cracking farce with harrowing melodrama, it is a distinct triumph for Director William Wellman, one of the finest in the business, who shows his master hand with this Dora Macy yarn.

Jul 7, 2021

Full Review

Simone de Rochefort

Polygon

It sounds heavy on paper, but Night Nurse is a high-drama, high-fun pre-Code romp.

May 25, 2021

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a disappointing misfire.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 13, 2021

Full Review

John Beifuss

Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

The moral ambiguity more than the exposed skin and spilled booze is what stamps 'Night Nurse' as a definitive pre-code masterwork.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jun 20, 2014

Full Review

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

A rough-hewn marvel

Apr 12, 2013

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Steve D

Powerful and beautifully acted.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/03/23

Full Review

Robert O

The plot made little sense but Barbara and Joan were terrific.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/24/23

Full Review

Tom M

Stanwyck and Blondell are terrific. Suspense and a bit of mystery ... is Gable a good guy or bad guy ? Watch and see !

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/23/20

Full Review

Audience Member

I love Barbara Stanwyck, but this one shoots for the middle and achieves it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This one is definitely a guilty pleasure. It has to be. There are so many moments of obvious exploitation of young actresses Barbara Stanwyck (24 years old) and Joan Blondell (25), and they're all done in an amateurish way by director William A. Wellman, that you may find yourself chuckling at how over-the-top this pre-Code film is. We see Stanwyck undress to put on her new nurse's uniform, while Blondell eyes her up and down, and later takes off her garter for her. We see the two of them return from a night of carousing, and while getting undressed for bed, with Blondell's backside takes center stage. We see Blondell slipping on a uniform for surgery with the help of an assistant. And we see Stanwyck changing into her uniform, again while Blondell looks on admiringly. That's four underwear scenes, and all in the first 30 minutes! The movie does settle in to a plot, with the pair tending to a couple of trust fund babies who are being starved to death by none other than Clark Gable, who is quite sinister. In one scene Gable even knocks Stanwyck out, as Wellman dishes up a side of violence to go with the sex. As it plays out, it's all pretty ridiculous, but the star power of the film is hard to resist. I adore Stanwyck and Blondell, so confess this is not an unbiased review! I loved the chemistry Stanwyck had with Ben Lyon, the bootlegger she befriended on the job, and Blondell is a firecracker in every scene she's in. I found myself torn between being mesmerized by them and hooting over the movie's silliness, including an ending that was comically abrupt. Despite all that, it's probably must-see for anyone who likes pre-Code films, simply for how over the line the filmmakers wanted to take it, and with three superstars early in their film careers. It was certainly entertaining.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

a excellent 1931 pre code forbidden Hollywood Barbara Stanwyck plays a caring nurse during prohibition dealing with alocohol and crime.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

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William A. Wellman

Director

Barbara Stanwyck

Lora Hart

Ben Lyon

Mortie

Joan Blondell

B. Maloney

Grace Perkins

Writer

Oliver H.P. Garrett

Writer

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Synopsis

Live-in nurse Lora Hart (Barbara Stanwyck) is sent to care for two ailing young children. As the health of her patients gets progressively worse, she begins to question the methods of the children's doctor. Eventually, Lora finds irrefutable evidence linking the doctor to a plot to murder the children. Unfortunately, it's the young nurse's word against the doctor's, and no one believes Lora. But she does have one ally -- a hardened criminal named Mortie (Ben Lyon) who owes Lora his life.

Director: William A. Wellman
Screenwriter: Grace Perkins, Oliver H.P. Garrett, Charles Kenyon
Distributor: MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Warner Bros., The Vitaphone Corporation
Production Co: Warner Brothers
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 8, 1931, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 21, 2016
Runtime: 1h 12m
Sound Mix: Mono

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