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Barbara Stanwyck in NIGHT NURSE (1931) presented by Forbidden Hollywood
One of the most amoral films not just of the Pre-Code era, but of Hollywood in general, is 1931’s “Night Nurse.” Star Barbara Stanwyck rolls her usual toughness into her earnest portrayal of nurse Lora Hart, a woman who sincerely wants to help others— which she does, after graduating from nursing school and being assigned as the night nurse at a lavish home where a lush socialite’s young children are mysteriously dying. William Wellman’s efficient direction lends itself well to this punchy script, where everything is topsy-turvy: bootleggers are heroes, doctors and law enforcement are ineffectual, medical ethics are practically nonexistent, and a pre-fame Clark Gable is wildly miscast (but still chillingly effective) as a villainous chauffeur.
Co-starring Joan Blondell as Lora’s nurse pal Maloney, one of the only times Stanwyck and Blondell appeared on screen together but providing one of cinema’s most crackerjack examples of female friendship, “Night Nurse” is a roller-coaster ride of loose morals that’s resolved with such casual violence, it really must be seen to be believed.
Event Links
Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/2578974-0
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/2578974-2
