Four Girls in White
Four Girls in White is a 1939 drama film directed by S. Sylvan Simon, starring Florence Rice and Una Merkel. It follows the mostly comical exploits of four nursing students enrolled in a three-year training course.[1]
| Four Girls in White | |
|---|---|
 1939 theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | S. Sylvan Simon |
| Produced by | Nat Levine |
| Written by | Endre Bohem Nathalie Bucknall |
| Starring | Florence Rice Una Merkel Buddy Ebsen |
| Cinematography | Leonard Smith |
| Edited by | George Boemler |
Production company | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp. |
| Distributed by | Loew's Incorporated |
Release date |
|
Running time | 73 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
Student nurses at a large urban hospital cope with life's problems and career issues. Deciding that the nursing profession presents a wonderful opportunity to corral a prosperous husband, Norma Page enrolls in a nursing program headed by Miss Tobias. Other new recruits to the program at Maitland Hospital are Norma's sister Patricia, Mary Forbes, a young mother, and Gertie Robbins. Soon after starting her job at the hospital, Norma dates Dr. Stephen Melford, the brilliant resident physician. However, when Stephen forsakes a lucrative private practice for a life of public service, Norma breaks off the relationship. Norma's next quarry is wealthy playboy Robert Maitland, a descendant of the hospital's founder, who is admitted to the hospital after being shot by a jealous dancer. Following his recuperation, Robert checks out of the hospital without saying a word to Norma. When Norma sees Robert leaving, though, she immediately hands her patient over to Mary, who leaves her post to cover for Norma, so that she can bid Robert farewell. Norma succeeds in cajoling an invitation from Robert for her and Pat to join him on his father's yacht, but her act has dire consequences for Mary, who is reprimanded and denied her vacation for leaving her post. Rather than confess that she was responsible for Mary's dereliction of duty, Norma joins Pat and Robert on the yacht, but when Robert falls in love with Pat, Norma decides to return to the hospital. Shortly thereafter, Mary is killed by an insane patient, and the other nurses resent Norma for letting Mary take the blame for her misdeed. Norma is on the verge of resigning when she joins an emergency team that is speeding to administer aid to the victims of a train wreck. Norma proves her mettle as, amid a raging storm, she endangers her own life to assist the injured. Norma's devotion to duty regains Stephen's love and proves her worthy of her title.
From TCM Synopsis.
Cast
- Florence Rice as Norma Page
- Una Merkel as Robbins
- Ann Rutherford as Patricia 'Pat' Page
- Mary Howard as Mary Forbes
- Alan Marshal as Dr. Stephen 'Steve' Melford
- Kent Taylor as Robert 'Bob' Maitland
- Buddy Ebsen as Express, an Orderly
- Jessie Ralph as Miss Tobias
- Sara Haden as Miss Bennett
- Phillip Terry as Dr. Sidney
- Tom Neal as Dr. Phillips
Production notes
- Working titles for this film were Women in White and Diary of a Nurse.
- Production Dates:5 Dec 1938-3 Jan 1939
Parody
On April 4, 1939 Jack Benny and his ensemble performed a parody of "Four Girls in White" on "The JELL-O Program"[2]
References
- "Four Girls in White (1939) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast". AllMovie. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
- "The Jack Benny Show at OTR.Network (Old Time Radio)". Otr.net. Archived from the original on 2014-08-11. Retrieved 2014-07-16.