Wife, Doctor and Nurse

"Wife, Doctor, and Nurse" from 1937 is a cute film about a doctor who marries a patient (Loretta Young), and problems arise with his loyal nurse (Virginia Bruce).

There's not much to this film. Loretta is stunning as always, but you can see why Bruce would make her nervous.

Warner Baxter is the type of leading man that is no longer in fashion, so it's probably hard for people today to believe these women were all so nuts about him. He does a very good job with his role, though, of a man who adores his wife and can't get along in the office without his nurse.

Very professional and good cast - a nice film.

1937's "Wife, Doctor and Nurse" is a supposed comedy which often forgets about the humor to focus squarely on the soap opera life of Park Avenue doctor Judd Lewis (Warner Baxter), recently wed to somewhat spoiled socialite Ina Heath (Loretta Young), who tries to put up with his frequent absences performing surgeries at the hospital. Matters are further complicated by the fact that his devoted nurse Steve (Virginia Bruce) has been unknowingly in love with her employer for years, only realizing it now that he has married another. Incredibly, both females decide to leave rather than risk being a 'frustrated woman,' the indecisive finale proving not only improbable but also objectionable for the censors of the day, forcing studio chief Darryl Zanuck to bow to their demands for numerous cuts. Today's audiences will find little meat on these tired bones, so it's up to the cast to keep everything afloat, Baxter and Young an unlikely pair, an age difference of 24 years, Virginia Bruce coming off better on less to work with. Few among the supporting cast have moments to shine, small roles for Jane Darwell (as the doctor's housekeeper), Sidney Blackmer (as a fellow surgeon), and Elisha Cook as an interne. It's particularly disappointing for Lon Chaney fans, during his two year sabbatical as a Fox contract player, billed on screen as the doctor's chauffeur Scott, but around 80 seconds screen time and little dialogue. Unbilled in 20 of his 32 titles for Fox, this part turns out to be just another bit for an actor still awaiting his big break two years away from "Of Mice and Men."

Sophisticate Loretta Young and Doctor Warner Baxter fall in love and get married. She understands that a good doctor is on call 24 hours a day. It's when she finds out that his assistant isn't a man, but Virginia Bruce, that she starts to worry. She takes Miss Bruce to lunch and satisfies herself that love had never entered her mind. Now that Miss Young has put it there, Miss Bruce realizes that she does love Baxter.

It's well performed under the direction of Walter Lang, but while sex raises its head only in the most Code-compliant of ways, it is present, and curiously absent. Baxter refers to his all-girl staff as his "harem", and cracks up when Miss Bruce or Miss Young leaves him. This is by no means the first movie to tackle the issue of the "office wife" However, because this movie, unlike, say, WIFE VERSUS SECRETARY, is unwilling to be serious, it comes out as smarmy. Doubtless, it was intended to be sophisticated and frothy, but the Production Code did not permit that.

Dr. Judd Lewis (Warner Baxter) is an incredibly successful surgeon and works in one of the finest hospitals. However, unexpectedly, the doctor meets a nice socialite, Ina (Loretta Young) and they marry almost instantly. But there are major obstacles to overcome. First, Judd is a workaholic with a god complex and even left on his honeymoon to take care of a patient! So it's obvious that his job comes first and he assumes he's indispensable. Second, although neither yet realized it, his assistant, Steve (Virginia Bruce), is falling for him...and considering he spends considerably more time with her than his wife, that spells disaster. Third, Ina is pretty much alone following her marriage! Can these people possibly sort everything out and live happily ever after?

While the acting is quite good in this film, casting a woman almost two and a half decades younger than the doctor to play the wife is a bit of a stretch. Additionally, while the story is interesting, I really think it could have been toned down a bit more....making it less black and white. But the Doc and Ina seem more like characters than real people and the only more complete character seems to be 'Steve'...an odd name for a female nurse! Overall, a modestly entertaining film that could have been a bit better.