Vigil in the Night

Fine performances by Carole Lombard and Anne Shirley, as sisters who persue demanding nursing careers. Film is bolstered by the stoic yet compassionate doctor played by leading man, Brian Aherne. Carole Lombard fans, used to her in comedic roles, are in for a treat as this role show cases Ms. Lombards versatility as an actress.

I was totally mesmerized by the performance of Carole Lombard and Brian Aherne. She was definitely Academy Award material for this movie. The undercurrent of their secret love for one another is very sexually tense. He is taken with her from the very beginning. This movie makes you long for the old time nurses who wore caps and who were so compassionate. You also long for the old time Doctors who were dedicated and not always looking at their watches to make sure you haven't taken more than a Medicare Minute, or that it's getting close to 5pm.

It is definitely spellbinding. Carole handles herself in such a professional manner and and manages to keep her cool in such demanding settings. She plays a good Samaritan for her sister and puts her own career into jeopardy by taking the blame for her student nurse immature sister. She evokes sentiment in women to do what one has to do and not complain about it.For this reason the story in inspirational. It's got nothing of materialism in it, or agendas that aren't uplifting. You feel good about life after watching this wonderful, don't miss, movie. Please make this available to Schools of Nursing.

The Title Vigil in the Night promotes wonderment, because all kinds of things can happen in the night hours. Thanks, MB

Dedicated and conscientious nurse Anne Lee (Carole Lombard) and her younger sister Lucy (Anne Shirley) are both nurses at the same hospital. When a little boy dies due to Lucy's negligence, Anne takes the blame and is promptly fired. She manages to find work at another hospital, where she quickly earns the respect of her superiors and also finds love with a doctor (Brian Aherne). But she must endure many more problems, including an amorous hospital benefactor and a nurse from her previous post who knows all about why she was discharged.

Fine showcase for Lombard's dramatic talents, which are often overlooked because she was such a great comedienne. The cast backing her up helps keep this from descending into hokum, which it easily could have. Brian Aherne is great, as is beautiful Anne Shirley. Brenda Forbes lightens things up as a comic relief nurse. Early role for Peter Cushing. It's really an exceptional film. The kind we're probably too cynical to make anymore. Lombard fans will eat it up. Nurses should like it, as well, since it's ultimately all about admiration for their profession.

It is indeed surprising to see Carol Lombard in a serious dramatic role, and it shows us the range of her talents. We thus mourn her early demise all the more deeply.

Maltin is correct in that good acting and direction here save a potentially sentimental script from descending into bathos. In fact, the explosively dramatic start undergirds the whole story and gives it an impetus that keeps us involved throughout. The movie wears its age well, and is well worth seeing.

I use this film to discuss nursing history. It is pre-antibiotics, so there has to be good nursing care and sterile technique for folks to survive. Plus this movie has it all - terribly sick children, a hokey doctor-nurse romance, and several dramatic scenes you don't get these days, like a bus wreck! The scene in the operating room is pretty interesting too - it makes one realize that an appendectomy was once a life threatening procedure. Overall, it is always fun to have students watch it and learn from growth of the profession and the science. It is so sad that Carole Lombard died so young - she had the potential to be a magnificent dramatic actress. Peg Farrar