Sob o Uniforme Branco

Somewhat over-wrought melodrama about the trials and tribulations of working in a big-city hospital in the late 1930's. There is a great deal of emphasis on the selflessness of these caregivers, including a doctor who is tempted by the big money of private private practice but stays true to his mission. The hospital is amazingly orderly, quiet, and clean. Would have been good for recruitment.

The title refers to Norma (Florence Rice), her sister Pat (Ann Rutherford), the super dedicated Mary (Mary Howard), and the irreverent Gertie (Una Merkel). Merkel and Buddy Ebson provide much needed comic relief. Rutherford is quite good as the wholesome and perky little sister but Merkel is the reason to see this film. Her talent for comedy is amazing and after seeing her in "Four Girls in White" you will be on the lookout for more of her films.

The climatic train wreck-dam bursting sequence provides a glimpse into the staging of a low budget disaster back in the old days. The camera stays tight on the action, making very little seem like a really big deal.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

For the most part, it's an episode of General Hospital….The quadrangle of nurses (Thus the title Four Girls in White) is played by Florence Rice, Anne Rutherford, Una Merkel, and Mary Howard. The doctors and nurses walk around, mostly blandly reciting their lines. The one bright spark here is Jessie Ralph, who was the nagging foil to W.C. Fields in some of his movies. (If you can catch her in Walking on Air, or They met in Bombay, she is just GREAT in those… one of my favorite actresses!) There's a tremendous emergency scene near the end, and the special effects aren't bad for an MGM shortie from 1939. Someone who was in hot water earlier on, may get the chance at redemption during the crisis. In one scene, the director Sylvan Simon allows the action to happen without talking, which added to the suspense; talk there would have taken away from the scene. Also keep an eye out for a 30-ish year old Buddy Ebsen in one of his earlier roles… it must be Buddy Ebsen day, since Turner Classic channel also just showed "Yellow Jack" earlier today. Not a bad film, but needed a better script or something.

In that golden year of 1939, the same year that she played Careen, Scarlett O'Hara's youngest sister in GWTW Ann Rutherford also appeared in this earnest programmer. She's one of the title girls although not the most heavily featured, that would be the forgotten Florence Rice, but she's pert and strictly secondary which would explain how she could appear in EIGHT! films that year.

As for the rest of the film it's second feature, bottom of the bill stuff all the way. The lives and challenges of young nurses has been examined many times and nothing new is added here. Everyone performs professionally but without distinction, the unique Una Merkel livens things up whenever she pops in but she is also mostly on the sidelines. Everybody gets to prove their mettle by the end no matter how far they've strayed during the overheated melodramatics.

And I do emphasize cheese! In spite of that, I would not say to stay away.

At any rate, the "four girls in white" who sign up for nursing school are Norma Page (Florence Rice), her kid sister Pat (Ann Rutherford), single mom Mary Forbes (Mary Howard), and Gertie (Una Merkel) - Una always provides the comic relief, and she is a bright spot in the picture.

Although the title talks about four girls, this is primarily Norma's journey, as she enters nursing school to land a doctor for a husband. It isn't long until she sets her sights on brilliant physician Stephen Melford (Alan Marshall). However, her constantly nagging him about going into private practice where he could make a mint drives a wedge between them. Then she turns to rich playboy Bob Maitland , who is a patient in the hospital. Complications ensue as Norma slowly learns the value of self sacrifice and the folly of selfishness, which in her case, has at least one tragic consequence.

The bad? Nursing in 1939 looks remarkably like housekeeping - doing laundry, feeding patients, washing dishes, taking temperatures...oh, and if something interesting happens, call a doctor, who is ALWAYS a MAN. And the pay is appropriately low because in 1939 all nurses (at least in this movie) are women. Being a RN today looks nothing like this, as RNs are tasked with work far more complex. To give the film credit, this probably IS what nursing looked like in 1939, but that doesn't mean I have to like it!

The ugly? Before Louis B. Mayer finally ruined Buddy Ebsen's career, he gave him several B- roles at MGM, in this case that of disorderly orderly "Express". He is just not funny and why does poor Una Merkel have to always fall for the career runt of the litter? She's so cute and perky! Also, one of Norma's first unselfish deeds on her road to righting her moral compass is to... fix her naive inexperienced baby sister up with that wolf Maitland she was trying to matrimonially nab?!?? Yikes! How long before baby sister is a sadder but wiser girl, wedding ring or not? Finally, this film is obviously trying to tap the successful Kildare series of the same era, but Alan Marshall as part Errol Flynn and part Kildare just doesn't cut it, and I guess Miss Tobias as the head nurse who is battle axe on the outside, heart of gold on the inside, is supposed to be filling Lionel Barrymore's shoes, but she just doesn't do it for me either.

The good? The film does have some poignant melodrama and an irreversible tragic turn I just was not expecting from an MGM B of the era. Plus there is a dynamite action filled finale. I'd say on the whole it is a take it or leave it proposition.

Florence Rice, Ann Rutherford, Alan Marshal, and Kent Taylor star in "Four Girls in White," an MGM B movie from 1939.

MGM's B movies were always more like A-, as they took great care with these films, used to groom future stars.

This movie follows nursing students through their years of training, particularly Norma and Patricia Page (Rice and Rutherford). Other students include Una Merkel and Mary Howard. Howard's character has a child she had to leave behind in order to become a nurse and make a better life for both of them.

Norma has her eyes on a doctor (Marshal) who, if he would go into private practice, could make a whopping $50,000 a year, which today would be over $800,000.

After they break up, she sets her cap (as my mother would say) for the grandson of the hospital's founder (Kent Taylor). When he invites her and her sister to go cruising in his yacht on their vacation, Norma is determined to go at any price.

Mildly entertaining though a little confusing for newer fans, as Alan Marshal and Kent Taylor were both in the Clark Gable mold and kind of looked alike.

The women have the stronger roles, and they're all good, including Jessie Ralph and Sara Haden. Buddy Ebsen is funny in the comedy relief part.

Florence Rice was a young beauty, but MGM at some point must have decided she didn't have much spark and didn't give her the opportunities. She did some radio and TV before entering into a happy marriage and retiring.

Dr. Kildare fans will recognize the sets.