Vigil in the Night

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

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.

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 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

1940's "Vigil in the Night" was a dramatic departure for comedic actress Carole Lombard, in a serious performance that never descends into cliché. Anne Lee (Lombard) is a conscientious nurse dedicated to duty, yet accepts blame for the death of a little boy who perished while her derelict younger sister Lucy (Anne Shirley) was off making tea. Joe Shand (Peter Cushing) is in love with Anne, who refuses his marriage proposal, and finds employment at another hospital, where she hopes her sister will eventually join her once she earns her certificate. Instead, Lucy impulsively marries Joe and moves to London, where they have a falling out, Lucy again finding trouble while Anne loyally stands by her. Brian Aherne is fine as a doctor who falls for Anne, and special mention must go to Ethel Griffies' eccentric performance as head matron. This was only Peter Cushing's third feature, and while his six minutes on screen are on par with the other films he made in those two years in Hollywood, he shares the screen with Lombard in all four, and earned some critical notice as well, one reviewer even comparing him to Spencer Tracy.