A hospital nurse is recruited by the police to watch a household where a suspicious death has occurred.A hospital nurse is recruited by the police to watch a household where a suspicious death has occurred.A hospital nurse is recruited by the police to watch a household where a suspicious death has occurred.
Allan Lane
- Herbert Wynn
- (scenes deleted)
Nigel De Brulier
- Coroner James A. Clemp
- (as Nigel de Brulier)
Lucien Littlefield
- Henderson
- (scenes deleted)
Stanley Blystone
- First Police Guard
- (uncredited)
Walter Brennan
- Police Dispatcher
- (uncredited)
Davison Clark
- Police Sergeant
- (uncredited)
Don Dillaway
- Charles 'Charlie' Elliott
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe novel upon which this film is based was serialized in The Saturday Evening Post from 2 January to 13 February 1932.
- GoofsWhen Nurse Adams is attacked, she starts screaming very loudly and then the screaming goes silent when she faints. But on the next immediate shot which is of the cops running up the stairs; she can still hear her loud screams. Then on the following shot when the cops find her, she is just starting to slowly regain consciousness.
- Quotes
Nurse Adams, aka Miss Pinkerton: Here's a dollar, keep the change.
Taxi Driver: There is no change.
Nurse Adams, aka Miss Pinkerton: Then we're even.
- ConnectionsReferenced in American Dad!: The American Dad After School Special (2006)
Featured review
Good mystery but little chemistry here...
...specifically between Joan Blondell and George Brent. These are two players whose performances and films I generally enjoy immensely, but here the two just seem to be acting at each other rather than with each other. It's hard to describe unless you actually see it.
Blondell plays a nurse in a hospital - Nurse Adams - who is bored with hospital routine. One night she gets picked by the head nurse to be private nurse for the night to an old woman who has had a terrible shock - the old woman found the body of her nephew shortly after he had been shot with his own gun. Was it suicide? Was it murder? If it was murder, what was the motive? These are the questions surrounding the mystery of the unnatural death of Herbert Wynn. There is also the complication of Herbert Wynn's life being insured for one hundred thousand dollars payable to his aunt, and that his family - once wealthy - is now on the verge of bankruptcy and ruin. So, there is just as much a motive for making the suicide look accidental - or like a murder - as there is reason for making any murder that has occurred look like a suicide or accident. Life insurance doesn't pay out for suicide.
Enter George Brent, a police detective on the case that takes an immediate liking to Nurse Adams and dubs her "Miss Pinkerton". I could never really figure that one out, unless it has something to do with the famous Scottish detective whose name is often a pseudonym for detective. This is really an old dark house tale mixed in with elements of the Thin Man. From the old dark house side of things we have a creepy mansion with creepier inhabitants and mysterious locked rooms. From the Thin Man tradition of mysteries - which actually wasn't made for two years after this film - we have everybody shooting darting and knowing glances at everyone else and looking guilty and somewhat conspiratorial.
The rather complex plot will keep you interested, but you'll likely be disappointed with the romance and partnership end of things between Blondell and Brent. They were both capable of having tremendous chemistry with other leading ladies and men, just not with each other and certainly not in this film. Recommended, but with reservations.
Blondell plays a nurse in a hospital - Nurse Adams - who is bored with hospital routine. One night she gets picked by the head nurse to be private nurse for the night to an old woman who has had a terrible shock - the old woman found the body of her nephew shortly after he had been shot with his own gun. Was it suicide? Was it murder? If it was murder, what was the motive? These are the questions surrounding the mystery of the unnatural death of Herbert Wynn. There is also the complication of Herbert Wynn's life being insured for one hundred thousand dollars payable to his aunt, and that his family - once wealthy - is now on the verge of bankruptcy and ruin. So, there is just as much a motive for making the suicide look accidental - or like a murder - as there is reason for making any murder that has occurred look like a suicide or accident. Life insurance doesn't pay out for suicide.
Enter George Brent, a police detective on the case that takes an immediate liking to Nurse Adams and dubs her "Miss Pinkerton". I could never really figure that one out, unless it has something to do with the famous Scottish detective whose name is often a pseudonym for detective. This is really an old dark house tale mixed in with elements of the Thin Man. From the old dark house side of things we have a creepy mansion with creepier inhabitants and mysterious locked rooms. From the Thin Man tradition of mysteries - which actually wasn't made for two years after this film - we have everybody shooting darting and knowing glances at everyone else and looking guilty and somewhat conspiratorial.
The rather complex plot will keep you interested, but you'll likely be disappointed with the romance and partnership end of things between Blondell and Brent. They were both capable of having tremendous chemistry with other leading ladies and men, just not with each other and certainly not in this film. Recommended, but with reservations.
helpful•96
- AlsExGal
- Mar 20, 2010
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Gospodjica Pinkerton
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 6 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content