The Girl in 419 (1933) User Reviews

No Cagney, no Muni, no Robinson but also not bad

[ecaulfield · 7/10 · 21 June 2009]

Gangster saga set in the Emergency Hospital - Police Division. Rather than showcasing the gangster's charismatic persona, this picture depicts the events that take place at a charity hospital serving the community populated with those gangsters. No James Cagney here but this film bears the unmistakable imprimatur of the early thirties: Wise-cracking telephone operator (Kitty Kelly), when asked for a date of a bus ride, replies "Brother, can you spare the dime?" The joint is populated with reporters, like Slug (Johnny Hines), who pry stories out of the doctors with promises of gin. It comes as no surprise that the characters make easy references to the morgue.

Dr. French (James Dunn) is the hospital's prize surgeon, who romances platinum blonde nurse Ms. Blaine (Shirley Grey) while on duty, that is, until platinum blonde patient Mary Dolan (Gloria Stuart) arrives unconscious. Dr. French decides that Mary requires a personal 24/7 vigil because this strikingly beautiful woman is "different" and no one can find the usual dirt on her. Mary is "society" who let herself become mixed up with gangster Peter Lawton (William Harrigan). Lawton's heavy, Sammy (Jack La Rue) intends to visit the unfortunate Mary at her bedside. Sure, he gave Mary "a terrible beating" and he has a gun planted under that bouquet of flowers, but it's okay for him to see the quarantined Mary because they are "pals." This is a hospital where a gangster can ask for a drink upon using it as a hide-out. The Girl in 419 has pre-code elements, but even when those die down the film is memorable for its politically incorrect 30's sensibilities: Dr. French tells the police to "gag" nurse Blaine if she won't shut up, to which the officer responds, "Wouldn't I like to? I've got a missus that talks too much." Recommended although you might find yourself wishing for more Kitty Kelly and less hokey Dunn-Stuart romance which ends the picture.

I have become a fan of David Manners, who has a supporting role here as Dr. Nichols. It is sometimes commented that he is dull or not given enough to do. But ask yourself, did his character do what I think he did to bring the film to an end? If so, then this film is an example of pre-code because no justice was meted out for that act. Furthermore, if true, Dr. Nichols was no dull guy!

"Emergency hospital, police division"

[boblipton · 6/10 · 8 December 2021]

James Dunn is the head doctor in 'Emergency Hospital', and there are the usual assortment of comic switchboard operators, Vince Barnett as the alleged comic relief -- despite is reputation as a practical joker, I don't find his screen appearances funny -- and soap opera, in the person of Gloria Stuart, who shows up unconscious but beautiful, wakes to apparent amnesia, and turns out to be the central story.

Its short length proclaims this a B movie, but this is Paramount, so there are lots of recognizable performers, including Jane Darwell as a nurse with no lines, Billy Gilbert doing his sneezing routine, and David Manners as the young doctor who wants to be a surgeon. Some good, cynical lines proclai this a pre-code, and co-directors Alexander Hall and George Somnes keep this one rolling along.

Patience are a virtue.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 31 May 2014]

The life of physicians in the police ward of a metropolitan hospital provide the string for this sometimes interesting but slow-moving drama which takes a while to get off the ground. The mysterious girl in 419 is none other than Gloria Stuart, that beloved old lady from 1997's "Titanic", and here, she is as troubled as the younger version of that character. She's the victim of a brutal beating and her story becomes a mystery for her physicians (James Dunn and David Manners) who become engrossed in her case.

There's an interesting structure surrounding this with the wise-cracking telephone operator (Kitty Kelly) whose glib persona provides the film's only humor. The other attempt at humor comes with the over-the-top Billy Gilbert whose constant attempts to sneeze (as usual for him) is interrupted by his heavily accented "No feel da tickle". There's also the various "slice of life" moments, such as one moment where a patient leaves the hospital, thanking the doctors for such fine care, and their comment on how they only saved him for the electric chair. The operation scene on Stuart is interrupted by a sudden blast of gunfire and the determination of the doctors to continue while trying to ignore what is going on. This leads to a somewhat shocking moment for the two workers at the hospital in the midst of stealing a romantic moment together that is for some reason left open without conclusion.

Dunn and Manners are such opposite actors that their teaming seems a bit off the beam. With the exception of the last half of the film, Stuart spends much of her time comatose, so this isn't an opportunity for her to shine, although she certainly is lovely. Yet, this is such a rare find that if you are lucky enough to catch a viewing of it, you won't want to miss it.

James Dunn is a hospital Casanova...

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 11 December 2010]

who is a great surgeon at Emergency Hospital in an unnamed city. The action focuses on the police division of the hospital - where criminals and their victims are taken and treated. Actually, I've never seen such an early film with a hospital wing dedicated to crime, but it serves the plot well since it explains how Dunn's character, Dr. Daniel French, is so well known by both the criminal element and the police in the town.

The film opens with Dunn being called out to ride along with the ambulance on a case - the shooting of the leader of one of the local gangs. However, when French arrives the police inform him he's too late, the mobster has died. Furthermore the police inform him they have no clues as to who did it. French is apparently more observant than the police, speculating by certain clues in the room that a woman was involved. When the doctor returns to the hospital he's met by another case. An anonymous woman (Gloria Stuart) has been brought in. She's unconscious and has been badly beaten. As French works tirelessly to try and save her life, he finds he's falling for this sleeping beauty. Add to this the unusual interest the head of another gang in the city is taking in her case and I think you know where this is going. Complicating factor - the nurse who is assisting French on the girl's case was French's girlfriend and does not appreciate being thrown over, although you have to wonder what she thought was going to happen since up to now the sound of wedding bells had the effect of a fire alarm on Dr. French.

There are other rather comic things going on in the hospital to prevent the film from getting bogged down in melodrama. There's a patient in the hospital that is on the verge of breaking the world record for length of a sneezing fit, there's a lovable little orderly who is trying to woo one of the laundry girls who only seems interested in getting a genuine fur coat, and finally there is David Manners, who plays a young doctor who looks up to French like a kid brother to an older brother and wants nothing more than to follow in his footsteps and specialize in surgery.

Dunn and Manners complement each other well here. Dunn's performance is mainly verbal, while Manners' is primarily facial expressions and mannerisms that are quite telling, and in the end he figures to be a larger part of the conclusion than his small amount of screen time would lead you to believe. There are a couple of rather interesting precode moments. The first has nothing to do with the plot. A charity case in the hospital has eight children and wants to talk to Dr. French about putting her "out of production". French says nothing doing and scurries away. Apparently birth control - surgical or otherwise - was forbidden in those days and could get only a tiny disapproving mention even in a precode film. The second precode moment is the conclusion. Such a thing would not be allowed to go unpunished just a year later, even though the guilty party simply did what society could not or would not do but should have done.

Highly recommended as an interesting precode that moves along nicely.

Gloria is the Beauty in 419

[kidboots · 8/10 · 21 May 2019]

Gee, Gloria Stuart sure made a lot of movies in 1933, the year she was chosen as a Wampas Baby but looking at her roles, apart from "Secret of the Blue Room" where she really got a chance at a part with light and shade, most of them could have been performed by any other actress. Which may have been the reason that, with all Gloria's prolific 1930s output, she never became a star. She was Mary Dolan, the mystery girl in 419 but she didn't enter the movie until the 20 minute mark (and in a 63 minute movie, that's not much time to strut your stuff)!! James Dunn (whose career was unfortunately hitting the skids by this time) plays play boy doctor Dan French who is summoned to look after a mystery patient who is bought in badly beaten up and delirious. Of course it is love at first sight for Dan who then has to shake off his latest fling comely nurse Irene. Shirley Grey probably has the meatiest role in the movie as a at first loving girl who later turns vindictive when she realises she is just one of the many love 'em and leave 'ems of French. And in a completely extranous role is David Manners as a young intern who idolises French. There was a small scene which made me wonder if Manners role had been cut. The scene had Manners indicating that he also liked Mary Dolan but was more than keen to step aside for his pal.

Mary's past is pieced together - she was involved with a mob boss who is hanging around the hospital posing as a concerned friend. He also has henchman Sammy (Jack La Rue) with him and his purpose becomes clear when he barks at Sammy to "next time finish her off"!! Film is also a nice little ensemble piece featuring Eddie Nugent as a go-getter medic, Kitty Kelly as the wise cracking receptionist, Vince Barnett as French's pal and old time comedian Johnny Hines as Slug. Funny that in 1933 Paramount was still persisting in the occasional dual director, a hang over from the early talkie days. Here the old hand was Alexander Hall, guiding Georg Somnes (who was born in the 1880s) - Somnes obviously didn't work out, he only directed four films and none of them on his own!!

The Girl From Room 419.

[DoorsofDylan · 8/10 · 17 July 2023]

With his birthday coming up on July 15th, I began searching for a film I could watch with my dad on his birthday. Finding her wonderful in the superb The Old Dark House (1932-also reviewed),I was happy to find that a DVD seller had recently tracked down a rather obscure movie starring Gloria Stuart, which led to me going to room 419.

View on the film:

Running through A&E in their adaptation of Jules Furthman's story, the screenplay by Allen Rivkin, Manuel Seff and P. J. Wolfson moves at an absolutely cracking pace, thanks to the writers filling every corner of the hospital with rapid-fire comedic dialogue which joyfully bounces from Screwball Comedy, cute Rom-Com and wicked, Pre-Code double entendre one- liners.

Binding all of the Comedy styles together, the writers display an impressive ease in criss-crossing dozens of genres across the tightly coiled 63 minute run time, springing from tense medical Drama, via French attempting to keep Dolan in the hospital, out of the hands of those who want her dead, and bare knuckle gangster action, from aggressive attempts made to stop Dolan revealing what went on in Room 419, to a tasty, macabre Pre-Code ending.

Surrounded on her bed by doctors and gangsters, Goria Stuart (who would reunite with co-star William Harrigan later in 1933 for James Whale's The Invisible Man) gives a sparkling turn as Dolan, with Stuart capturing in wide-eyed terror the lingering horror Dolan has, from what went on in Room 419.

Trying to keep the hospital doors closed from gangsters, James Dunn gives a charming, rugged turn as Dr. French, whose flirting with Dolan is carried by Dunn in a slick Rom-Com manner, which Dunn twists, when French pushes back with force, at the gangsters who have locked their sights on Dolan.

Keeping the revelation in the ending nicely understated, co-directors Alexander Hall & George Somnes are joined by Sing, You Sinners (1938-also reviewed) cinematographer Karl Struss in visiting the hospital with very funny sight gags that spin with refine dissolves, into a wonderfully blunt shoot-out, (complete with blood dripping down the screen) when the lead gangster attempts to lock Room 419.