Sister Kenny (1946)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Dudley Nichols

Writers:

Elizabeth Kenny (book)
Alexander Knox (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 October 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

A woman made for love . . . but whose service to humanity became her destiny!

Plot:

Elizabeth Kenny, as a young nurse out in the Australian bush discovers an effective treatment for polio...

Plot Keywords:

Polio | Medical | Based On Book | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

Rosalind Russell	...	Sister Elizabeth Kenny
Alexander Knox	...	Dr. Aeneas McDonnell
Dean Jagger	...	Kevin Connors
Philip Merivale	...	Dr. Brack
Beulah Bondi	...	Mary Kenny
Charles Dingle	...	Michael Kenny
John Litel	...	Medical Director
Doreen McCann	...	Dorrie McIntyre
Fay Helm	...	Mrs. McIntyre
Charles Kemper	...	Mr. McIntyre
Dorothy Peterson	...	Agnes

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:Approved (certificate #11315)

Filming Locations:

RKO Studios - 780 Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Goofs:

Factual errors: Whilst addressing a forum of doctors, Sister Kenny is asked whether she remembers the final paragraph of the oath she took to become a registered nurse, and she recounts that paragraph. The real Sister Kenny received no formal nursing training and was not a registered nurse. She enlisted as a nurse in the army in WW1 backed by a letter from a doctor stating she had experience working in a bush hospital and was given the title Sister by the army.

well done and not overly sentimental

This film is about a real-life nurse named "Sister Kenny" who came from the Australian Outback and made a name for herself in the early days of Polio treatment. The only problem with the film is that they made it look like her way of treating patients through body massages and hands on treatment was super effective. While it WAS a significant improvement over the care received by doctors at the time, preventative vaccines and the elimination of the disease would not occur until later. However, what the film shows so well is the fight she experienced from conservative doctors unwilling to try new methods--especially ones espoused by a lowly nurse! The film also excels because it does not give in to sentimentality like so many schmaltzy biopics from the 30s and 40s. An excellent and easy to enjoy film.