Sister Kenny (1946)

Elizabeth Kenny, as a young nurse out in the Australian bush discovers an effective treatment for polio, but can't get official recognition or sanction for her techniques and theories. For ... See full summary »

Director:

Dudley Nichols

Writers:

Dudley Nichols (screen play), Alexander Knox (screen play),

Stars:

Rosalind Russell, Alexander Knox, Dean Jagger

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Rosalind Russell	...	Elizabeth Kenny
Alexander Knox	...	Dr. McDonnell
Dean Jagger	...	Kevin Connors
Philip Merivale	...	Dr. Brack
Beulah Bondi	...	Mary Kenny
Charles Dingle	...	Michael Kenny
John Litel	...	Medical Director
Doreen McCann	...	Dorrie
Fay Helm	...	Mrs. McIntyre
Charles Kemper	...	Mr. McIntyre
Dorothy Peterson	...	Agnes
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
James Burke	...	Undetermined Minor Role (scenes deleted)
Karolyn Grimes	...	Carolyn (scenes deleted)
Teddy Infuhr	...	Boy (scenes deleted)

Storyline

Elizabeth Kenny, as a young nurse out in the Australian bush discovers an effective treatment for polio, but can't get official recognition or sanction for her techniques and theories. For more than three decades (while she tells her fiancée she can't marry him, and repeatedly confronts the pigheaded orthopedic specialist Dr. Brack), she is prevented from treating acute cases and is ridiculed, while she seeks formal recognition for the efficacy of her treatment.

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Plot Keywords:

polio | nurse | opposition | dancing | paralysis | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amor sublime

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

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.

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Soundtracks

"Happy Birthday to You"
(1893) (uncredited)
Written by Mildred J. Hill and Patty S. Hill
Sung by children to Rosalind Russell

User Reviews

Sister Elizabeth Kenny

This movie was most interesting to find and watch. At the age of three I had polio and received the Sister Kenny treatment in Minnesota during an epidemic. The results were as dramatic as the movie portrays. After one month in the hospital I walked out and without braces. My ability to speak clearly returned slowly but completely and my legs remained normal except for extreme exercise which would result in intense pain only relieved by wet heat and massage- that too eventually faded away especially after discovering the benefits of calcium and magnesium for the nerves and muscles.

The film was interesting and a commentary on medical protectionism that has merit as a present day commentary regarding alternative medicine. The US government also issued a commemorative stamp in Sister Kenny's honor. It really did deserve the Golden Globe award for Rosalind Russell's acting.