Nurse on Wheels (1963)

Quietly competent young Joanna moves with her scatterbrain mother to a country village to take up her first job as District Nurse. She soon overcomes the suspicion of her patients used to ... See full summary »

Director:

Gerald Thomas

Writers:

John Burke (novel), Norman Hudis

Stars:

Juliet Mills, Ronald Lewis, Joan Sims

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Juliet Mills	...	Joanna Jones
Ronald Lewis	...	Henry Edwards
Joan Sims	...	Deborah Walcott
Noel Purcell	...	Abel Worthy
Esma Cannon	...	Mrs. Jones
Raymond Huntley	...	Vicar
Athene Seyler	...	Miss Farthingale
Norman Rossington	...	George Judd
Ronald Howard	...	Dr. Harold Golfrey
Joan Hickson	...	Mrs. Wood
Renee Houston	...	Mrs. Beacon
Jim Dale	...	Tim Taylor
George Woodbridge	...	Mr. Beacon
David Horne	...	Dr. Golfrey Senior
Deryck Guyler	...	Driving Examiner

Storyline

Quietly competent young Joanna moves with her scatterbrain mother to a country village to take up her first job as District Nurse. She soon overcomes the suspicion of her patients used to someone rather older, while becoming romantically involved with a local farmer - at least until he tries to evict a newly-arrived expectant couple who park their caravan on his land.

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Plot Keywords:

nurse | village | vicar | back seamed stockings | rural setting | 

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Taglines:

Even funnier than "Carry on Nurse!"

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 1963 (UK)

Also Known As:

Carry on, Nurse on Wheels

Filming Locations:

Little Missenden, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Peter Rogers Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Sweet, old fashioned and very low budget episodic comedy; with lots of ham and some charm

Underneath the opening credits of this gentle, old-fashioned (even when it was made) corny comedy, we see Juliet Mills riding her bike through a provincial town. She looks very nervous; probably because she knew there'd only be one take, and that there were no safety measures. The producers of this British relic (I don't mean Ms Mills) were known for their cheese-paring parsimony. It shows in the lighting set-ups and the straightforward, episodic storytelling. That's not to say that Gerald Thomas didn't know how to tell a story. He had plenty of practice. He also knew that the host of tried and true character actors who populate this mild comedy, were prone to hamming outrageously if given the chance; he gave them the chance and they don't disappoint - with the exception of Mr Huntley and Ms Seyler, who are restrained. The handsome (and, film-wise, under-used, for health reasons, I understand) Ronald Lewis stars as the nurse's love interest; and Ms Mills, in her professional English way is a very charming nurse. I thought it very light when I first saw it at the Regal cinema, in Putney, in South London. Even then I was surprised it scraped in as a main feature. I expect it had some pretty strong support - a western perhaps, in colour. Nowadays Nurse on Wheels seems almost amateurish; but if you like those thesps of yore, check it out. They're the main attraction.