Secrets of a Nurse (1938): Besetzung, Handlung & Streaming

Released in 1938, Secrets of a Nurse is a drama, krimi, mystery and liebesfilm film directed by Arthur Lubin, running about 75 minutes. “A STARTLING CONFESSION THAT COULD SAVE THE MAN SHE LOVED...BUT HER PROFESSIONAL PLEDGE SWORE HER TO SILENCE!” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. This Universal programmer was based on a Collier's Magazine story by journalist Quentin Reynolds. This story in turn was ostensibly based on a true incident, in which a gangster "returned from the dead" to save an innocent young man from the electric chair. The nurse of the film's title is Katharine McDonald, who falls in love with her prizefighter-patient Lee Burke as he recovers from a beating received in a fixed prizefight. Katharine must fend off the advances of criminal attorney John Dodge, another patient who also loves her and becomes jealous of Lee. But when Lee is framed for the murder of his disgruntled manager, Slice, by a henchman of the fight-fix leader, Joe Largo, Dodge takes on his defense and works with Katherine to discover the real killer. Convicted and sentenced to death, Burke is about to walk the "last mile", as Katharine encourages mortally wounded Largo to a deathbed confession.

Who’s in it. Secrets of a Nurse stars Helen Mack as Nurse Katherine 'Mack' MacDonald, Dick Foran as 'Killer' Lee Burke, Edmund Lowe as John Dodge and Leon Ames as Joe Largo, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 3.0/10, Secrets of a Nurse has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Secrets of a Nurse page.

If you liked it. Fans of Secrets of a Nurse tend to enjoy Die Verurteilten, Der Pate, Schindler's List and Der Pate - Teil II.