Themes: Fighting the System, Whistleblowers, Finding the Cure
Main Cast: Rosalind Russell, Alexander Knox, Dean Jagger, Philip Merivale, Beulah Bondi
Release Year: 1946
Country: US
Run Time: 116 minutes
Plot
We prefer Rosalind Russell when she's making us laugh; judging by such films as Mourning Becomes Electra and The Velvet Touch, Russell preferred herself in heavy dramatics. In Sister Kenny, Rosalind Russell is all grim determination and pursed lips as Elizabeth Kenny, tireless battler of infantile paralysis. It is in the Australian outback that nurse Kenny first confronts the debilitating illness. Forsaking her private life (as well as any romantic entanglements), Kenny battles with the medical establishment in order to bring her radical theories towards conquering the disease to the public. Her ultimate triumph is solidified upon the formation of Minneapolis' Kenny Institute. Based on Elizabeth Kenny's autobiography, A solid piece of film craftsmanship, Sister Kenny was the sort of glossy prestige picture that always made Hollywood look good in the eyes of its staunchest critics; it was also the sort of picture that almost invariably lost a fortune at the box office (Sister Kenny took a bath to the tune of $660,000). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Covering over four decades, Sister Kenny gave Rosalind Russell the kind of showy dramatic part that she relished, and she ran with it. Ageing very believably (and agreeably), Russell is the solid anchor that holds the film together. She believably displays the strength of character required of her, but varies her performance so that it doesn’t fall into the deadly dull pit that encircles many virtuous characters in films of the period. Her fiery spirit is put to good use, memorably in the setpiece scene in which she confronts Dr. Brack in an operating observation room filled with students. If some of Russell’s performance is clearly acting, that’s less due to the actress than to the screenplay; portions of the script call for good old fashioned drama, and Russell delivers. Interestingly, the screenplay also has a (for the time) feminist bent to it, which adds an unusual flavor. The narrative also stumbles occasionally, and directors Lumsden Hare and Dudley Nichols allow the pacing to drag occasionally; they’re a bit too reverent to the subject for the film’s own good. But overall, Sister Kenny is an involving and inspirational film, and an excellent showcase for the gifted Russell. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Albert S. D'Agostino - Art Director, William Flannery - Art Director, Travis Banton - Costume Designer, Dudley Nichols - Director, Roland Gross - Editor, Alexander Tansman - Composer (Music Score), Constantin Bakaleinikoff - Musical Direction/Supervision, George Barnes - Cinematographer, Dudley Nichols - Producer, Darrell Silvera - Set Designer, Harley Miller - Set Designer, Vernon Walker - Special Effects, A. Earl Wolcott - Sound/Sound Designer, Clem Portman - Sound/Sound Designer, Alexander Knox - Screenwriter, Dudley Nichols - Screenwriter, Mary McCarthy - Screenwriter, Milton Gunzberg - Screenwriter, Martha Ostenso - Book Author, Elizabeth Kenny - Book Author
The movie was adapted by Milton Gunzburg (uncredited), Alexander Knox, Mary McCarthy and Dudley Nichols from the book And They Shall Walk, by Elizabeth Kenny and Martha Ostenso. It was directed by Dudley Nichols.
