Fascinating sleaze from Hollywood’s glorious pre-Code era. From its steady stream of racy dialogue to its constant disrespect for authority, almost every scene would have been forbidden after 1934. A lovable Barbara Stanwyck—one of the queens of pre-Code American movies—is fresh out of nursing school and in charge of caring for two children who are being methodically starved to death by a vicious crook (Clark Gable) who manipulates their drunken, party-happy mother (Charlotte Merriam) for money. Along the way, Stanwyck gets smacked around, undresses on camera at every possible moment, and enlists the help of a heart-of-gold criminal bootlegger who’s got a crush on her. She’s a strong woman though, the hero of the film. She stands up to anyone who pushes her around and gets several moments to shine. Joan Blondell—another queen of the pre-Code screen—adds a lot to the fun as Stanwyck’s wisecracking nursing buddy.
Directed by William Wellman, who knew how to keep a story moving. The very first shot is from behind the windshield of a speeding ambulance and the film just keeps flying from there.