One further criticism is the lack of music scoring in the film. Surprisingly, though, the conclusion defies the stereotype and June sacrifices married life for her career. And speaking of elements common to the 1930s, you won't be surprised to hear sexist attitudes from the men, as when Ronald attempts to persuade June to give up nursing to be his wife, explaining that it's just as honorable to serve one as it is to serve many. The script is witty in only that way that 1930s films can be, bolstered by elements of screwball comedy. Fortunately, it doesn't take too long for June to clearly emerge as our heroine and the story finds its feet and becomes rather involving. The opening scenes introduce us to a number of nursing students all at once - including a largish woman who everyone casually refers to as "Pudgy" with seemingly no awareness of any potential offense - so it's difficult to retain interest without a singular story to follow. Initially, it's a little tough to keep track of all the characters. Again, my nurse friends might have something to say about that.) (Apparently, in the 1930s, it was impossible to have both. But as June approaches the end of her training, she has to decide whether she wants to pursue a life of caring for sick people or a life with a family. Luckily for her, the two actually fall for each other, and so the deception morphs into reality. When one of the other girls questions her, she agrees to meet with Hall to prove it. The story mainly focuses on June Arden (Young), who in an attempt to fit in with the popular girls, pretends to be the fiancee of the wealthy Ronald Hall III (Boles) after seeing his picture in the society pages. A group of young women converge on a teaching hospital to spend three years in training to be nurses. Humorously, the DVD contains the entire footage from each reel, including some frames with the words "End of Reel" emblazoned in large text.ĭespite a title that sounds like the sequel to The Birth of a Nation, The White Parade actually refers to the nursing profession (even though none of my nurse friends had ever heard that expression before). The DVD has been created directly from the surviving film reels, so in addition to the expected film artefacts and glitches caused by missing frames, there is a somewhat distracting fuzzy image throughout. The copy of The White Parade that is available for general viewing at the UCLA Film Archive, while in DVD format, is not exactly in pristine condition.
Loretta Young, John Boles, Dorothy Wilson, Muriel Kirkland, Astrid Allwyn, Frank Conroy, Jane Darwell, Sara Haden