grateful
"Vigil In The Night," directed by George Stevens and released in early 1940, is rarely considered one of Lombard's top films, even though she gives an earnest, heartfelt performance. But it's a drama, and a fairly solemn drama at that. To those who prefer their Carole on the lighter side, it's not easy to watch. But after experiencing her share of days in the hospital for an array of ailments, Lombard certainly appreciated the work nurses did, and one guesses those recollections probably helped her in her portrayal. "Vigil" is still considered one of the better movies made about the nursing profession.
So for all you nurses out there, some stills from "Vigil":
"Vigil In The Night" will be shown on Turner Classic Movies in the U.S. on Aug. 28, the day Lombard is honored during TCM's 2011 edition of "Summer Under The Stars." We hope the channel shows the ending shown in overseas markets, where Carole and the other characters react to Great Britain going to war in September 1939 following Germany's invasion of Poland. (The movie is set in England.) TCM showed this alternate ending during the 2006 SUTS, though it hasn't done likewise on subsequent airings of the film.
