The Young Nurses (1973)

It might not have been the best idea to watch all four of the "Nurses" movies that were packaged by the Shout Factory on DVD a few years ago one after another in the space of a week. At a certain point, especially considering how Corman and wife/producer Julie had a well-oiled machine as far conventions go, they started to blend together with the characters all being two white women and one black or Hispanic woman (sometimes there could be a fourth woman, but usually it was three), and while the black/Hispanic would be involved in an "issue" storyline, the others would have either a man they would be on/off with or other dramas going on. Only here and there would things take place *in* the hospital. In the case of The Young Nurses what helps a great deal is that the script is tightly plotted, there's good cross-cutting between the three stories, and it builds to things and is rarely boring.Does that mean it's any great shakes or high art? Good lord no. But I enjoyed the actresses here and what they were tasked to do - Kitty (Jean Madison) fools around and maybe falls in love with a guy who has a boat (there's a lot of boat sailing and the like here); Joanne (Ashley Porter) wants to become a doctor and will do a lot to become one (nothing too dirty I think); and Michelle (Angela Gibbs) is seeing there's a drug ring at the hospital she'll try to bust - and I liked that Michelle's plot wasn't *as* much related to being about her race. The director Kimborough may not have the kind of material that made, say, Night Call Nurses memorable for its datedness (there's no wild filmmaking to try to show what a drug trip is), but that's to the movie's benefit - it comes in, does its thing, and gets out.One note of interest for 'cineastes' out there: the magnificent director Samuel Fuller, of the tough pictures Pickup on South Street, Shock Corridor and the Big Red One, appears in a small role as a rather scummy character; he was one of the things that picked up the interest for me in the story, and among the cast he was one of the better (small-scene) players. If he had been in it more it might have risen even further above its limitations. But as it is, I liked where the stories went and that was enough to carry me through the material, even as the direction didn't stand out like Kaplan's entry in this (un-canon) series.

"The Young Nurses" is a reasonably engaging entry in Roger Cormans' series of "nurse" pictures. Written by Howard R. Cohen, produced by Cormans' wife Julie, and directed by Clint Kimbrough, it follows the Corman / New World formula of sex, nudity, action, and a little social / political commentary. Our three luscious leading ladies are Jeane Manson as Kitty, Ashley Porter as Joanne, and Angela Elayne Gibbs as Michelle, and each gets her own story thread. Kitty falls for Donahue (Zack Taylor), a young man dominated by his pompous dad (William Joyce). Joanne oversteps her boundaries as a nurse in order to treat a patient properly. And Michelle is an activist who discovers a drug ring working out of their hospital. Each is a serious minded, passionate young woman, and of course they all look good in and out of clothes.Overall, this feels pretty routine for the series, but at least it avoids being melodramatic and does have some appreciable, mild doses of humor. There are some genuinely poignant moments to be found, such as the one with an aged black man played by the legendary comedy relief actor Mantan Moreland, in what was sadly his final feature film appearance. There are some very fine actors in supporting roles and bits - Allan Arbus as a demanding head surgeon, Mary Doyle as the extremely stern head nurse, Don Keefer as a hospital chemist, Nan Martin as a stuffy reporter, Sally Kirkland as a patient at the clinic, Dick Miller (always nice to see this guy!) as a hard-hearted cop, and Caro Kenyatta as Michelles' boyfriend Lester. The real treat, though, is in seeing the legendary filmmaker Samuel Fuller in a fun, two scene role as a villainous doctor.Daniel Lacambre does the very impressive cinematography, Barbara Peeters (future director of "Humanoids from the Deep") is the art director, and Gregory Prestopino supplies the groovy rock score.Decently entertaining trash for fans of 1970s New World product.Six out of 10.

In this movie, which is the 4th film in the "Nurse Series", three young nurses are all trying to make a difference at a local hospital. The first nurse named "Kitty" (Jeane Manson) is a pretty blonde who takes a liking to one of her patients and tries to make sure that he doesn't aggravate an injury he sustained in a boating accident. The second nurse, "Michelle" (Angela Gibbs) has discovered that a patient of hers has died from a drug overdose and decides to investigate where he obtained the drugs. The third nurse by the name of "Joanne" (Ashley Porter) recognizes that there is an extreme shortage of doctors in the hospital and in the course of her duties takes on some of their responsibilities even though she lacks the necessary credentials. Now obviously the plot is a bit unrealistic and suffice to say the movie suffers as a result. Likewise, several of the scenarios were a trifle clichéd and were more or less rehashed from the other films in the series. Additionally, although I thought Ashley Porter--and to a lesser extent Jeane Manson--were nice additions to the scenery, neither of them were really able to bring this film up to even an average rating. In short, I consider this to be a rather weak entry into the "Nurse Series" and I have rated it accordingly. Below average.

A trio of young nurses get into all sorts of trouble at a hospital: sweet and sunny Kitty (an endearingly spunky portrayal by lovely blonde Jean Manson) falls for handsome boat racer Donahue (likable Zach Taylor), gutsy and assertive Joanne (well played with spirited aplomb by fetching brunette Ashley Porter) breaks protocol while aspiring to be a doctor, and socially conscientious Michelle (a fine performance by Angela Gibbs) investigates a drug ring operating out of the hospital. Director Clint Kimbrough, working from a tight and to the point script by Howard R. Cohen, relates the eventful story at a constant snappy pace, maintains an amiable tone throughout, and delivers more than enough yummy female nudity and steamy soft-core sex to satisfy exploitation movie fans (Manson in particular looks absolutely delectable sans clothes). The attractive and appealing cast keeps things humming: Manson, Porter, and especially Gibbs excel in the lead roles, with sound support from Allan Arbus as tough, but fair chief surgeon Krebs, William Joyce as smarmy rich jerk Fairbanks, Mary Doyle as snippy head nurse Dockett, and Kimberly Hyde as sexy candy striper Peppermint. Popping up in nifty bits are Dick Miller as a mean, unsympathetic cop, Sally Kirkland as a woman at a sex clinic, and Mantan Moreland in his last role as an old man. Legendary director Samuel Fuller contributes a neat, but regrettably brief appearance as smooth and ruthless drug ring mastermind Doc Haskell. Daniel Lacambre's sharp cinematography gives the picture a pleasing sparkling look. Gregory Prestopino's funky bluesy score and the groovy jammin' soundtrack further enliven this nifty little flick.