Recently, "Angel of Mercy" was shown on TCM along with "The White Angel"...a smart decision by the Turner Classic Movie folks. This is because both films are similar..."Angel of Mercy" is about the founder of American nursing and the Red Cross, Clara Barton. And, "The White Angel" is about the founder of nursing (with the Britain during the Crimean War), Florence Nightingale.
This short film begins with the American Civil War. As the film puts it, 'an old spinster' (Sara Haden) goes to visit her injured brother...and he dies because of the poor care the soldiers received on the battlefield. She thinks it's a waste and proposed they train nurses to work at the front lines...and it did end up being a great success.
Like all of the John Nesbitt Passing Parade shorts, he narrates and the actors don't have many speaking roles. I think this is actually a weakness of these pictures and I am sure that the films did little to help the actors in them. In this case, Anne Rutherford, who was a hot commodity at the time, is pretty much a nobody in the film...even though she played Scarlett's sister that same year in "Gone With the Wind" as well as starring in most of the Andy Hardy films. The same can be said for Ms. Haden, as she was talented and could have been better given a chance to speak.
Despite this shortcoming, the film is well made and interesting...and, most importantly, historically important. Giving Clara Barton her due is more than enough reason to watch this one. It's just too bad they didn't make it a full-length picture, as her story is rather compelling.
