The Patient in Room 18 (1938)

So much average

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Patric Knowles plays a detective, having just failed to solve his first case, admitted to Thatcher Private Hospital to relax and get over anxiety problems(walking in the middle of the street in pajamas, etc...)In employ there is the nurse that he is smitten with, a trio of suspicious doctors who seem to have all lost any moral character they once had, a drunken Irishman(?) who is a jack of all trades it seems, and a wealthy investment banker that has hypochondriac persuasions. Throw in some romantic intrigue, some want-to-be romantic intrigue, a wastrel nephew needing cash bad, and some other minor plot "twists" and you have the uncle banker getting killed because of some valuable radium lying on his chest. Knowles is to the rescue much to the chagrin of an annoying policeman investigating the crime. As mysteries go, this one is passable but is nothing really more than fluff. The mood is light, the mystery is light, and the denouement is light. Knowles carries off the charming lightness very well as does most of the cast. All the character actors are very good at looking guilty. Ann Sheridan plays Knowles's love interest and is credible in her thankless role. At barely an hour in length, the film does have a nice, fast pace and is fairly entertaining. The solution to the crime was, for me at least, somewhat crude in application but the film does have some interesting merits and is never trying to take itself too terribly serious.

Don't worry. This won't make you fear hospitals. It is just a tepid variation on the standard romantic mystery/comedy. Hidden radium. Doctors who are maybe good and maybe bad. Servants who may be servants or may be something else. It is truly standard issue. Ann Sheridan's name in the cast list drew me to this. But she is very subdued. Patric Knowles is OK but not very exciting. The supporting cast is OK, too. But just OK. And the plot is adequate. It holds together, though it is at times a bit confusing.The title is intriguing. And the director did some fine work -- but as a writer. It won't kill you but don't expect it to cure anything, either.

Private Thatcher Hospital is suffering a spate of murders, but THE PATIENT IN ROOM 18 - a young detective recovering from a nervous breakdown - is determined to find the killer.Fast-moving & fun, this is another example of the comedy crime picture that Warner Brothers was so expert at producing almost without effort. Casts & plots could be shuffled endlessly, with very predictable results. While this assembly line approach created few classics, audience enjoyment could usually be assured.Patric Knowles & Ann Sheridan spark the action here. As a convalescing detective & stern head nurse with romantic difficulties in their recent past, they keep the plot racing - especially after murder rears its ugly head. Knowles, who never quite graduated to starring roles in major pictures, shows a fine flair for comedy. Sleepwalking down the street dressed in pajamas & bowler, he is indeed a very droll sight. Sheridan shows flashes of the talent that would eventually make her an important star at Warner Brothers.Unfortunately, the two most potentially interesting characters in the film - Eric Stanley's English valet & Greta Meyer's German cook - are given very little to do. And what about the film's other mystery: just what is so special about Room 18?

A very competent film made by Warner Brothers in 1938. Good performances by Patric Knowles and Ann Sheridan and of course by one of my favorite character actors, Charles Trowbridge!! All about the murder of a patient and then stolen radium and then solving this whodunit!! Warner Brothers had a knack for churning out these type of "B" movies and they are very good at it. I could spend all day watching this type of film. If you get the chance to see this film, then you should, as it only is around an hour long and very entertaining!!