The Mad Parade

This offbeat WWI drama concentrates not on Men in War (there are in fact no men in the picture!), but on their women. The story focuses on nine Red Cross nurses, each from a different social background, who converge on No Man's Land to tend to the wounded and dying. Though their wartime experiences strengthen and toughen most of the women, not all of them are suited to their responsibilities: an ongoing battle between two of the nurses over the affections of a handsome soldier ends in a murder by hand grenade! Weighted down by a patchy, uneven script, Mad Parade scores on its individual characterizations; standout performers include Evelyn Brent as a habitual troublemaker, Lilyan Tashman as an alcoholic, Fritzi Ridgeway as the obligatory gossip and Irene Rich as the group leader. Produced independently by M. H. Hoffman's Liberty Pictures, Mad Parade was released by Paramount.