Marked Woman (1937)

Tough crowd

Almost immediately after New York attorney general successfully prosecuted Lucky Luciano for running a massive prostitution ring in 1936, Warner Bros. came out with this excellent version of the story starring Bette Davis. This is one of the rare Thirites crime dramas where the emphasis is mostly on women and their interrelations: Davis plays Mary Dwight, an especially vivacious hostess at Eduardo Cianelli's Manhattan clip joint the Club Intime, and the film is primarily about her relationship with her sister and with the other "hostesses." (Despite the fact that the film came out after the institution of the Hays Code, the film is exceptionally clear about what Davis and the other women actually do to make their money.) The suspense is terrific, and the film treats violence pretty unflinchingly for its period: there's a horrifying sequence where two of Cianelli's thugs work Davis over in another room as the other women she works with listen in horror. Humphrey Bogart is better than might be expected in an atypical heroic part, the Thomas Dewey role, and Davis is as usual quite fine (except for the disappointing scene where she overdoes it when she learns the fate of her sister in Bogart's office). Her ability to hold the camera's attention was perhaps unparalleled at this stage in her career. Cianelli deserves much credit for making such a villain so genuinely loathsome; the unusual Mayo Methot, who married Bogart after meeting him on the set of this film, plays one of the other hostesses. November 24, 2008

a black mark

try as i may, this is one bette davis film that contains a davis performance i don't like. until the final two reels or so, she never relaxes in to the story or to lloyd bacon's fast-paced direction.

it may have been where she was in her career. she had just finished fighting a losing battle with warners. she hated her husband. and she probably wasn't too fond of the rest of her family as well. but to make professional amends, warners offered her this film and tricked it out with good sets, a firm cast, some sharp orry-kelly costumes and murky, inky camera work that hints at film noir. davis responds to this care with a brittle, strident performance that doesn't start to go somewhere until the scene where her character mary dwight is in the hospital after a brutal workover.

besides being her snarling davis self, she seems way too nervy to play a woman that survives by using her face and body. i always watch this film wishing for joan blondell or glenda farrell to be the lead.

so, what keeps drawing me back to the film besides davis' last moments?

humphrey bogart as the crusading attorney, jane bryan as the daffofil-lovely baby sister of davis' clip joint hostess, mayo methot and lola lane as hardened b-girl friends of davis and eduardo cianelli as slimy underworld figure johnny vanning. and the very best performance in the cast is isabel jewell as the provocative emmy lou. look at her closely. some of her costumes and her tightly curled platinum bob were borrowed for madonna's look as breathless mahoney in 1990's 'dick tracy'. had madonna played breathless with a southern accent, the theft would have been complete. jewell makes the most of every moment she has, whether she's vamping vanning or outwitting his goons.

and the final image of the five women heading in to the mist--poetic! May 20, 2008

Hey Warner Bros., they're called "hookers".

The ladies in this movie are prostitutes or whores. I say that without
malice. The word "slut" was used once. There weren't any prostitutes in Hollywood especially heroines. When the "suckers" come to town, they want to drink, dance, talk &.... In real life Bette Davis had just lost her lawsuit against WB. But the producer finally realized what an asset she
was. Better parts albeit at WB started coming her way. This was her best to date. She absolutely dominated this movie as Mary, a hostess at a nightclub owned by gangster, Johnny Vanning. He basically terrorizes her and the other ladies she works with. She is implicated in the murder of one of her johns & arrested by assist. DA David Graham played by Humphrey Bogart. Very good, but he is obviously a co-star in this one. He
arrests Mary & tries to help her out & testify against Johnny. She lies, gets off as does Johnny. But he knows that she knows what really happened. Mary's kid sister Betty comes to visit on a holiday from college. She soon discovers how Mary is paying for her education. Betty decides to stay & slowly gets drawn in. She is killed in an accident at one of Johnny's parties. One of the girls witnesses this & is kidnaped. Johnny threatens the ladies especially Mary & his goons disfigure her & beat her almost to death. Not quite. The ladies along with Mary finally find their courage to testify against Johnny & his gang. A stand-out performance by Bette Davis & highly recommended.
January 22, 2008

"I'll get even, if I have to crawl back from the grave to do it!"

For a slice of pure classic Bette Davis, it has to be MARKED WOMAN (loosely-based on the real-life mobster Lucky Luciano's trial). This 1937 gangster movie from Warner Brothers stars Davis in one of her meatiest roles of the period, and also features Lola Lane and Isabel Jewell in strong support.

Bette Davis plays Mary Dwight. Dwight makes her living by working as a high-class hostess at a "clip joint" run by mobster Johnny Vanning (Eduardo Cianelli). When Mary's innocent kid sister Betty (Jane Bryan) gets caught up in the shady dealings of Vanning and later turns up murdered, Mary decides to expose Vanning--putting the lives of herself and her girlfriends in extreme jeopardy. Mary's actions naturally don't go unpunished by Vanning's henchmen, nevertheless brave Mary soldiers on and finally claims justice for her sister's life.

MARKED WOMAN gave Bette Davis one of her meatier acting assignments during a period when her relationship with Warner Brothers was strained. She had attempted a trip to England in search of better movie roles when studio head Jack Warner sued her for breach of contract. Davis lost the case and returned to Warner Brothers expecting the worst, but was pleasantly surprised when the script of MARKED WOMAN landed in her lap.

The movie features one of Davis' most brilliant performances; she's a sensation playing the brave Mary. Co-starring as two of Mary's fellow hostesses are reliable contract players Isabel Jewell ("Lost Horizon") and Lola Lane ("Miss V. from Moscow"). Humphrey Bogart plays the attorney who assists Mary during the trial; they of course had previously co-starred in "The Petrified Forest".

MARKED WOMAN is a gangster movie with a twist, focusing on the female victims of gangland violence, and naturally a must-see for fans of Bette Davis.

The DVD includes a new Making-Of featurette "Marked Woman: Ripped from the Headlines", two Merrie Melodies cartoons ("Porky's Hero Agency" and "She Was an Acrobat's Daughter"), and the trailer. October 22, 2007

Early Bette Davis at her Typical Best!

Being a Bette Davis fan, I was surprised that I had overlooked this gem! In it, you will find all the qualities and nuances of Bette's acting style that bear her trademark moves--such as her clipped phrases and wide-eyed blinking frenzies. The director didn't strip her of any of these traits that we have come to love and expect of Miss Davis.

In this film, she plays a "hostess" in a gangster's nightclub. The costumes that she and the rest of the female cast wear are amazing and are sure to delight fans of period 30's outfits and flashy clothes.

Bogart plays a role that is atypical for him in this movie, and pulls it off with ease. In fact, all the actors do a superb job, and though there are elements of camp to this film, it does a fine job of portraying the true-life overturning of Lucky Luciano's gangland empire. See this film if you are a fan of Warner's gangster period or craving Bette's familiar set-chewing swagger. August 19, 2007

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