Condemned Women (1938)

Shoplifter Linda Wilson doesn't care much for life inside or outside jail until she starts a relationship with prison psychiatrist Philip Duncan. When the Warden asks her to break off the ... See full summary »

Director:

Lew Landers

Writers:

Lionel Houser (screenplay), Lionel Houser (story)

Stars:

Sally Eilers, Louis Hayward, Anne Shirley

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Sally Eilers	...	Linda Wilson
Louis Hayward	...	Dr. Philip Duncan
Anne Shirley	...	Millie Anson
Esther Dale	...	Mrs. Clara Glover, Head Matron
Lee Patrick	...	Anna 'Big Annie' Barry
Leona Roberts	...	Kate Holt
George Irving	...	Warden Edmund Miller
Richard Bond	...	David
Netta Packer	...	Sarah Norton
Rita La Roy	...	Cora
Florence Lake	...	Prisoner

Storyline

Shoplifter Linda Wilson doesn't care much for life inside or outside jail until she starts a relationship with prison psychiatrist Philip Duncan. When the Warden asks her to break off the affair rather than jeopodise Duncan's career as husband of a felon she reacts by joining a jail-break that turns into a riot.

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Plot Keywords:

jail break | suicide attempt | prison riot | hospital | typhoid | 

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Taglines:

A sensational drama of girls in prison

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 March 1938 (USA)

Also Known As:

Derrière les grands murs

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First full length feature film of Dorothy Adams.

User Reviews

No Peek Show Here

This is no babes behind bars peek show. Get a load of the shapeless sacks the inmates parade around in, while they busily plot one thing or another. No titillation there. And just count inmate Wilson's (Eilers) smiles. It's like her lips are glued together. But then, what's she got to smile about. Just when she pairs up with the handsome Doc (Hayward), her conscience takes over, and now she's up for an even longer stretch. Good thing sweet innocent Millie (Shirley) is there to break up all the tough cookie types, including head matron (Dale).

It's a pretty good screws vs. cons flick, without being anything special. I like the twist with boss con Big Annie (Patrick). Having seen a ton of these prison flicks, I wasn't expecting that. Too bad headliner Eilers is now largely forgotten. She reminds me of a poor man's Joan Crawford, both in looks and intensity. No surprises, however, from director Landers who, unfortunately, made a career of no surprises in dozens of workman-like B-films. Well, maybe with one exception here—the boiler room scene with the Doc and Wilson. How appropriate they're in a hot place, and with a dull roar of menace in the background.

Okay, this programmer may not equal a Cagney or Bogart bighouse flick. After all, Columbia was a budget studio. But the movie does manage a few minor virtues, especially the underrated Sally Eilers and a lively young Louis Hayward.