Lady Gangster (1942) User Reviews

fair gangster pic with a lady inmate

[didi-5 · 6/10 · 4 November 2008]

Dorothy Burton helps with a bank robbery and ends up in the slammer for it, while her radio presenter friend tries to help her get off. Faye Emerson plays Dorothy as well as more famous actresses would and is supported by a pretty good cast which includes a young Jackie Gleason and DeWolf Hopper (son of Hedda).

'Lady Gangster' is pretty formulaic, with an ending which stretches credibility, but its production values are fairly high, which always makes a film worth a look. Dorothy's conviction relies on some misunderstandings and a dog which doesn't belong - but we wouldn't want to begrudge her the scenes with the catty inmate and strong matron, or the scene where she's visited by her sister!

Surprisingly Entertaining

[Uriah43 · 6/10 · 18 October 2013]

For a B-Movie lasting only 62 minutes this picture was surprisingly entertaining. Faye Emerson stars as a failed actress named "Dorothy Burton" who is almost broke and needs money. So she agrees to help 3 criminals rob a bank. The problem is that she gets caught. Even so, she remains loyal to her companions and refuses to tell the district attorney "Lewis Sinton" (Herbert Rawlinson) anything. Now, rather than reveal what happens next and risk spoiling the film for those who haven't seen it, I will just say that Faye Emerson's performance was simply superb. Not only was she beautiful but she also had an intangible and unique quality about her that was absolutely delightful. Be that as it may, in my opinion this film didn't last nearly as long as I would have liked and because of these time constraints there were some scenes that could have been played out a bit more for a better effect. In any case, if a person enjoys movies of this type from this particular era I think they may be pleasantly surprised by this movie. Slightly above average.

A 'Brutal' Typical 1930s Prison Flick

[ccthemovieman-1 · 6/10 · 23 February 2006]

When I see old-time prison/crime movies, I laugh out loud at some of the things I see, at least compared to films of the last 40 years which may be very profane and sadistically violent but at least they are realistic.

In this film, the lead female character " Dot Burton," played by Faye Emerson, is sent to a women's prison. Inside are all white women except one black, who dances all the time. Talk about a stereotype. Emerson and her best buddy in here look like lesser versions of Rita Hayworth, Look around and you more of these nice, wholesome-looking babes. I guarantee you no prison population has ever looked this good! Yes, there are a few "baddies" and, of course, they are ugly women.

The story also gives us a typical classic movie romance in which a guy falls in love with a "dame" the first time he talks to her. Then she falls for him quickly and but right away, of course, there is a misunderstanding and now the woman hates him. Ten minutes later she loves him again, then hates him, then loves him, etc. etc. No wonder few people in the film world ever took marriage seriously. On screen,it was just one big joke.

Anyway, the story is pretty interesting even if it is more than a bit too dated. The film might be noted more for having two very young actors in here than anything else, guys who went on to because famous on television in the 1950s: Paul Drake and Jackie Gleason. Drake was Perry Mason's assistant on hat hit TV show and Gleason, of course, went on to huge TV fame with "The Honeymooners" and other shows. Here, he is billed as Jackie C. C Gleason.

"Lady Gangster" is only a little over an hour which is fine and the DVD transfer was surprisingly good. This was part of a 4-movie disc called "Mobster Movies," put out by Platinum. I have two of these discs so there are eight films I can watch, movies that, as far as I can tell, were not available on VHS. The other movie I watched on one of the other discs did not have the good picture quality this one had, so they probably vary from film-to-film.

But, despite the drawbacks, these 1930s films are fun to watch because they are fast-moving, short and entertaining.

Fast Paced Fun And Entertainment

[BillDP · 22 September 2003]

I had a lot of fun watching this crime quickie from Warner Brothers studios. Lasting a rapidly paced 62 minutes, the film definitely entertains if your into the genre. Faye Emerson plays a would be actress who gets caught up with a gang of bank robbers and takes the rap for a $40,000 heist the gang pulled off. She ends up in jail and what follows is as many double crosses, prison spats, car chases and shootouts as you can possibly cram into 62 minutes. The film is directed with a nice flair for action by Robert Florey under the pseudonym of Florian Roberts. Good support for Emerson from a cast that includes Julie Bishop, Frank Wilcox, Ruth Ford(cute as a damn button) and a young Jackie Gleason. I must have really enjoyed this one as I couldn't believe how fast it flew by.

Ladies in cages

[Chase_Witherspoon · 7/10 · 11 September 2012]

It's the "Women in Cages" of the 40's starring the lean, wide-eyed, prominent cheek-boned, raven-maned beauty Faye Emerson as an aspiring actress who participates in a bank robbery, is caught and then incarcerated for her role but not before hiding the stash from her associates. Whilst in gaol she befriends fellow inmate (Bishop) and is misled in her attempts to get paroled by her jealous nemesis (Ford). Eventually she hatches a plot to escape and recover her share of the booty, but her former accomplices have other ideas.

Emerson is a magnetic personality, arguably better than the B-standard plot, though it's her genuine charm and timing that make her the perfect fit as the slightly naive southern girl, able to improvise in order to make all ends meet. Frank Wilcox co-stars as her would-be suitor whose attempts to keep her out of gaol always seem to fail. Good to see William Hopper (the future "Perry Mason" detective) in a minor role as a radio announcer, and Jackie Gleason as a sympathetic crook.

The momentum is ideal with no time wasted on long, pensive reaction shots or banal and obsolete melodrama - it's light, focused and frenetic and as a consequence, oddly compelling. Emerson, Bishop and Ford all play their roles with aplomb, turning an otherwise mediocre women's prison movie into an entertaining hour.

Minor But Has a Good Cast

[Handlinghandel · 6/10 · 6 May 2007]

Was the concept of a female criminal so odd at the time? What about Bonnie Parker? This is a gangster story with the sexes reversed, in any case. The criminal who goes to the slammer is a woman. The prison is nothing compared to the one in "Caged." Julie Bishop, who's very good, wears a rather glamorous uniform.

The movie trots right along, though. It has an excellent cast. Of course, it's fun to see the young Jackie Gleason as a bank robber. He looks kind of naive and cuddly.

Faye Emerson was an excellent actress. She adorned many a B-picture. She wasn't a great beauty: Maybe that's why she never became a major star of movies. She was versatile -- sweet, wisecracking, or evil. One thing that always comes across in her performances: intelligence.

The Author's Life Was More Interesting Than This Film

[bkoganbing · 3/10 · 9 January 2011]

Lady Gangster was based on a play written by Dorothy Mackaye who did some time in prison for covering up a homicide of her husband Ray Raymond by actor Paul Kelly who also served in prison before resuming his career. All the principals in that affair are gone now and their lives and story would certainly be far more interesting than this film which had a previous incarnation by Warner Brothers in 1933. That film was Ladies They Talk About and starred Barbara Stanwyck. As it was before the Code, I'm betting that was a better version. It certainly sounded more interesting in the Stanwyck biography I read.

Faye Emerson is no Stanwyck, but she's all right in the role of an actress fallen on bad times and now hooking up with bank robbers Roland Drew, Bill Phillips and Jackie Gleason. Yes the great one is in the cast as wheel man of the bank robbery that Emerson acts as a shill/decoy for and gets caught.

In prison for her crime Faye makes friends with Julie Bishop and as she knows where the money is hid, she has that as a bargaining chip for her release. But the plot takes some strange turns and she's forced to escape.

The male roles in this film are weak, Frank Wilcox is a bit of a doofus as your crusading crime busting radio commentator. Why Emerson falls for him is beyond me. The script is weak and meandering for Lady Gangster as well. For instance an element is introduced of a rivalry between District Attorney Herbert Rawlinson and Wilcox, with Wilcox intimating the DA is corrupt. But that doesn't go anywhere. Certainly the talents of Jackie Gleason are not used at all, but Warners never realized what they had under contract.

On the plus side, the best supporting performance is clearly that of prison snitch Ruth Ford who really doesn't do it for material gain, she just likes the attention. Ford did quite a lot with a small role.

A product of Warner Brothers B picture unit, Lady Gangster just doesn't make it.

a fun B movie

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 15 August 2014]

"Lady Gangster" is a fun and fast B movie from Warner Brothers in 1942, and stars Faye Emerson, Julie Bishop, Frank Wilcox, Jackie Gleason, and Ruth Ford (Mrs. Zachary Scott). Emerson plays Dot Burton, who was a decoy in a bank robbery. She winds up getting arrested, and an old friend from childhood (Wilcox) believes she's innocent. She isn't. Before she goes to jail, she steals the $40,000 from her cohorts and leaves it with her landlady.

This prison is like something out of Stage Door, with a common area and people knitting, dancing, and listening to the radio. Two women out to get Dot, Deaf Annie (Dorothy Adams) and her pal Lucy (Ruth Ford) have the lowdown on Dot thanks to Annie's lip-reading (total 2001: A Space Odyssey) and get her into lots of trouble.

Very entertaining.

"I like women who ain't all sawdust inside."

[classicsoncall · 5/10 · 24 April 2007]

All the elements were here for an intriguing and gritty gangster/prison drama, but once Dot Burton (Faye Emerson) wound up at the penitentiary, the film started a lot to resemble a high school sorority league. All smiles and chatty, Dot and her new jailbird friend Myrtle (Julie Bishop) wind up scheming about how she can make the best of her sentence, until the time comes to claim the forty thousand dollars she scammed from her bumbling partners. I have to give the film makers credit for dressing up mobster Carey Wells (Roland Drew) in drag, that was both clever and corny at the same time. I'd love to know how many takes were necessary to film the visitation scene when Dot's 'sister' comes to see her in prison.

The relationship between Dot Burton and Ken Phillips (Frank Wilcox) didn't quite work for me either, especially from her side. I mean seriously, what did she see in this guy to spark a romantic angle? Especially since she knew him as an adult when she was still a kid. The plot would have worked without going for this stretch.

The surprise for me in the story was one of Jackie Gleason's very early screen appearances when he was still using the middle initial 'C'. Unfortunately he didn't have a whole lot to do as the gang's getaway driver. If you get the chance, try to catch him in the Bogart film "All Through The Night" where in a similar role he gets to weigh in on World War II military strategy and how the Allies could win.

As I sit here writing this, the thought occurred to me that as a Warner Brothers film, this could just as easily have been an East Side Kids story, with all the female leads replaced by Billy Halop, Bobby Jordan, Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, et al. Throw in Ann Sheridan for the Ken Phillips character and you would have had a much livelier story. Still, at just a couple of minutes over an hour, "Lady Gangster" is an interesting little diversion, but don't go in expecting to see a real lady gangster.

Jackie Gleason rocks !

[chasmilt777 · 7/10 · 5 November 2005]

I'm a huge Jackie Gleason fan. Seeing the young Gleason in this movie was a sheer delight. I found it ironic that he played the "get-away" driver, because I remember hearing that Jackie Gleason never learned how to drive in real life. (I'll have to re-watch the three "Smokey and the Bandit" movies and see if he actually drives in them.) Thanks Platinum for putting this film on DVD. For 1942, this was a good movie.

Another 1942 movie, being released on DVD this month (Nov.- 2005)with Jackie Gleason, is "Orchestra Wives". He plays one of the band members.

To all you Baby Boomers like myself, look for Frank Wilcox in "Lady Gangster". Ya'll should recognize Mr. Wilcox from several TV shows, making small appearances, including the "Beverly Hillbillies" and the "Munsters" (very first TV episode). Wilcox has an uncredited role in one of my favorite movies of all-time, "Sergeant York" - 1941. Can anyone tell me ... why in the world is this Gary Cooper classic not released on DVD yet ?

Overconfident

[Hitchcoc · 4/10 · 15 December 2006]

I think the difference between good and bad movies is about the characters. Do they behave properly, given the world created for them. I never bought into the motives of the young woman in this film. She is too pretty and too confident to be desperate enough to do what she does. Nevertheless, she ends up in prison with a group of characters, including a classic snitch and her deaf cohort. People are looking out for her. People are after her. She has the money that was stolen. Talk about your stupid criminals. It's so full of unbelievable events, including one of the bank robbers showing up in the jail in drag. There's also an off again, on again, thing between the main character and a man who turned her in. It just never gels. Not to mention the goofy prison setting and lack of security. Not much to bother with.

Good Flick for a remake

[ralamerica · 8/10 · 27 January 2006]

It's a peppy flick and in some ways better than the original 1933 movie titled Ladies They Talk About that starred Barbara Stanwyck.Fortunately, the Stanwyck movie was pre-Hays code so there is some snappy dialog and not so veiled references to prostitution that couldn't be filmed in Lady Gangster. The opening scene obviously shot in a real bank gives the film a realistic gritty feel that doesn't come off when a scene like this is shot on a set. Jackie Gleason in a small supporting role as one of Emerson's fellow bank robbers, provides a few glimpses of that "Poor Soul" face that he made famous years later on his TV show. Also, catching a very young dark-haired William Hopper (later of Perry Mason fame as Paul Drake)was also a pleasant surprise.

Fair Enough for 62 Minutes!

[JohnHowardReid · 6/10 · 12 July 2008]

The "B" films from major studios usually look far more glossy and professional than those turned out from Poverty Row, even when the subject matter is virtually identical. This is not to say that they are necessarily more entertaining. A fair case in point is this cleaned-up version of a gritty Barbara Stanwyck melodrama. It looks slick and it runs smooth, but although competently acted, it doesn't hold a candle to the more earthy original. Mind you, there are compensations. It's always good to see Faye Emerson in a lead role, and she receives great support from Julie Bishop, Dorothy Vaughan, Virginia Brissac and Vera Lewis. But it's Dorothy Adams, in a meaty role for once, who actually steals the acting honors. By contrast, the male players contribute considerably less to the movie's fair-enough success. Roland Drew makes an attempt at the chief villain, while Frank Wilcox takes aim at the hero. Both fall short. Jackie Gleason in a straight role here as one of the gangsters might have had a chance had his role not been so disappointingly small. Ever reliable Charles Wilson gets the nod instead.

one of Warner Brothers' rare misses

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 29 December 2010]

This film, starring Faye Emerson, has inexplicably fallen into the public domain. I say inexplicably because it was made by Warner Brothers—a company that almost always was certain to renew copyrights on its work. Somehow this one slipped by and as a result it's available for viewing through a link on IMDb. This film is worth seeing if only to get a look at Jackie Gleason in one of his earliest screen roles—albeit a bit part.

The film begins with Emerson working with a gang to rob a bank. She's the inside person whose job it is to get the guard to open the door after she gives him a sob story. The police suspect her but cannot prove she was with the gang—so they hold her for the time being in jail. An annoying radio personality takes on this case in order to discredit the District Attorney—and begins to whine on the air that she is being railroaded by an overzealous system. However, when she confesses to the radio man (who turns out to be an old friend of hers), he tells the D.A. and she is sent to prison. Inexplicably, he then continues talking about how this bad lady was mistreated by the system—yet HE was the one who was responsible for her going to state prison!! This is a MAJOR weakness in the film…it just didn't make much sense and you wonder how anyone smart enough to have a job as a broadcaster could be that much of an idiot. Nor does what happens next concerning her and the old friend—who is just too big a sap to be true! While this is not a terrible film, perhaps its being in the public domain may in part be because this is a weakly written film. Despite good acting, you just can't get past the dopey aspects of the plot that make this an obvious B-movie from Warner Brothers. It's entertaining and slickly produced but pretty silly…and is one of the few misfires the studio made during this otherwise golden era.

By the way, if you do watch this film there are a couple things you may want to look out for in the movie. First, in a funny scene, one of the male gang members dresses in drag and visits Emerson in prison! Second, although most would not know this, the lip reading portion of the film is based on a myth. You CANNOT have a deaf person watch others at a distance and perfectly read the lips of both parties. It's truly a hit or miss proposition reading lips (also called 'speech reading' by the deaf)—and wild exaggerations like this film are common but just not possible. If only my deaf daughter could read lips this well!

Above Average B Flick, That I Actually Found Entertaining, Despite Being Such A Silly Story A Times.

[ArmandoManuelPereira · 6/10 · 20 June 2021]

This was the final film in my 8 movie Gangster box set. A collection of B movies from the 1940s. It was definitely one of the best. Entertaining in fact. Though also a fairly silly story at times. But enjiyably silly. It also posseses a pretty decent three bad guys trying to take on the good guy, in a fight. Not quite Jackie Chan like, but decently done. As well as a final car chase which I also enjoyed. Anyways, I found it above average, and worth watching.

More Like Monogram than Warner's

[dougdoepke · 10 July 2014]

A budding actress helps a crew of bankrobbers, after which she's sent to prison, where she uses her wits to get a pardon.

The 60-minutes comes across more like a Monogram production instead of the gangster experts at Warner Bros. The main problem lies with the flick's lack of grit. There's really no one to menace the audience as would be expected. As the lead player, Emerson lacks even a hint of fire, which leaves an affable blank where an igniting spark should be. The supporting players too-- with one notable exception-- are pretty bland, along with a sloppy script, as other reviewers point out. Then too, the hulking guy in drag is a hoot that should fool no one, especially canny prison guards.

On the other hand, the prison's dayroom scenes are colorful and lively, and compensate somewhat. Director Florey also shows some flair with the staircase brawl, and especially with Dorothy Adams' lip-reading angles. However, to me, Ruth Ford (Lucy) absolutely steals the film. She injects real life and personality into her prison snitch role that provides a lift to the proceedings (and with a pony-tail, no less). I can see why she was an Orson Welles favorite. I'll look for her from now on.

All in all, the movie's rather limp for Warner Bros. and its gangster theme specialty. Wisely, Emerson transitioned from movies to early TV where her low-cut gowns suddenly got men interested in panel shows. Too bad wardrobe missed the opportunity here. It would have been big compensation.

remake

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 3 July 2021]

Dorothy Burton (Faye Emerson) makes a fake police call and talks her way into a closed bank. It's a ruse for her bank robbery comrades to follow her through the unlocked doors. She gets left behind in the confusing aftermath. The cops start punching holes in her story and DA Lewis Sinton has her arrested. Radio personality Kenneth Phillips uses the case against Sinton but it turns out that he already knows the suspect. She pretends to be innocent and former friend Phillips actually believes her.

It's a fine little crime drama. This is a remake of a Barbara Stanwyck film which is itself based on a play written by former inmate Dorothy Mackaye. I don't really buy her confession to Phillips unless the movie builds up a love story history for those two. It takes a lot more to establish why she would confess to him. It would be more compelling for her to be convicted while maintaining her innocence to him. The more secrets she's hiding, the more compelling is her story. Otherwise, I do like the characters and the somewhat realistic female prison. This is fine.

Entertaining "gangster-lite" ladies B movie + interesting discovery

[trimmerb1234 · 5/10 · 6 June 2008]

What makes a "B" movie? Lack of stars and everything rather substandard? Sometimes they have their compensations. Rather as if the makers were compensating for the lack of quality ingredients they sometimes pack a lot into the short running times. And sometimes there are some interesting ideas, shots, characters which re-emerge years, decades later in far more illustrious productions when the B movie original was long forgotten.

Kaye Emmerson was not a great actress but was good looking, smart and held the attention. This is a vehicle for her and one gets the impression that the makers intended it as a woman's picture - much of it is "Cell Block H" territory (but far better done) so that it would have a broader appeal than the harder and more realistic gangster movie customarily has.

Much of the action takes place in a women's prison. There is a scene where a highly secret discussion takes place deliberately out of earshot. But not out of sight. Watching is an able lip-reader who thus is able to discover the biggest secret of the movie. The shot is framed so that the lip reader is out of focus in the centre of the frame and in close up is just the mouth and chin of one of the speakers to the right. I had certainly seen this before in another very very different movie only the lip reader was a TV camera and the brains behind it was a computer. The computer's name was HAL and the movie, 26 years later, was "2001".

Coincidence? Who is to say?

A Snappy Little Saga about Forty Grand in Stolen Loot and a Gal

[zardoz-13 · 7/10 · 18 March 2008]

"Lady Gangster" qualifies as a lively little World War II era B-picture about crime and punishment in America. The prevalent themes in "Lady Gangster" are women versus society, women versus men, and women versus other women. "Danger Signal" director Robert Florey and "Busses Roar" scenarist Anthony Coldeway have contrived a serviceable thriller based on the Dorothy Mackaye and Carlton Miles play "Gangstress, or Women In Prison." The attention to detail is above average. Florey stages a dandy little fistfight between the good guy and the criminals near the climax. Florey and Coldeway had to toe the line with the Production Code Administration in regard to their depiction of the heroine as an accomplice to bank robbers. Consequently, they make her somebody with whom we can sympathize. They provide her with a back story as a failed actress who turned to crime only as a last resort to survive. Moreover, they establish that she is not a career criminal.

"Lady Gangster" opens with Dorothy Burton (Faye Emerson of "Hotel Berlin") calling the cops and making a bogus complaint about a man with a knife. While the cops are responding to this call, Dot and three mobsters pull up to the Central Trust and Savings Bank before opening time at 10 AM. Dot emerges from the car with a small pet dog in her arms and convinces reluctant bank guard Jordan (Ken Christy of "Burma Convoy") to let her inside before regular hours. Dot lies to him that she has to make a deposit before her train leaves. While Dot sidetracks gullible Jordan, Carey (Roland Drew of "Manpower") and Stew (William Phillips of "Fort Yuma") slip inside with guns drawn and hold up the bank. Dot spots a cop outside hassling getaway car driver Wilson (Jackie C. Gleason of "Skidoo"), and she faints in Jordan's arms. Carey and Stew scramble for the getaway car and Wilson careens away. Initially, the police detain Dot as a witness. Later, Dot arouses the suspicions of a detective when she calls her dog by a name entirely different from the one on her pet's collar. She winds up in custody.

Dot's arrest incites the wrath of the Commodore Broadcasting Company. CBC radio commentator Kenneth Phillips (Fred Wilcox of "Notorious") takes the advice of his second-in-command (William Hopper of TV's "Perry Mason") to editorialize against District Attorney Lewis Sinton (Herbert Rawlinson of "Framed") because he arrested Dot since she could not accurately identify her dog. Meanwhile, on the advice of his second-in-command, Sinton phones Phillips and assures him that he is "willing and anxious to cooperate in every way" with him as well as let him question the Burton girl, all this despite the unflattering portrait that Phillips painted of him on the air as a crafty politician. Phillips persuades Sinton to release Dot into his custody.

On the pretext of getting her belongings, Dot visits Ma Silsby (Vera Lewis of "The Suspect") and learns that Carey refuses to give her a dime of her cut in the hold-up. Wilson doesn't think that Carey is treating Dot fairly. Ma alerts the gang that the authorities are nosing around outside. The guys stash the briefcase of dough under the front of a fireplace and lam out. Dot removes it and has Ma hide it in a safe place. She tears a dollar bill in two and tells Ma to trust only somebody with the other half of the dollar. Later, she informs Kenneth that she took advantage of his influence and she admits her part in the crime to Sinton. However, she refuses to identify her accomplices and disclose the whereabouts of the loot.

Twenty-one minutes into "Lady Gangster" our heroine enters prison. The warden, Mrs. Stoner (Virginia Brissac of "Jesse James"), explains the difference between an American prison and the Nazi variety. Says Stoner, "So the quicker you realize that this neither a country club nor a concentration camp, the better. It's up to the women themselves how they're treated. If you behave yourself, we'll meet you more than halfway, but if you want to be tough, we can be tough with you. Now, is that clear?" Dot meets Myrtle (Julie Bishop of "Northern Pursuit") and they become pals. Carey dresses up in drag and poses as Dot's sister to visit her. Dot refuses unequivocally to divulge the whereabouts of the forty grand.

Commenting about the luxurious prison facilities, Myrtle observes patriotically, "I'd play ball with anybody but Hitler to get out of this hole." Meanwhile, Dot runs afoul of inmates Lucy Fenton (Ruth Ford of "Wilson") and Deaf Annie (Dorothy Adams of "Ninotchka"). Deaf Annie reads lips. Dot confides in Myrtle that she has hidden the forty grand safely. Deaf Annie relays this news to Lucy. Before Phillips visits Mrs. Stoner to get her approval for Dot's parole, evil Lucy reveals to Stoner that Dot has the money stashed away. Stoner squashes the parole hearing after Lucy's revelation. Lucy turns around and lies to Dot that Ken wanted to trick her into revealing the location of the money in exchange for parole. Lucy completely fools Dot who gets a letter to Wilson about Ken and the money. Dot learns the truth from Mrs. Stoner who thanks her for giving her the reward money for the forty grand. Dot slugs Stoner, dons her apparel, and escapes from prison to save Phillips.

Clocking in at 62 concise minutes, "Lady Gangster" is a neat little item that shows how democracy worked during World War II on the home front. Incidentally, "Lady Gangster" is a remake of the 1933 Barbara Stanwyck flick "Ladies They Talk About."

Fast moving gangster film is a B-film with Faye Emerson in the lead...

[Doylenf · 5/10 · 21 November 2008]

FAYE EMERSON was a competent actress who never became a major star during her short career at Warner Bros., but she was usually among the prominent supporting players in A-films. Here she's given the leading femme role as a LADY GANGSTER in what is a remake of an old Barbara Stanwyck film.

FRANK WILCOX gets the male lead and is rather bland in the role of a radio commentator who wants to help Emerson beat the rap when the police arrest her in connection with a bank robbery gone wrong. Emerson has to serve a prison sentence--and there we get a supporting cast of female prisoners including JULIE BISHOP, RUTH FORD and DOROTHY ADAMS.

VIRGINIA BRISSAC (Miss Seiffert with the hearing aid in THE SNAKE PIT) is a prison supervisor and DOROTHY VAUGHAN is a kindly matron, among the supporting role players.

Moves swiftly but is a routine B-film with a gangster element. JACKIE GLEASON has a bit role as one of the bank robbers but it's ROLAND DREW who is the chief villain among the robbers, ludicrous when he's in drag disguised as a woman to visit Emerson in jail.

Forgettable little item interesting only for Emerson's performance.

silly wartime film... just post pearl harbor

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 29 April 2024]

A wartime flick... released in april of 1942. One quick reference to hitler. When a gang pulls a bank holdup, they use a stolen dog and a pretty young thang to get into the bank. Of course, she proclaims her innocence, but no-one believes her. And when she hooks up with a local politician, she confesses. But that's all she tells. She refuses to say where the money is or who else was involved. So it's off to prison for her. Faye emerson, julie bishop.... a small role for jackie gleason, years before he was ralph kramden in the honeymooners. Men in drag, deaf annie reading lips. It gets rather silly; when dot escapes, hijinx ensue. And everyone seems to forget that she's an escaped prisoner. Anyway... it's all very 1940s. And they lived happily ever after! Directed by robert florey. It's pretty good... a sixty two minute B film from warner brothers.

Misleading title for a diverting programmer.

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 26 December 2012]

This is a remake of a much better pre-code drama that starred Barbara Stanwyck, "Ladies They Talk About". A better title of this would be "Lady Accomplice" because that is exactly what "B" actress Faye Emerson is playing here, a woman who calls the police (as Stanwyck did), diverts the police's attention by claiming witness to another crime, then getting a bank guard to open the bank early on the front of making a deposit. Of course, her part in the robbery which follows is revealed, and she is sentenced to a rather country-club like prison where the guards and the matron are certainly not as tough or ruthless as such others as Esther Dale ("Condemned Women"), Jane Darwell ("Girls in Prison"), Jeanne Cooper ("House of Women") or the most nefarious: Hope Emerson ("Caged") and Ida Lupino ("Women's Prison"). So this cleaned-up prison movie is a wimpy alternative to those others where it becomes very clear that the so-called "gentler sex" are getting just a tough of a time in rehabilitation as the men's prisons.

But here, the real troublemakers are two stool pigeons (Dorothy Adams as a deaf inmate who can read lips, and Ruth Ford as the nastier one who reports everything to the matron) and discover that Emerson's intents to reveal the location of the money in the robbery is just a rouse to get revenge on the man (Frank Wilcox) who sent Emerson up the river as an attempt to reform her, an old childhood pal who is in love with her. The lack of racy dialog makes this a boring remake of a film that sizzled thanks to its pre-code innuendos of lesbianism and the delicious cut-downs between Stanwyck and the other inmates. Vera Lewis offers some amusing bits as the tough-talking old lady whom Emerson stashes the loot with, and a young Jackie Gleason is memorable as one of the gang members. Virginia Brissac plays the matron as if she was a high school principal, although the scene where Emerson gets one over on her is memorable. Fortunately short, this will never rank up there with other women's prison films, but makes an all right time filler.

Twisty 62' noir with stunning Faye Emerson in top form

[adrianovasconcelos · 8/10 · 28 April 2023]

Not a second to spare in this textbook economic B film noir. Director Florian Roberts keeps Anthony Coldeway's clever plot, full of twists, romping on at top speed: the final five minutes include terrific stunts, punch-ups and car chases to rank with the very best ever done anywhere on the planet, even A films.

LADY GANGSTER's main calling card comes in the curvaceous shape of stunningly beautiful Faye Emerson. Her lithe figure does not let your attention stray, her eyes are hypnotic and it is no surprise that she keeps successfully deceives a stalwart of a cop at least thrice during the movie, only to redeem herself by trying to do the right thing. She and Frank Wilcox make an elegant and totally believable couple by the end. Lies tend to kill love, but in this case they blow more and more life into it!

Dorothy Adams as the deaf lip reader; Julie Bishop as the conniving, backstabbing Myrtle in jail; and, above all, Ver Lewis as the kind Ma, a gentle figure in a jungle of ferocious creatures, also deserve the loftiest accolades for their excellent performances.

For a B, this is superlative cinematography, especially the final segment, with some editing of the highest order.

Very clever and fast moving dialogue - LADY GANGSTER is a real treat!

Mediocre Misfire from a Studio (WB) Who Knew Better

[LeonLouisRicci · 5/10 · 9 July 2014]

Toned Down in its Presentation of Prison Life for Women and in its Depiction of Gangster Flourishes, the Film has some Entertaining Elements like an Escape with some Girl on Girl Wrestling and Fisticuffs.

Faye Emerson Looks Anorexic and is Not a Beauty in the Traditional Sense and that may Add a bit of Realism. But the Romantic Elements are Stiff and Typical B-Movie, Family Friendly Fodder, and do not Belong in a Movie with Gangster in the Title.

There is a Very Young Jackie Gleason in a Very Small Role and some of the Inmates are Darkly Interesting, but the Matron Comes Off as a Grandmother Type, Touchy and Warm. The Action Highlight is a Fistfight on a Stairwell that is Realistic and Exciting.

Overall a Mediocre Misfire from the Usually Reliable Warner Brothers. This Movie Should have been in their Wheel House but Ultimately the Film is just too Comfortable for its Own Good.

Ladies They Talk About

[wes-connors · 3/10 · 11 December 2008]

Chic beauty Faye Emerson (as Dorothy Drew aka "Dot" Burton) supplants hard times as an actress by joining a group of bank robbers. Unfortunately, Ms. Emerson's carefully planned plot to rob the "Central Trust and Savings Bank" of $40,000 goes awry, when her getaway car driver, a young Jackie Gleason (as Wilson), parks in the red. Big mistake. Mr. Gleason draws the attention of a passing policeman, and Emerson is left holding the bag. Love interest Frank Wilcox (as Kenneth Phillips) tries to keep Emerson out of women's prison. Fortunately, he is unsuccessful, and Emerson serves a intermittently amusing sentence, with Julie Bishop (as Myrtle Reed), and other beautifully coiffed women behind bars.

*** Lady Gangster (1942) Robert Florey ~ Faye Emerson, Frank Wilcox, Jackie Gleason