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The Company She Keeps More at IMDbPro »
| Index | 10 reviews in total |
14 out of 17 people found the following review useful:
Jane Greer best thing about soft-hearted "sequel" to Caged, 2 March 2002
Author:
bmacv from Western New York
The Company She Keeps might be viewed as John Cromwell's soft-hearted
"sequel" to his great Caged of the same year (some of the same cast members
reappear in small parts in both). Taking over the Eleanor Parker role --
the embittered parolee with a chip-on-the-shoulder attitude -- Jane Greer
finally goes "freeside." Lizabeth Scott meets her at the train, not as a
mentor into the world of vice but wasted as Greer's saintly parole officer.
Greer makes it plain that she's none too happy with the constraints (a
night-shift job, frumpy clothes, no drinking) imposed upon her, and promptly
sets her hat for Scott's fiance Dennis O'Keefe, who tumbles right into
it.
And this is where Ketti Frings' script loses whatever edge it had. The
hard, manipulative Greer goes soft around the edges, conflicted and
vacillating. Scott, meanwhile, magnanimously cedes O'Keefe to her rival and
continues to advocate on her behalf with redoubled passion (an opposite
change of heart would have furnished welcome friction).
Luckily, a few goblins still hover in the shadows, and, in a brief scene set
in Los Angeles' municipal lockup, Cromwell manages to reprise some of the
black magic of Caged. But the syrupy social messages and Frings' earnest
kind-heartedness almost sink the movie, which nonetheless preserves one of
Greer's rare appearances in the noir cycle, particularly savory at the
movie's start and near its end. Just don't expect another Kathie Moffat
from Out of the Past.
14 out of 18 people found the following review useful:
Much better than one would expect!, 25 May 2001
Author:
pyamada from U.S.A.
Scott and Greer are very good in this "woman gets out of prison" movie that could have been awful. Cromwell directs crisply and many shots are well lit and evocative. This may or may not be film-noir, depending on the viewer's perspective, but it holds up well. If you can find it on TV, it is well worth taping, since it is not easy to find on video.
7 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
Jane Greer and Lizabeth Scott fight over a man, 5 February 2009
Author:
blanche-2 from United States
Jane Greer and Lizabeth Scott star in 1951's "The Company She Keeps,"
directed by John Cromwell and also starring Dennis O'Keefe. O'Keefe is
columnist Larry Collins involved with parole officer Joan Wilburn
(Scott), who has Diane Stuart (Greer) as a client. Stuart makes a play
for Collins and gets him. The two fall in love, and Joan finds out
about it, making her position rather difficult.
This isn't a big movie and provides a different sort of role for Scott.
Here she's a good girl with shorter hair, and she almost reminds one of
June Allyson. She's quite beautiful and does a good job, though I
prefer her as a '40s bad girl. O'Keefe is a serviceable leading man.
The film belongs to the fabulous Greer. In the beginning, at her parole
hearing, she's shy, soft and sweet. Once she's out - whoa! The angry,
bitter tough gal comes through, only showing her vulnerable side once
she falls for Larry.
Worth seeing for Greer.
7 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
Parolee, 30 September 2006
Author:
jotix100 from New York
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Diane Stewart has had a lot of obstacles to get over in her life. She
started on the wrong side of the law early in life, something that
lands her in jail. As her case is reviewed, she is granted a parole
status and she must be monitored during this important period of her
rehabilitation. Diane ends up working in a hospital where another
woman, Tillie, also a parolee is also sent. While Diane rebels, at
first, she undergoes a change of heart, while Tillie, a hardened petty
criminal goes back to his old tricks.
The kind Joan Wilburn, a parole officer, is in charge of Diane's case.
As soon as Diane is out, she sets her eyes on the hunky Larry Collins,
who happens to be Joan's boyfriend. It's clear the feeling is mutual.
What can Joan do, fight for her man, or give up her relationship with
Larry? That decision makes Joan a better person and Diane finally
understands her mentor's sacrifice.
John Cromwell directed with his usual style. By going against
typecasting, he achieves some interesting acting from his two leading
ladies. Lizabeth Scott, who usually played tough women, is seen as Joan
Wilburn, a nice person who understands Diane Stewart's tragic life.
Jane Greer, on the other hand, starts as a rough girl until she falls
in love for Joan's man. Dennis O'Keefe is Larry, the man between these
two different women. Fay Baker and John Hoyt, have some good moments in
the film.
Although seldom seen these days, "The Company She Keeps" shows some
interesting locations in Los Angeles that have a nostalgic look as seen
by the lens of Nicholas Musuraca, one of the best camera men working in
Hollywood of that era.
7 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Fairly standard melodrama with a fine performance by Jane Greer., 23 July 2002
Author:
Don W from Long Island Motor Parkway
Lizabeth Scott is OK here, & I'm a big fan of hers, but I would have liked her better in the role of Diane (played by Greer). Scott is just too sugary sweet in her role as a Parole Officer Angel. On the other hand, I kept waiting for Greer's character to wake up & smell the coffee, but she really never did, & that's what makes this film a cut above similar soapers of this kind. Greer is excellent as a sneering, eye-rolling bad girl who just doesn't care about those trying to help her or society, & really doesn't even care about herself. I rate it 6/10. I would have rated it higher if not for Scott's too sweet character & the happy pat en
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Well intentioned but ultimately weak soap opera on the parole system of the 50's., 9 June 2012
Author:
mark.waltz from New York City
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
This would make a great follow-up to 1950's "Caged", the Warner Brothers women's prison drama that starred Eleanor Parker as the innocent young girl turned hard by the penal system. In that film, Parker is paroled and it is implied that she'll be back. But what happens to Jane Greer here as the troubled tough girl who can't seem to face the truth about herself and blames everybody else is somewhat forced and unbelievable. Sultry voiced Lizabeth Scott is the outrageously nice parole officer assigned to Greer's case, and from the moment she comes on, I found her to be one dimensionally nice. There's nothing realistic about this character. She's far too perfect, even when she's crying about realizing that Greer has successfully stolen the love from her man (a bland Dennis O'Keefe). Scott, who had made a career out of playing sexy tough girls, might have found the change of pace refreshing, but the way Greer treats her (even when Scott is being totally supportive) would cause even Julie Andrews to pull out a few strands of her hair. I doubt that the parole system of the early 50's was as nice as it is presented here. RKO had made some tough talking films on changes in society after World War II, but this one is not among them.
Abnegation, 19 March 2012
Author:
dbdumonteil
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
SPOILERS
When the movie begins ,we side with Diane/Mildred ,we pity her lack of
luck,her miserable childhood;and we think that THAT lady (Mrs Wilburn)
will tear her to pieces when she knows the truth about her love affair
.The unfortunate ex-convict has fallen in love with her parole
officer's squeeze!
But it's not what you expect;in fact ,as the movie progresses,the
parole officer's morale stature and dignity constantly grows and
Lizabeth Scott ,in the second part ,really steals the show from
talented Jane Greer.Dennis O'Keefe,on the other hand ,seems too old for
the part of a young suitor.
This is nonetheless a moving absorbing movie,with a subject which is
still topical,even though it simplifies the matters.Recommanded
Juicy little melodrama, 4 July 2011
Author:
djensen1 from northern Indiana
I fell for Lizabeth Scott in Too Late for Tears, and she's delicious here as a tortured altruist. But it's Jane Greer as the broken dove who has a the limelight for the first two acts. The shades of gray--and green--make this a juicy little melodrama for both characters. Indeed, the lesbian tension is palpable in the beginning (and I didn't know about Scott's reputation), suggesting much more than the film makers may have intended (but, oh, what a movie this COULD have been...). Dennis O'Keefe is the weak link, looking older than his 43 years and strolling thru scenes without adding much flavor. Fay Baker is a nice addition as the tough girl that Greer might have been without the help she gets.
1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Novel Idea That Falls Short, 1 July 2011
Author:
dougdoepke from Claremont, USA
Parole officer (Scott) and parolee Diane (Greer) compete for the same
man (O'Keefe), creating conflict on several levels. At it's best, the
movie's about the difficulties of being on parole.
Oddball little programmer. Scott gets top billing, but as others point
out, it's Greer who gets the screen time. And far from her usual slinky
seductive role, she's not only de-glamorized, but also suitably
dour-faced (just count her smiles; I stopped after one). All in all,
it's a rather grim screenplay, drably photographed, and I can't believe
the studio expected the final product to make money.
Despite the romantic triangle that strains believability, there are
several striking scenes. Catch the iconic 40's diner where Diane gets
her bottom-of-the-barrel meals. The sweat and steam just about drip off
the wall. And that police line-up-- a graphic cross-section of the
city's tough cookies, down-and-out'ers, and hopelessly pathetic (& one
of the few barfing scenes from that era), all herded along by a
bullying cop (Freed). It's one of the more unvarnished glimpses of
urban flotsam and jetsam from the period. Then there's the crowded jail
cell where the camera abandons Diane (& us) to a nightmare of
entrapment. It's an unnerving moment, very well done.
I would've liked the movie better had they made the triangle more
credible, plus Scott's sacrificial character seems too good to be true.
I expect the latter was RKO's effort at compensating for the harshness
of the parole system as portrayed. Likely too, prestige producer John
Houseman had something to do with the social realism phase, including
the poignant overcoat episode. Anyway, reviewer bmacy's remarks on the
influence of the previous year's Caged (1950) are on target. And, had
this film carried through more with its realistic dimension, it might
not be as obscure as it is.
0 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Pretty parolee is a back stabber., 27 June 2011
Author:
Michael O'Keefe from Muskogee OK
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Model prisoner Mildred Lynch(Jane Greer)receives an early parole from the State Prison for Women. She served her two years for forging checks and convinced the board of her changed ways. As part of her parole she must stay in contact with parole officer Joan Wilburn(Lizabeth Scott), who wants to befriend Mildred, who wants to start fresh with the changed name of Diane. Joan realizes the parolee has a chip on her shoulder and is very paranoid. None the less, Diane finds an apartment and a job at the hospital on the night shift. She meets a handsome hospital visitor, reporter Larry Collins(Dennis O'Keefe)and practically forces him to fall in love with her. There is a problem here with the fact that Larry is already in a relationship with Joan...yes, Diane's parole officer. Diane manages to hide the facts from Larry that she has been in prison and that she knows he and Joan have history. Scott and Greer are notable in their roles. Other players include: Fay Baker, Don Bledsoe, Bert Freed, and Irene Tedrow.
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