With its attention-grabbing title and a rags-to-riches story that would obviously appeal to Joan Crawford fans, it's no surprise that "The Damned Don't Cry!" was a great box office success. It was based on Gertrude Walker's "Case History" which was inspired by the real-life story of Virginia Hill who'd had a relationship with Bugsy Siegel and interestingly, its tale of a woman who rises from very humble beginnings to great success, reflected (in some ways) Crawford's own history. Murder, double-crosses and ruthless ambition are key components of the plot and its fast pace and sharp dialogue ensure that the audience's interest is kept at a high level throughout.
The discovery of a murdered West Coast gangster near a desert road triggers a police investigation that reveals that his circle of friends included a well known socialite who can't be traced and could also have been murdered. From further checks, it soon becomes apparent that finding her will be difficult because she was clearly operating under a false identity. The woman in question is actually Ethel Whitehead (Joan Crawford) and her story is told in flashback as she recalls her miserable working-class life in a Texas oil town and the tragic accident in which her son was killed. This event made her determined to leave her husband and her poverty behind in order to seek a better life somewhere else.
In New York, Ethel works as a cigar store assistant and then a model for a clothing wholesaler where she makes extra money at night by entertaining the firm's out-of-town customers and taking them to an illegal gambling haunt. When she meets a very talented but rather diffident accountant called Martin Blankford (Kent Smith) and convinces a local restaurateur to employ him, the arrangement works out well for the two men who are both very grateful to Ethel. As a result of his brilliant work for his new employer, Martin is soon taken on by crime syndicate boss George Castleman (David Brian) who uses him as a bookkeeper for his gambling racket. Martin is not entirely happy with the criminal nature of his new role but is in love with Ethel and so is easily persuaded not to leave.
Ethel enjoys being a part of Castleman's set up and attracted by his power and wealth, promptly dumps Martin to become Castleman's mistress. Castleman employs a lady to train Ethel to be able to give the impression that she's more sophisticated and cultured than she actually is and as part of her transformation, Ethel changes her name to Lorna Hansen Forbes. When Castleman starts to doubt the loyalty of the man in charge of his Palm Springs operation, he persuades Lorna to ingratiate herself to Nick Prenta (Steve Cochran) and do whatever's necessary to find out what he's planning. Complications arise when Lorna falls in love with Prenta and fails to report back to Castleman. A whole series of violent events follow which involve double-crosses, betrayal and revenge before the story finally reaches its dramatic conclusion.
Joan Crawford, in a strong performance, very effectively shows the intensity of Ethel's ambition as she becomes ever more manipulative, duplicitous and immoral in order to achieve the wealth and power that she so desperately wants. Similarly, she's also very convincing in showing the transformations that Ethel makes as she becomes more tough-talking when she moves to New York and then more dignified when she poses as a wealthy Texan socialite. Kent Smith, David Brian and Steve Cochran are also superb in their important supporting roles.
"The Damned Don't Cry!" is a movie that really seems to get an awful lot of story into its running time and remains thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish.
The discovery of a murdered West Coast gangster near a desert road triggers a police investigation that reveals that his circle of friends included a well known socialite who can't be traced and could also have been murdered. From further checks, it soon becomes apparent that finding her will be difficult because she was clearly operating under a false identity. The woman in question is actually Ethel Whitehead (Joan Crawford) and her story is told in flashback as she recalls her miserable working-class life in a Texas oil town and the tragic accident in which her son was killed. This event made her determined to leave her husband and her poverty behind in order to seek a better life somewhere else.
In New York, Ethel works as a cigar store assistant and then a model for a clothing wholesaler where she makes extra money at night by entertaining the firm's out-of-town customers and taking them to an illegal gambling haunt. When she meets a very talented but rather diffident accountant called Martin Blankford (Kent Smith) and convinces a local restaurateur to employ him, the arrangement works out well for the two men who are both very grateful to Ethel. As a result of his brilliant work for his new employer, Martin is soon taken on by crime syndicate boss George Castleman (David Brian) who uses him as a bookkeeper for his gambling racket. Martin is not entirely happy with the criminal nature of his new role but is in love with Ethel and so is easily persuaded not to leave.
Ethel enjoys being a part of Castleman's set up and attracted by his power and wealth, promptly dumps Martin to become Castleman's mistress. Castleman employs a lady to train Ethel to be able to give the impression that she's more sophisticated and cultured than she actually is and as part of her transformation, Ethel changes her name to Lorna Hansen Forbes. When Castleman starts to doubt the loyalty of the man in charge of his Palm Springs operation, he persuades Lorna to ingratiate herself to Nick Prenta (Steve Cochran) and do whatever's necessary to find out what he's planning. Complications arise when Lorna falls in love with Prenta and fails to report back to Castleman. A whole series of violent events follow which involve double-crosses, betrayal and revenge before the story finally reaches its dramatic conclusion.
Joan Crawford, in a strong performance, very effectively shows the intensity of Ethel's ambition as she becomes ever more manipulative, duplicitous and immoral in order to achieve the wealth and power that she so desperately wants. Similarly, she's also very convincing in showing the transformations that Ethel makes as she becomes more tough-talking when she moves to New York and then more dignified when she poses as a wealthy Texan socialite. Kent Smith, David Brian and Steve Cochran are also superb in their important supporting roles.
"The Damned Don't Cry!" is a movie that really seems to get an awful lot of story into its running time and remains thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish.