Marked Woman (1937)

A crusading district attorney persuades a clip joint hostess to testify against her mobster boss after her innocent sister is accidentally murdered during one of his unsavory parties.

Directors:

Lloyd Bacon, Michael Curtiz (uncredited)

Writers:

Robert Rossen (original screen play), Abem Finkel (original screen play)

Stars:

Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Lola Lane

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bette Davis	...	Mary
Humphrey Bogart	...	David Graham
Lola Lane	...	Gabby
Isabel Jewell	...	Emmy Lou
Rosalind Marquis	...	Florrie
Mayo Methot	...	Estelle
Jane Bryan	...	Betty
Allen Jenkins	...	Louie
Eduardo Ciannelli	...	Johnny Vanning
John Litel	...	Gordon
Ben Welden	...	Charlie
Damian O'Flynn	...	Ralph Krawford
Henry O'Neill	...	Sheldon
Raymond Hatton	...	Lawyer
Carlos San Martín	...	Head Waiter

Storyline

In this roman-a-clef for the infamous Lucky Luciano Trial, Mary Dwight and four roommates work as hostesses at the Club Intime, a "clip joint" that offers gambling, liquor, and female companionship to the "big spender" clientèle. When ruthless thug and pimp Johnny Vanning takes over all the clubs in town, the girls are forced to follow Vanning's rules and kick back on their "tips" in exchange for protection. Although she is not a hardened old hand like Gabby and Estella, Mary knows enough to sidestep Vanning's amorous advances. Unfortunately the more naive Mary Lou is impressed by Vanning's oily veneer of materialism and accepts invitations to "entertain" at the gangster's private parties. Mary's naive younger sister Betty arrives from college just when Mary and her roommates are arrested as material witnesses in the murder of one of the casino's non-paying customers. Vanning's corrupt lawyer frees the others but pressures Mary to commit perjury in order to discredit crusading ...

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Plot Keywords:

prostitution | fedora | police lineup | questioning | bar | 

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Taglines:

Just a nice girl- who got caught in a racket! (Print Ad- fort Dodge Messenger-Chronicle, (Fort Dodge, Iowa)) 13 August 1937)

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Genres:

Crime | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mary Doyle (Nurse) and Jack Norton (Drunk) are in studio records as cast members but are not seen in the movie. Jack Norton is with Bette Davis in a frequently-seen still from Marked Woman; she is in a silvery dress and there is a bowl of pretzels on the bar behind her.

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Goofs

After the taxi ride, while standing at her front door, Ralph Krawford asks Mary Dwight Strauber for her address.

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Quotes

Mary Dwight Strauber: Betty. Betty, listen to me. You know, I've done an awful lot for you.
Betty Strauber: All you've ever done for me is mess up my life. Fixed it so the things that I wanted to have, I can't have anymore. All right. If I can't live one way, I can live another. Why not? I'm young and pretty and...
Mary Dwight Strauber: And dumb.
Betty Strauber: But you're smart. You can teach me the rest.

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Connections

Featured in Stardust: The Bette Davis Story (2006)

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Soundtracks

My Silver Dollar Man
(1937) (uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics by Al Dubin
Sung by Rosalind Marquis

User Reviews

"Ripped From the Headlines"

This film moves swiftly in that wonderfully fast-paced,1930s no-holds- barred Warner Bros. manner. The storyline is based on the Lucky Luciano vice lord expose of the previous season, which would have been familiar to most film-goers. Warner Bros.melodramas thrived on the kind of gritty, working class stories that were "ripped from the headlines" during the Depression years. Until the Production Code clamp-down of 1934, the girls in the film would have been shown as more clearly identifiable prostitutes. Here it's all thinly veiled. Just what IS a "clip-joint hostess," one wonders. They obviously perform other business in the upstairs rooms. But the movie never goes there. The women are shown to be strong, independent, yet exploited. Though they are bordello babes, the audience sympathy is for them. The film was made the same year as "Stage Door," and it's got some similarities. These young ladies of the evening seem like they're staying in a sorority house for hookers.

For Bogart fans, this is a rather stilted, seemingly out-of-character performance for him. It's like watching Bogie's clone--the role doesn't quite seem to fit him.

This film also shows wonderful examples of the Art Deco style in the Club Intime nightclub sequences. The design is lustrous. Hollywood Deco always signified glamor, modernity, and sexual liberation.

Bette Davis insisted her make-up following the beating and slashing look horrific. If Joan Crawford had played this role, she might have sported a slight bruise. Here Davis is heavily bandaged--realistic and frightening.

This is an overblown melodrama but it shows Warner Bros. and Bette Davis doing what they did best--telling a fast-paced story with lots of scintillating, snappy dialogue. Jack Warner may not have been much different than Lucky Luciano in many ways, but his studio sure could churn out some gripping tales.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 April 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Man Behind

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

First National Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1