Condemned Women

... from B unit director Lew Landers and RKO Radio Pictures, this time in the production code era, so it tries to entertain without gritty reality encroaching. Bitter Sally Eilers is in the slammer and making enemies of everyone in sight except for sweet and stupid Anne Shirley, who took the rap so her thief boyfriend could finish law school! On the "inside," Eilers immediately tangles with tough head babe Lee Patrick as well as head matron Esther Dale. The warden (George Irving) is a dope, the doctor (Louis Hayward) is kindly, and then there's the old broad (Leona Roberts) who drops dead because the matron refuses to follow the doctor's orders. It all seems so familiar, yet it's a feast for actors who didn't always get good roles. Eilers, Patrick, and Dale win the acting honors 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.

We start the film with a group of 4 condemned women in a boat to prison under the watchful eye of Jack Carson of all people! He doesn't even get a mention in the credits. The most interesting of these 4 women are the 2 that they don't concentrate on - the ageing actress and the other one. Instead, we concentrate on soppy Anne Shirley (Millie) and suicidal Sally Eilers (Linda) who has given up on life. How is that possibly an interesting duo to follow! Anyway, they get to prison and we meet top dog Lee Patrick (Annie) who is a way more interesting character, and she is intent on carrying out an escape plan for which she needs the help of Eilers.

This offering started out with an interesting setting - a women's prison instead of a man's prison - and the usual things happen. It's just that there aren't really any suspenseful incidents and we get a ludicrous romance that blossoms between Eilers and the doctor Louis Hayward (Philip). We also have an unrealistic breakout that has women screaming and falling over each other for way too long and we don't concentrate long enough on the ones that get away to provide more tension, before we are thrown into a court case where the film just totally loses interest and actually becomes stupid. It doesn't matter that you may drift off and miss the reason for how the film ends in the way that it does but it is a ludicrous end and who cares. The film has now finished.

There is no hanky-panky between female inmates and we needed a bigger butch girls presence in the joint. Lee Patrick has a cool look and your eye is drawn to her but they all should have just stayed and served their proper time. Breaking out with 3 months to go? Idiots.