It's more of the same for accused cop killers Ellen Drew and Robert Paige, she sentenced to life and she sentenced to death in this low budget paramount melodrama. The focus is more on Drew, dealing with her share of stool pigeons, butch inmates anxious to harass "new fish" and hard as nails matrons and wardens. Marjorie Main joins the list of such actresses as Jane Darwell, Esther Dale, Hope Emerson and Ida Lupino who all played sinister prison officials, ironic considering that here, Esther Dale is the more understanding warden, closer to Agnes Moorehead in "Caged's" Agnes Moorehead.
In the men's prison (quite minor in the film's overall running time), Paige deals with watching other death row inmates heading to the gallery. Louise Beavers is most memorable as a kindly prisoner who shows Drew the ropes and defends her in several confrontations from jealous prisoners. A few comical moments try to lighten up the harshness of the overall story, rushed through at the beginning to indicate why Drew and Paige were accused in the first place. A few of the guards are presented in sympathetic light, but you'll not soon forget Main's hard look as she keeps order.
In the men's prison (quite minor in the film's overall running time), Paige deals with watching other death row inmates heading to the gallery. Louise Beavers is most memorable as a kindly prisoner who shows Drew the ropes and defends her in several confrontations from jealous prisoners. A few comical moments try to lighten up the harshness of the overall story, rushed through at the beginning to indicate why Drew and Paige were accused in the first place. A few of the guards are presented in sympathetic light, but you'll not soon forget Main's hard look as she keeps order.
