Marked Woman (1937) Online

In New York, the powerful and ruthless mobster Johnny Vanning (Eduardo Ciannelli) acquires the Club Intimate and presses the hostesses to entertain the men with dance and drinks and then taking them to gamble to spend money. The party girl Mary "Dwight" Strauber (Bette Davis) and her roommates Dorothy 'Gabby' Marvin (Lola Lane), Emmy Lou Eagan (Isabel Jewell), Florrie Liggett (Rosalind Marquis) and Estelle Porter (Mayo Methot) entertain a group of Wardolf Astoria's guests and Mary's date loses a great amount of money in the casino and gives a bounced check to the thugs. Mary borrows some money for the cab to him but the mobsters follow him.

On the next morning, Mary's sister Betty Strauber (Jane Bryan), who is supported by Mary and does not know the real "profession" of her older sister, visits Mary and the girls. However, police detectives arrive in the apartment and arrest the women. In the precinct, they lean that Mary's costumer was found dead and her address was found in his pocket. The young and ambitious District Attorney David Graham (Humphrey Bogart) presses Mary to snitch Johnny Vanning, but his lawyer gives instructions to Mary to deceive David and Johnny escapes from justice.

When the naive Betty is invited by Emmy Lou to go to a private party promoted by Johnny Vanning, she has an incident with one costumer. Johnny hits Betty and she tumbles on the stairs and is seriously wounded. However Johnny orders his men to dump her body in the river. When Mary discovers that Johnny has murdered her sister, she seeks out David Graham and promises to put the criminal behind bars. But the task is not easy and the gangsters are violent.

"Marked Woman" is an attractive film of gangsters with and unusual theme – the hostesses in illegal nightclubs. The fantastic Betty Davis performs the lead role of a party girl ahead of time with her attitudes. The screenplay has witty and cynical dialogs with insinuations about the infamous profession of Mary and her roommates. The conclusion with the five hostesses vanishing in the mist after the trial while the spots are on the young district attorney is magnificent.

Betty Davis and Humphrey Bogart are my favorite actress and actor ever, and "Marked Woman" is an unforgettable chance to see them acting together. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Mulher Marcada" ("Marked Woman")

Bette Davis looks as though she was rested (after her hiatus involving litigation) and raring to sink her teeth in a juicy part. Well, she got her wish in this finely directed Lloyd Bacon gangster drama.

Davis is alert, focused, and driven here, putting her all into the dance hall hostess. It's one of her best roles in a film unfamiliar to many movie goers.

The film is notable for some fine work by most talented character actors, and for an unusual "good guy" role for Humphrey Bogart. This crusading D.A. on a mission is skillfully etched by Mr. B. and his scenes with Davis are particularly engaging.

Everyone knows the true life basis for this drama, and the exclaimer at the start doesn't fool anyone. This is a mean expose of some very callus criminals, and has the feel of that period's current newspaper headlines.

A well made drama, worth checking out.

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.

I thought this was a pretty interesting tale of a sassy escort service-type woman (women, plural, if you include all her roommates) who work for a nightclub owner who was supposedly portraying famous gangster "Lucky" Luciano.

The woman featured is the famous Bette Davis, who never looked better. She was "hot" in the 1930s. After 1940 I can't say that, but she was always a great actress. She, as so many in the classic-era period, was also a recipient of soft- lens shots on all closeups.

Eduardo Cianelli plays the gangster does an effective job. Unlike Davis, his is a name that never became well-known. This film also has an up-and-coming actor by the name of Humphrey Bogart along with his soon-to-be-real-life-wife Mayo Methot. Get a load of some of the other female names in the cast: Lola Lane, Isabel Jewell and Rosalind Marquis - all "marked" women!

Lloyd Bacon directed this movie, which should tell you something. This guy was responsible for a ton of entertaining films.

Back to Hollywood and this is Warners 30s black & white highly dramatic fare starring Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart. Not much of Bogart's work from around this time is all that strong but here he almost already seems the big star he would become, most comfortable in the forthright and caring lawyer. He takes nothing away from Davis, of course, though who still shines through a film that is clearly centred around her. It is a very good performance throughout from the not quite dizzy blonde to the pioneering and ruthless dame. The film begins with great scenes inside the clip-joint where the girls work and money and drinks flow as the girls flirt and the gangsters prowl. The film doesn't exactly lose its way in the middle but it just seemed to me that it might be going to lapse into some moralising crusade. Not at all, this really gets into another gear and the violence surprises. Good low key ending too. Impressive with good script, stirring music and fine performances all round.

"Marked Woman" was banned on it's original release here in Australia then abruptly withdrawn at the last moment from it's initial television screening here in 1966. Why all the fuss? Well it's because of those female leads playing "hostesses" in a "clip joint" are obviously playing prostitutes! Shock! And in a film from 1937!

This film followed hot on the heels of the sensational and newsbreaking 1936 trial of mobster Lucky Luciano who was convicted on the evidence of the prostitutes who worked for him. This was the sort of material ("torn from the headlines") that was the staple and was very much a part of the house style of 1930's Warners - gritty, hard boiled, tough stories concerning the working person facing the depression. At the end of the opening credits there is a title card disclaiming any resemblance to persons real or otherwise in the film. This was rarely if ever stated so strongly in films of this period. Warners were obviously very conscious about being seen to be not capitalizing on such a headline event so soon after - which they were!

Simple sets abound reflecting the obsession that Warners had with economy - even the nightclub is rather plain with not too many long shots to expose too much. This nightclub over at RKO would have had a distinctly chic Art Deco look as per the trademark of that studios Art Director, and the whole production is also in stark contrast to the lavish Crawford and Shearer vehicles over at MGM.

This film is late in Davis' "early period" - one which I find fascinating with it's odd mix of narrative concerning women and crime. It is also a very interesting vehicle of Humphrey Bogart still years off from the super-stardom he found from "High Sierra" in 1941. His role is very much the reflection of the censors requirement from 1934 that the law makers be glorified and not the law breakers as was very much the case and staple of pre-1934 Warners output. His speech as District Attorney in court has an abundance of force and conviction.

Other players in the film to my mind fit like a glove. Eduardo Ciannelli is suitably creepy and sleazy as the crime boss. Lola Lane, Rosalind Marquis (both giving us two nice Warren and Dubin numbers in the nightclub), Mayo Methot (soon to be Mrs Bogart in real life in what was a very stormy union) and Isabel Jewell (the perfect little gold-digger) portray with the toughness required and as the other "marked women" trapped in a life on the wrong side of the law. Costuming reflects perfectly their "class" in spite of their lucrative profession.

"Marked Woman" also closely followed the landmark court case between a very unhappy Davis (trapped in what was very much a man's studio) and Warners over the crummy scripts she was repeatedly presented in spite of her landmark performances in "Of Human Bondage" ('34) at RKO and "The Petrified Forest" ('35). After being off the screen for almost a year she lost the case and came back humbly with the studio relieved to have their "upcoming" leading female star back in action (tempramental star Kay Francis career at Warners was winding down by this stage) and eventually giving her more meaty and suitable parts like "Marked Women" with their really coming to the party in giving her "Jezebel" in 1938.

"Jezebel" was the doorway for Davis' "mature" phase for it was the director of "Jezebel" (and subsequent vehicles "The Letter" (40) and "The Little Foxes" (41)) William Wyler was able to tame her and provide much assistance in maturing her performances. Simultaneously Warners became a outfit turning out extremely polished vehicles and one of the champions of the "Womens Picture" through the 1940's.

We are very fortunate in the Australian National Film and Sound Archive having a good 16mm copy of the film which we will be screening at our film society this year. There's nothing like seeing a film like this in it's intended environment - the big screen!

Enter a suspended state of disbelief and enjoy this entertaining and gritty melodrama from Hollywood's golden age!

Marked Woman is an extremely excellent gangster film by Warner Bros, torn from the headlines of 1935 depicting the sensationalized exploits of the notorious gangster Lucky Luciano who ran a prostitution ring & was finally brought to trial by the celebrated Special Prosecutor Thomas E. Dewey. Thanks to the production code of 1934 the prostitutes had to be toned down for the movie & became clip joint "hostesses".

Lucky Luciano's screen counterpart is Johnny Vanning (Eduardo Ciannelli)who takes over a nightclub called the "Club Intime".He tells his henchman (Ben Welden) several times while scoping the club out & looking the dames over, "make a note of it Charlie". Bette Davis is Mary Dwight one of the hostesses & she just electrifies the screen from the first moment & she immediately stands up to the tough gangster & gets his respect when she talks him out of firing hostess Estelle (Mayo Methot), Vanning thought she was getting too old & wants young dames.

Vanning closes the club temporarily to allow time to transform the club & rename it "The Club Intimate". When the club reopens for business one of the suckers ( Damien O'Flynn) runs up a bill he can't afford to pay & leaves the club with Mary Dwight. Charlie (Welden) sends a couple of the "boys" after him....pay or die! Later when the police find his body they also find a matchbook in his pocket with Marys address which leads to her arrest & is taken to the Dictrict Attorney's office for questioning. Humphrey Bogart is superb in the Thomas E. Dewey role of the Special Prosecutor David Graham.

David Graham (Bogart) is a relentlessly driven crusader of justice determined to put crime boss Johnny Vanning & his henchman in jail & smash organized crime. Graham needs & tries to convince Mary & the other girls to testify against their gangster boss. Graham has a difficult time getting the girls cooperation for they are loyal to Vanning. It's only after Mary's sister Betty turns up (Jane Bryan) & is later killed accidentally by Johnny Vanning at a party does Mary retaliate & runs back to Graham & agrees to testify against Vanning along with the other girls.

The chemistry between Bette Davis & Humphrey Bogart is fantastic & the scenes with Davis & Eduardo Ciannelli as the gangster is sizzling hot. Other reviewers haven't given much praise to Bogart's role of the Special Prosecutor & I don't know why but I thought he was very convincing & believable as the crusading D.A. Marked Woman was following the trend of gangster movies shifting the emphasis from the forces of vice & crime over to the forces of justice. To satisfy the new production code, gangsters could no longer be glorified.

Beginning in 1935 with James Cagney in G-Men, Cagney was an FBI agent, in 1936 came Bullets or Ballots with Edward G. Robinson playing a policeman posing as a gangster. In 1937 it was Marked Woman with Humphrey Bogart on the side of law & order. A clever Warner Bros trick to move these actors over to the side of law & order & also because Cagney, Robinson & Bogart wanted a break from gangster roles. All 3 actors hated being typecast & would always fight for better roles.

Because Cagney & Robinson were stars they could afford to say no & turn down roles they didn't like, Bogart didn't have enough leverage to say no yet so as a result he got stuck with the gangster roles more frequently. In Marked Woman when Bogart is first seen you can see the gangster written all over him but as the movie progresses Bogart grows into his role & really sinks his teeth into the Thomas E.Dewey character breaking the stereotype. Quite a contrast from Duke Mantee in The Petrified Forest.

In 1992 I found Marked Woman on VHS & when I watched it I was so blown away by this movie after rewinding the tape I immediately watched it again. I've never done that with any other movie. I couldn't get enough of Davis & Bogart, they really set the screen on fire. Also Eduardo Ciannelli as the gangster is dynamite, frightening & memorable & it's a rare treat to see Bogart as a good guy & hero for a change. Because of that this movie gets a 10 !!

1937's Marked Woman shouldn't get confused with the 1914 film with a similar concept. Directed by Lloyd Bacon, the movie is one of those Warner, 'Hot off the presses' type stories. Just a year ago in 1936, New York District Attorney and future presidential nominee, Thomas E. Dewey became a national celebrity when he was able to indict and convicted gangster Charles 'Lucky' Luciano. Dewey was able to put Lucky Luciano away, because he used the testimony of numerous call girls to convict Lucky of running one of the largest prostitution rings in American history. Dewey's dramatic achievements led many Hollywood film studios to make several films about him. Marked Woman is one of the most famous one. Since the events were still flesh at the time, and they couldn't get all the rights of the trial. Warner instead, make alterations in the story, such as changing characters names and events. They also ran into problem with censorship, so they change the call girls into "nightclub or clip-joint hostess" which kinda hurts the film. The movie even has a disclaimer at the beginning of the film that asserts that the story is fictitious, so people don't mistake it for the real thing. I think this disclaimer really hurts the movie. It's like saying, don't get invested, because it's not real. Plus, I don't think the audience is that dumb that they can't tell the different between a film and real life. Marked Woman is about Mary Dwight Stauber (Bette Davis), a nightclub hostess who works for the notorious gangster Johnny Vanning (Eduardo Ciannelli). She witness a murder, and soon questioned by prosecutor David Graham (Humphrey Bogart). Rather than telling him, the truth, she and the other women refuse to implicate Vanning due to fear of his retributions. It wasn't until, Mary's younger sister Betty (Jane Bryan) was killed and Mary was beaten by his thugs, scarred and disfigured that she agrees to testify against the gangster. Can she find the strength to stand against Vanning or will she be silence by him? I have to say, Bette Davis is just alright in this role. Her character seem a little bit pushy to be realistic in fear of Vanning. Honestly, if a woman was that open to sass Vanning even at the first meeting and later in some scenes, threated. She wouldn't be around. I don't buy her, living in fear. Honestly, Bette Davis works best is the feisty type role that later help her career. This role was one of Davis' most important early pictures as Davis filed a lawsuit against Warners Picture, a few years ago, due to getting low-grade quality of scripts she was expected to play. She challenge the studio, by threating to walk out of her contract and go to England to make pictures. She lost the lawsuit and forced to honor her deal. She did garnered considerable press coverage, and Marked Woman was the first script she filmed upon returning to Hollywood. When you think about it, the role of Mary wasn't so far off from her real life as Davis love voicing her opinion. Bette Davis was often credit for making a new kind of screen heroine. In the 1930s, women in gangster films were usually either molls or prey upon. They rarely, if ever, were heroines who stood up in a big way against the system that abused them. Bette Davis's roles, make her be view as feminism icon. She was also somewhat of movie diva that would often bump heads with co-stars or directors. A good example of this, is the story about Davis was in made-up for the scene in the hospital room. She was unhappy with the minimal bandaging that had been used, so on her lunch break she drove to her personal doctor, and had him bandage her accordingly. When she returned to the studio, a guard at the gate saw her bandages and called help thinking Davis had been in an accident. She really took this role, very seriously. The supporting cast are great, too. Jane Bryan gives a more than credible performance as Mary's fresh faced, younger sister. Eduardo Ciannelli with his authentic Italian accent is aptly sinister and a young Humphrey Bogart is terrific as the prosecutor. Even minor star like Lola Lane was gritty, warm, seasoned in her singing of alright songs "Mr. & Mrs. Doakes" & "Silver Dollar Man". While, the movie does have violence toward both men & women. Most of the events featuring these are off-screen. It's still pretty creepy. The only thing is the movie is call, 'Marked Woman' and the "the mark" isn't revealed until the film is almost over. It's a bit odd for squeaky clean kid, Betty to blow into town, and find out what pay her tuitions. Still, I don't know why she would act like Mary in the end, when she clearly stand out, a few minutes, she doesn't want to be like her. Her role seem out of place. The Bacon's themes are so clichés by the time of this movie, such as relations across class lines, stairs being a weapon, woman having secret lives and the man from out-of-town is pretending to be rich. At least the film did do something major by showing the criminal world from the perspective of the victimized female- something rare for the day. Marked Woman Warner's DVD does a good job transfer. There are little gloomy grainy specks and scratches, but that's to be expected in a vintage 1930s film. The original mono audio has been well scrubbed by Warner technicians, who have erased any annoying pops and crackles, and left us with a workable track. Dialogue is always clear and easy to understand, the music sounds robust, and only very sensitive ears will be able to detect the slight bit of hiss that remains. Overall: Without a doubt, it's one of Bette Davis' best films.

Bette Davis plays Mary Strauber, a nightclub hostess working in club 'Intime' which gets taken over by a gangster Johnny Vanning (Eduardo Ciannelli) who soon changes the decor and the name to 'Intimate'. Mary stands up to the gangster right from the start,defending a friend he tries to fire, and letting him know he won't intimidate her. Her resolve is tested to the limit after her younger sister comes to stay, who unwittingly crosses Vanning's path, leading to tragedy. Davis gives a commanding performance and Eduardo Ciannelli is effective as the ruthless gangster. Humphrey Bogart also puts in an appearance - cast against type as an earnest DA. They don't make movies like this any more - enjoy!

Lloyd Bacon directed this tough, fast-paced film about "hostesses" in a nightclub run by a ruthless gangster. Star Bette Davis shines in the leading role, but it's cobra-like Eduardo Ciannelli who steals the film as the crime kingpin. A sleek, urbane actor, Ciannelli was a doctor before turning to the stage. He made his film debut in the previous year's Winterset, and would go along to become a top movie villain for the next several decades. Ciannelli had about him an air of refined cruelty that made him compelling to watch. Humphrey Bogart's in this one, too, in a thankless role as a crusading D.A. He's competent, but shows none of his later charisma. Unambiguous virtue was not his strong suit.

Life in the big city during the Depression is presented with admirable realism. The sets are nothing to write home about, and technically the movie is no more than competent. That the women in the story could not be presented as prostitutes limits it somewhat, lending a certain vagueness to their activities. One has to do a lot of reading between the lines in this one. Marked Woman isn't a classic by any means, yet it's an excellent example of top-notch studio film-making.

From the time she made "Marked Woman" Bette Davis entered a period of acclaim. With the exception of "That Certain Woman" it would be almost 10 years before Miss Davis would star in a film not worthy of her talents.

"Torn from today's headlines" - Bette Davis plays Mary Dwight, a sassy clip-joint hostess, who isn't afraid to tell new boss Vanning (Edourado Cianelli) what she thinks of his methods ("I know all the angles" - "I'll be living on easy street the rest of my life").

When a date of Mary's is found murdered because he couldn't pay his gambling debts District Attorney David Graham (Humphrey Bogart) steps into the picture. When Mary is set up to get Vanning off the murder charge, she is degraded in court and Graham washes his hands of her.

Betty, her sister who has dropped in for a visit is caught up in the scandal and refuses to go back to school. When Betty is killed, Mary is determined to bring Vanning down.

Ben Weldon will go down in cinema history as the thug who made Bette Davis a "marked woman". The memorable ending has the girls walking arm in arm into the night - futures uncertain but free of Vanning and the mob.

Lola Lane plays "Gabby". She was one of the Lane sisters and started off in musicals. She even sings a song in this movie.

Isabel Jewel was surely the most under-rated of all actresses. Her portrayals are unforgettable. From her debut as the actress with a secret in "Blessed Event" (1932) to the little seamstress who accompanied Ronald Colman in his ride to the guillotine in "A Tale of Two Cities" she was always superb. She plays dizzy Emmy-Lou, who plays a vital part in this film.

Mayo Methot was "Estelle". She met Humphrey Bogart during this film, they married and became known as the battling Bogarts - their fights were legendary. Her nickname was "Sluggy".

Jane Bryan, a discovery of Bette Davis is fine as her innocent sister who becomes entangled with the mob.

A night-club owner called Johnny Vanning (Eduardo Ciannelli) was exploiting his hostesses, one of whom was Mary Dwight (Bette Davis). She was asked with her companions of the Club Intime to induce clients to drink, gamble and spend freely…

A few nights later Mary brings a sucker, Rulph Krawford (Damian O'Flynn) to the club… After Krawford loses a large amount of money gambling and then refuses to pay off the debt, Vanning orders his henchman Charley Delaney (Ben Welden) to get rid of him…

When special prosecutor, David Graham (Humphrey Bogart), questions Mary concerning Krawford's assassination, she denies in providing any helpful information…

Bogart's performance successfully applied malice determination and calmly exhibited compassion and concern… He was particularly effective, both firm, and penetrating, in his courtroom scenes, which served as an early warm-up for similar role twelve years later in Nicholas Ray's "Knock On Any Door."

Mayo Methot was also in the cast as one of the hostesses and it was during the filming that Bogart took her as his second wife…

Mobster Johnny Vanning (Eduardo Ciannelli) is the new proprietor of the Club Intime, and he let's everyone know how it's going to be - his henchmen, his employees, and the hostesses who work the patrons. Even the name of the club needs to go, because Johnny doesn't know what "Intime" means. A derivation of "intimate", the new club becomes "Club Intimate", or "In other words, a clip joint...", as described by hostess Mary Dwight (Bette Davis).

When a patron attempts to run out on a gambling debt with Mary's help, she and her co-workers begin to realize the depths to which Vanning will go to exercise his supreme authority, as the debtor turns into a corpse. Assistant D.A. David Graham (Humphrey Bogart), against the better judgment of his boss, Arthur Sheldon (Henry O'Neill), attempts to bring a case against Vanning. But without all his ducks in a row, and a shaky testimony from Mary, Vanning is acquitted, and the heat begins to turn up on Mary and the girls.

When Mary's sister Betty (Mary Bryan) unexpectedly shows up to visit from college, things begin to spiral out of control. When Emmy Lou (Isabel Jewell) tries to show Betty a good time, she winds up as the match up for a high rolling friend of Vanning. Unwilling to cooperate in the romance department, Vanning forcefully slaps Betty, sending her careening down a flight of stairs, never to regain consciousness.

When Graham confronts Mary Dwight with the news of her sister's death, Mary finally decides to go on the offensive. In doing so, she becomes the "Marked Woman" of the title, bearing Johnny's knife carved X on her cheek as a brand for her defiance. In rallying her friends from the club together, the time for Vanning's downfall is at hand, as Graham's new case against the mobsters now has solid evidence. It's masterfully played out, as Vanning and his goons are sentenced to a thirty year hitch for their misdeeds.

Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart appeared in an amazing six films together, this being their fourth outing. All are recommended viewing - "The Bad Sister" (1931, Davis' film debut); "Three on a Match" (1932); "The Petrified Forest" (1937), "Kid Galahad" (1937), and "Dark Victory". It's in "Kid Galahad" that Davis best demonstrates her versatility and range as an actress, even though it's a supporting role.

This is a star vehicle for Bette Davis. And she really gives a top performance as a professional hostess in a night club owned by a brutal mobster. The character she plays lives through a kind of moral awakening, and with it Davis' appearance changes also. First she wears heavy make up, at the end of the movie almost none. In between she gets beaten up badly by the mobster's thugs who carve a cross into her cheek. But she is attractive throughout. Incidentally, this is NOT a movie for Bogart fans. For once he is a clean cut good guy, not one of Bogart's fortes. His performance struck me as being one dimensional and totally uninspired.

Marked Woman has a good script by Abem Finkel and Robert Rossen (All the King's Men, The Hustler). Excellent portrayal of the brutal, uneducated mobster by Eduardo Ciannelli. Almost reminded me of Peter Sellers. Every now and then he grandly orders one of his bodyguard to make a note of some unimportant detail – the bodyguard just nods obediently, he does not look like a master of calligraphy. The club the mobster takes over is called Club Intime. „What does that mean, intime?" asks the mobster. „Uh, intimate", answers the intimidated restaurateur. „What does THAT mean?". The restaurateur writhes, presses fore and middle finger together and holds them out. „Like that." „Ah ... THEN WHY DON'T YOU SAY SO!" The chandelier in the club has to go, of course. Indirect lighting, that's the thing. The best line belongs to one of Davis' companions, calling an evening dress „the sugar that makes the flies come round". Max Steiner's musical score for this movie is good and fitting.

As I was watching MARKED WOMAN, I said to myself more than once that they sure don't make movies like they used to. This movie in particular was very entertaining. My eyes were glued to the set everytime Bette Davis was on screen because I knew she would blow me away with every aspect of her performance, and she did. Perfectly performed and starring THE BEST male and female actor that has every lived, MARKED WOMAN is one that every movie lover should see and enjoy.

Marked Woman must have been quite jolting when it was released in 1936. Although thoroughly implied, there is prostitution at the center of the plot, and everything nasty that goes along with it. Thankfully, the violence is off screen, but we are not spared the aftermath of violent acts.

Bogart breaks away from his bad guy roles and plays the hero, quite well. Bette Davis is in her usual good form. There are a couple of melodramatic scenes for Davis which will seem dated, but she also will wow you with some killer lines delivered as only Bette can.

Many '30s films are clunky and hard to sit through. This is not one of them. It is fast paced and full of moral dilemmas and interesting characters. To add to the interest of the story, it was based on an actual news story of that time.

While this film was not exactly perfect, it was about as close to it as you could find in 1937. Starting in 1934, after the rigid Production Code was enacted, gangster films became a bit tame since they weren't allowed to be that violent and some of the seamier aspects of their lives were cleaned up to make the films more "family friendly". So things like prostitution were alluded to instead of directly addressed--like in MARKED WOMAN, where Bette Davis and her co-workers were all "hostesses". However, despite this sanitization, the film still packs a tremendous wallop even today--with some terrific acting, an excellent script and some violent scenes that just managed to get past the censors.

The film begins with mobster Eduardo Ciannelli moving in on all the local rackets--including the club where Davis and her friends worked. Ciannelli promised them riches if they "played ball"but also a quick death if they didn't. Considering his reputation and penchant for violence, the women naturally obeyed. Soon after this, district attorney Humphrey Bogart (playing against type) vows to stop Ciannelli and devotes much of the film to pursuing the scumbag.

Now as for the performances, the only liability in all this was Miss Davis--who is my favorite all-time actress, but was allowed to overact a tad here and there. As for Bogart, he was fine, though a tad bland. And the standout actor was most certainly Ciannelli--who played a super-menacing gangster modeled after Lucky Luciano (who himself had just been imprisoned after being found guilty in a similar case).

Tense, exiting and never dull, this is a very good gangster film that manages to be just a cut above most.

By the way, Mayo Methot played the older and heavier "hostess" and she ended up becoming Humphrey Bogart's next wife--after he divorced his current wife.

During "Marked Woman," (1937) Bette Davis stars as Mary Dwight, a hostess at Club Intime. When it's overtaken by a ruthless mobster, Johnny Vanning (Eduardo Ciannelli), Mary & the other hostesses, who share an apartment, are abused as if prostitutes by bully pimps. After 1 of Mary's 'johns' is murdered, the District Attorney David Graham (Humphrey Bogart), questions her; but, out of fear, she isn't cooperating to speak a word against Vanning Thus, when Vanning's on trial, he's acquitted.

The story becomes complicated after Mary's younger sister Betty (Jane Bryan), shows up on holiday from college. Mary works to provide her littler sister with a college eduction. Betty doesn't know what Mary does to earn money. Once Betty learns what Mary's job is, she goes to the nightclub & takes a job as a hostess, too. When the naive college girl won't be man-handled by a nightclub attendee who makes sexual advances that she refuses, Betty is murdered by one Vanning's hoods.

Broken-hearted, furious & loyal to her dead kid sister, Mary sings like a canary about Vanning to D.A. Graham. Vanning's mob beats Mary until she's disfigured. Gathered at her hospital bedside, Mary's roommates agree to testify in solidarity against Vanning.

Davis is 29 & Bogey's 37yo when this movie, their 4th together, is released. Considering that Bogey's roles were usually either the tough & bad guy or a private detective who skirted the law, playing the role of the D.A. good guy who's trying to rid the city of mobsters provides a character study of another face that Bogey could expertly put on. By their 4th film together, the screen chemistry between Davis & Bogart is titillating. They play off of each other terrifically well. Nevertheless, Bette Davis easily steals the show with a fine-tuned, right on the mark, emotional character performance.

Bette Davis is one of an entourage of "hostesses" working in a nightclub entertaining men who've come to the club to gamble. Her character is a tough-talking independent type who takes no guff from the new crime boss who recently presides over the joint (Eduardo Ciannelli), and she lives to regret it. A good film, with the outstanding performance for me going to Humphrey Bogart this time, as a sincere and dedicated young DA. Bette goes a little over the top on occasion, but it's a pleasure to watch her do her stuff and she wasn't a bad looker back in the '30s.

*** out of ****

Allegedly the favorite film of its Producer, Jack Warner, this film dealt with virtue gone awry and its inevitable consequence(s). It's not Madame Davis' magnum opus, but it is one of her better films.

For Eduardo Ciannelli, it's perhaps his finest performance as a gangster. He's so convincing, he makes you forget about "Bogey", who appears in this one as a rather milquetoast lawyer.

It is a stab at film noir, though not a complete one. It is replete with dark images, fog, and bad guys. It's dated somewhat over the decades, but it still has enough punch to be convincingly entertaining.

This film is a thinly disguised account of the trial and conviction of the real-life New York gangster, Lucky Luciano. In the film he is called Johnny Vanning, and is played with convincing ruthless menace by Enrico Ciannelli. The fact that the film was really a portrait of Luciano was revealed by LIFE Magazine on April 19, 1937. Bette Davis is feisty, outspoken, and a 'realist' who reluctantly turns into an 'idealist' when her kid sister is murdered by Vanning. The film is extremely well directed by Lloyd Bacon, who began his career by directing many silent shorts in 1922 and became famous in 1928 for directing Al Jolson in the early sound film THE SINGING FOOL. He is probably best remembered today as the director of the outstanding film 42nd STREET (1933). The fact that he directed the football film KNUT ROCKNE ALL American (1940) came to the world's renewed attention when Ronald Reagan became President. His patriotic and impressive film THE FIGHTING SULLIVANS (1944) is also highly thought of. His last film (his 130th) was released in 1954, and he died in 1955. The prosecuting attorney who aids Bette David is played by Humphrey Bogart, who delivers his lines very well and forcefully, but who shows about as much emotion as a marble statue. His eyes are numb. A number of young actresses support Bette Davis very well indeed, namely Lola Lane, Isabell Jewell, Mayo Methot, Rosalind Marquis, and Jane Bryan. Of these, Mayo Methot married Bogart the next year, 1938, having met him during the shooting of this film. She was tempestuous and once threatened Bogart with a gun in front of dinner guests. She divorced Bogart in 1945 and died a few years later at the early age of 47 as the result of years of alcoholism. As for Jane Bryan, who was a special protegé of Bette Davis, it was she and her husband who were responsible for persuading their friend Ronald Reagan to run for President. She then served on the Federal Arts Commission and was one of Reagan's closet political advisors. The only one of the five who soon faded from the screen was Rosalind Marquis. She was a concert pianist who briefly turned actress and made 11 films between 1936 and 1938. But after only two years in the business, she retired from films, became a singer for a few years, and then became a 'socialite' in Kentucky, as wife of the wealthy Ed Axton. Both she and Jane Bryan lived to be 90. Sometimes it can be interesting to research some of the supporting actors and actresses in films, as you never know what you will find. This film made a big hit and deserved to, as it portrayed a group of young women who are the only ones to stand up to a gangster who has terrorised New York City, bribed many of the great and good, murdered many of his enemies and 'girls who might talk' and thrown them into the river, and threatened just about everybody else. When corruption goes that far, an honest society becomes impossible. Bette Davis was the perfect choice for the provocative leading role in this challenging film. The fight against corruption never stops, so this film is as relevant today as it was then.

Although Humphrey Bogart appears second-billed to Bette Davis, most of the actresses in the supporting cast (including Mayo Methot, who would soon become Bogart's wife) get more to do really than he does. However, it's a great Bette Davis picture; heavy drama, a bit contrived and obvious, but well-played. She's a hostess in a nightclub run by a gangster (Eduardo Ciannelli), who happens to be a pretty ruthless character even by movie gangster standards. After testifying for him in a rigged trial, she ends up going after him through the courts for revenge after her kid sister (the impossibly wholesome Jane Bryan) is killed. Bogart plays a government lawyer who gets taken to the cleaners in the first trial but helps Davis trap the bad guy.

There's not a lot of poetry in the film.... Lloyd Bacon is usually a very straightforward director, but the final shots of the film are very nice with the women going off into the fog together, the real heroes of the story ignored by the media who are chasing after Bogart, the hero male. In the scene with Davis and Bogart where they say goodbyes, she's waiting for him to say something emotional. Her performance here isn't subtle, but it's not that type of movie. All the scenes with her and Bogart have a nice double-edged chemistry to them, where he's trying to downplay his emotions and she's faking all these wild emotions for various reasons. It's quite an interesting movie to look back on from a feminist angle.

Marked Woman is directed by Lloyd Bacon and written by Robert Rossen and Abem Finkel. It stars Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Lola Lane, Isabel Jewell, Mayo Methot and Eduardo Ciannelli. Music is collectively arranged by Bernhard Kaun, Heinz Roemheld and David Raksin, and cinematography by George Barnes.

In spite of the film's disclaimer put out at the pic's beginning, Marked Woman is an adaptation of the real life case of Lucky Luciano, who the previous year was found guilty of compulsory prostitution after sterling work by U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Dewey. Ciannelli plays Luciano as Johnny Vanning, Bogart plays Dewey as David Graham and Davis is "madame" Cokey Flo Brown as Mary Dwight Strauber.

Unsurprisingly for the time it was made, Marked Woman is a distinctly sanitised version of events, full of euphemisms and hinted at unlawfulness, with the beatings et al off camera. However, it still packs a punch, both in narrative thrust as the underworld shenanigans are brought to life, and as an acting curio to see the young Davis and Bogart bouncing off each other before their respective stars were about to be ignited with petroleum.

Interesting aspect of the picture is that it is in essence a gangster movie, with a good guy/bad guy scenario at the core, yet it's the women who rightly dominate the story. The girls are held up as bastions of hardship and heroism, and it gives the production a riveting edge, as well as some much needed glamour in amongst the sordid machinations.

Well acted, well told and well interesting. 7.5/10

The hypocrisy behind and the danger within the lives of the women who entertain. MARKED WOMAN is the title of this crime-drama, and it suits not only as a motif for what these women represent, but the actual mark that later makes its ugly appearance in Mary Dwight's face. This was one of the movies that began to help Bette Davis break out from the mold that Warner Bros. had been keeping her. Her character is trapped within its confines that can be found in today's sex workers as she proclaims the American dream: she wants to be ahead of the game, always winning, and living the life on Easy Street. The times back then were certainly rough, but this could be applied for today's public. That she has to hide her profession from her innocent sister only magnifies the "mark" that taints her ability to face life with no shadow hovering over her, and Mary's "mark" will be greater once that dirty life not only swallows her whole and spits her out, but her sister too. It's the mechanism that continually weaves its never-ending cycle of abuse to those who've chosen this way of life: men see them as available slabs of meat dressed in glitter and gold-dust, easy for the picking, disposable when used, and completely under their will. MARKED WOMAN is a sharp, incisive melodrama about the cycle of abuse women of a certain repute face, and its documentary-like feel adds to its veracity. All of the women give unglamorous performances -- these are hard bitten dames who have no chances, little self-esteem, and only the need to survive keeping them alive. The last scene is one of the most resonant as they all walk into the fog and into an uncertain future.

Bette Davis distinguished herself as an actress in the early 1930s--but even with an Oscar to her credit she found the films offered to her by home studio Warner Brothers increasingly weak. She decided to break her contract, fled to England, and was soon embroiled in a lawsuit that she lost. But as Davis later noted, she lost the battle but won the war: her rebellion forced Warner Brothers to take her demands seriously, and upon returning to the studio she received MARKED WOMAN.

The story was very loosely based on mob boss 'Lucky' Luciano, who was felled by the testimony of New York prostitutes who revolted against his abusive reign. By 1937 Hollywood was under the "production code," a self-censorship program; consequently the script was somewhat veiled; even so, it went quite a bit further than most other films of its time. In the process it firmly re-established Davis as both actress and star and gave Humphrey Bogart a push toward the major stardom he would achieve in the 1940s.

New York night spot Club Intime is a reasonably respectable lounge until it is taken over by mob boss Johnny Vanning (Eduardo Ciannelli), who adds illegal gambling to the club's attractions and lays down harsh new rules for the "hostesses" in his employ--including Mary Dwight (Davis), who proves as tough as her new boss. But when a club patron is found dead, all the girls are caught up in the investigation, including Mary's innocent kid sister Betty (Jane Bryan.) And when Betty herself falls prey to Vanning, Mary determines to even up the score "if I have to crawl back from the grave to do it!" The script is somewhat inconsistent in the way it presents its characters, who tend to shift in unexpected ways as the film progresses, but the cast easily overrides this defect. This is particularly true of the "hostesses," which include Lola Lane, Mayo Methot (who would marry Humphrey Bogart after the film wrapped), Isabell Jewel (best recalled as Emmy Slattery in GONE WITH THE WIND), and Rosalind Marquis. Bogart is memorable as the district attorney who convinces the girls to testify; so too is Eduardo Ciannelli as mob boss Vanning. But the film belongs to Davis, and she makes the most of it.

Where most film stars worked hard to maintain a glamorous image on the screen, Davis was among the very few who was willing to "look bad" on screen. When Ciannelli slaps her across the face in a pivotal scene, there's no doubt that the slap is real, and although Mary's beating at the hands of mobsters is played off screen it is power stuff--and so to are the results of the beating. According to film lore, Davis was greatly displeased with the dainty bandages the studio gave her for post-beating scenes and went to her own doctor for more realistic ones; she also insisted on realistic make-up in her hospital scenes. Audiences of the day were shocked by the film's brutality.

While it is flawed in terms of inconsistent characters and in the necessity of bowing to censorship of the day, MARKED WOMAN is an extremely, extremely watchable film and a must for Davis fans, as well as fans of 1930s gangster drama. Recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer