| Description |
Bette Davis ... Mary Dwight Strauber
Humphrey Bogart ... David Graham
Lola Lane ... Dorothy 'Gabby' Marvin
Isabel Jewell ... Emmy Lou Eagan
Eduardo Ciannelli ... Johnny Vanning
Rosalind Marquis ... Florrie Liggett
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029217/
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.
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