Marked Woman
Marked Woman | |
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![]() 1937 rerelease theatrical poster | |
Directed by | Lloyd Bacon Michael Curtiz (uncredited) |
Written by | Robert Rossen Abem Finkel Seton I. Miller (uncredited) |
Starring | Bette Davis Humphrey Bogart |
Cinematography | George Barnes |
Edited by | Jack Killifer |
Music by | Score: Bernhard Kaun Heinz Roemheld David Raksin (all uncredited) Songs: Harry Warren Al Dubin |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
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Running time | 84 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Marked Woman is a 1937 American dramatic
The film was a major success for Warner Bros. and one of Davis' most important early pictures. She had recently filed a lawsuit against the studio, partly because of the inferior quality of roles that she was expected to play. Although she lost the lawsuit, she garnered considerable press coverage, and Marked Woman was her first film upon returning to Hollywood. She was reported to be pleased with the script and the dramatic possibilities that it afforded her. Jack L. Warner was said to be equally pleased by the public's reaction in favor of Davis, which he predicted would increase the appeal and profitability of her films.
Costars Humphrey Bogart and Mayo Methot met on the set of Marked Woman and were married in 1938.[1]
Plot
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Bette_Davis_in_Marked_Women_trailer.jpg/125px-Bette_Davis_in_Marked_Women_trailer.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/1937_-_Hamilton_Theater_Ad_-_28_Jul_MC_-_Allentown_PA.jpg/125px-1937_-_Hamilton_Theater_Ad_-_28_Jul_MC_-_Allentown_PA.jpg)
The notorious underworld czar Johnny Vanning becomes the owner of a gaudy New York night club and renames it Club Intimate. He exploits and mistreats the club's
Mary's younger sister Betty visits for a football game. Unaware of the dangerous situation that she has entered, Betty attends a party at Vanning's club with Mary's roommate Emmy Lou. She meets Vanning's friend Bob Crandall, and after dancing with him, returns to the women's apartment. Mary admonishes her to not to go back to the party, but Betty does it anyway. At the party Betty meets Crandall again, and he tries to get her to go with him. She resists, but Vanning is enraged and slaps her, causing her to tumble down a flight of stairs to her death. Vanning disposes of her corpse in the river.
Mary is panicked that Betty hasn't returned from the party, and threatens to testify against Vanning, but his thugs beat her and scar her face, cutting a cross onto her cheek. Her resolve to testify against Vanning is only strengthened. Aware that they can only be free from Vanning if they stand against him, the other women also agree to testify. They implicate Vanning, breaking up his vice ring. As Graham is congratulated by the press, the five girls walk off into the foggy night.
Cast
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Mayo_Methot_and_Bette_Davis_-_Marked_Woman.jpg/220px-Mayo_Methot_and_Bette_Davis_-_Marked_Woman.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/A_Marked_Woman.jpg/220px-A_Marked_Woman.jpg)
- Bette Davis as Mary Dwight/Mary Strauber
- Humphrey Bogart as District Attorney David Graham
- Lola Lane as Dorothy "Gabby" Marvin
- Isabel Jewell as Emmy Lou Eagan
- Eduardo Ciannelli as Johnny Vanning
- Rosalind Marquis as Florrie Liggett
- Mayo Methot as Estelle Porter
- Jane Bryan as Betty Strauber
- Allen Jenkins as Louie
- John Litel as Gordon, Vanning's lawyer
- Ben Welden as Charlie Delaney
- Damian O'Flynn as Ralph Krawford
- Henry O'Neill as District Attorney Arthur Sheldon
- Raymond Hatton as Vanning's Lawyer
- Carlos San Martín as Head Waiter
- William B. Davidson as Bob Crandall
- Kenneth Harlan as Eddie, a Sugar Daddy
- Robert Strange as George Beler
- Archie Robbins as Bell Captain (credited as James Robbins)
- Arthur Ayelsworth as Sheriff John Truble
- John Sheehan as Vincent
- Sam Wren as Mac
- Edwin Stanley as Detective Casey (credited as playing "Ferguson")
Uncredited cast[2]
- Alan Davis as Henchman
- Allen Mathews as Henchman
- Guy Usher as Detective Ferguson
- Gordon Hart as Judge at 1st trial
- Pierre Watkin as Judge at 2nd trial
- Herman Marks as Joe
- Ralph Dunn as Court Clerk at 1st trial
- Cast notes
- Eduardo Ciannelli bears a physical resemblance to Lucky Luciano.[3]
- Hymie Marks, who played the bit part of a gangster named Joe in the film, attracted the attention of executive producer Hal B. Wallis, who felt that he did not look menacing enough, despite the fact that Marks was a former gangster and henchman of Lucky Luciano and had been specifically cast by director Lloyd Bacon because of this connection.[4]
- Warner Bros. had originally cast Jane Wyman as Florrie.[1]
Background
Despite a disclaimer at the start of the film that asserts that the story is fictitious, Marked Woman is loosely based on the real-life crime-fighting exploits of
Warner Bros. purchased the rights from a
Production
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Marked_Woman_1937.jpg/220px-Marked_Woman_1937.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Marked_Woman_lobby_card_2.jpg/220px-Marked_Woman_lobby_card_2.jpg)
Because the
Marked Woman entered production on December 9, 1936[6] at the Warner Bros. studios in Burbank[7] under the working title The Men Behind.[1] Director Michael Curtiz substituted for Lloyd Bacon while Bacon was on his honeymoon.[1]
Bette Davis was unhappy with the minimal bandaging that had been used for her hospital-room scene, so on her lunch break she drove to her personal doctor, described the injuries from the script and asked him bandage her accordingly. When she returned to the studio, a guard at the gate saw her bandages and called executive producer Hal B. Wallis to tell him that Davis had been in an accident.[4]
Warner Bros. rereleased Marked Woman in 1947.[1]
Reception
Writing for Night and Day in 1937, Graham Greene offered a positive review, noting that as a noir film "it's been done before, of course, [...] but it has never been done better than in some of these scenes." Greene praised Ciannelli, who was able to "convey not only corruption but the sadness of corruption," but Green expressed disappointment with Davis' acting, which he claimed "plugs the emotions with dreadful abandonment."[8]
The film is ranked on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes at 100% based on reviews by five critics and with an average ranking of 6.5/10.[9]
Awards and honors
Bette Davis won the
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f TCM Notes
- ^ McCarty, Clifford (1965). Bogey - The Films of Humphrey Bogart. Cadillac Publishing Co., Inc. p. 42.
- ^ Allmovie Overview Retrieved July 12, 2021.
- ^ a b Landazuri, Margarita "Marked Woman" (TCM article) Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- ^ a b Campbell, Russell (1997). "Prostitution and Film Censorship in the USA". Screening the Past (2): 11. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
- ^ TCM Overview
- ^ IMDB Filming locations
- ISBN 0192812866.)
- ^ "Marked Woman (1937)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
- ^ IMDB Awards
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)