This is an excellent gritty thriller - just the sort of film you associate with George Bancroft. He plays Bill Bailey, a larger than life bail bondsman and a celebrity among high society and the criminal element. "I make my money off losers" - he makes his money extorting
assets off his clients. In one of the first scenes an elderly woman comes to him about helping her young son, once he realises she owns her own house he gets her to leave the deeds with his receptionist. He is that kind of a guy!!!
His lady love, Ruby Darling, is played, extraordinarily, by Judith Anderson - she owns a speak-easy, but they have known each other for a long time and are more like husband and wife. She helped him get to his present position of power. She also has a criminal brother, Drury (Chick Chandler), who has just been caught for a bank robbery - if he is found guilty he will go to jail for life on the 3 strikes you're out plan.
The big reason to see this film is Frances Dee. She is just a sensation as the "drop dead gorgeous" socialite, Elaine Talbert, who first comes to Bill's attention when she is caught shop-lifting at a big department store. Bill falls for her but it is quite clear something is wrong - she gets a crazy gleam in her eye when she hears about all the crooked things he has had to do in his line of business. You just know when she meets Drury that she is going to fall for him in a big way - after all he has just masterminded a daring bank robbery. Her views about how she likes to be treated by men raise a few eyebrows as well. Nymphomaniac, sado masochist, there is nothing that Elaine won't do - and Frances Dee pulls it off with aplomb. She had already given a superb performance in "The Silver Cord" as a young girl tottering on the brink of madness. It is a pity she was soon to wind down her career in favour of marriage to handsome Joel McCrea but she definitely left some wonderful performances.
Because Elaine double crosses Bill (keeping the $50,000 bail money and giving him worthless bonds in exchange) it looks like he has left Drury high and dry so Ruby organises some of the mob to destroy him. She realises her mistake at the end and madly hurries down to the pool hall to save his life (the eight ball has been filled with enough explosive to kill him). Being a pre-code you don't really know what to expect. The real ending is a scream. Elaine, hurrying to Bill after being thrown over by Drury, meets a girl who has been enticed to a man's room with the promise of modelling work. "He threw me around, he bruised my arms and really roughed me up" - Elaine's response "What's the man's name and what room is he in". The gleam in her eye leave you in no doubt that she definitely does not want to report him!!!
By the way the girl who is socked at the beginning - "Red's" girl - is the beautiful Noel Francis who played sultry vixens to perfection!! Blossom Seeley, a legendary singer of the time, sings "Frankie and Johnny", "On San Francisco Bay" and "My Melancholy Baby".
Highly Recommended.
assets off his clients. In one of the first scenes an elderly woman comes to him about helping her young son, once he realises she owns her own house he gets her to leave the deeds with his receptionist. He is that kind of a guy!!!
His lady love, Ruby Darling, is played, extraordinarily, by Judith Anderson - she owns a speak-easy, but they have known each other for a long time and are more like husband and wife. She helped him get to his present position of power. She also has a criminal brother, Drury (Chick Chandler), who has just been caught for a bank robbery - if he is found guilty he will go to jail for life on the 3 strikes you're out plan.
The big reason to see this film is Frances Dee. She is just a sensation as the "drop dead gorgeous" socialite, Elaine Talbert, who first comes to Bill's attention when she is caught shop-lifting at a big department store. Bill falls for her but it is quite clear something is wrong - she gets a crazy gleam in her eye when she hears about all the crooked things he has had to do in his line of business. You just know when she meets Drury that she is going to fall for him in a big way - after all he has just masterminded a daring bank robbery. Her views about how she likes to be treated by men raise a few eyebrows as well. Nymphomaniac, sado masochist, there is nothing that Elaine won't do - and Frances Dee pulls it off with aplomb. She had already given a superb performance in "The Silver Cord" as a young girl tottering on the brink of madness. It is a pity she was soon to wind down her career in favour of marriage to handsome Joel McCrea but she definitely left some wonderful performances.
Because Elaine double crosses Bill (keeping the $50,000 bail money and giving him worthless bonds in exchange) it looks like he has left Drury high and dry so Ruby organises some of the mob to destroy him. She realises her mistake at the end and madly hurries down to the pool hall to save his life (the eight ball has been filled with enough explosive to kill him). Being a pre-code you don't really know what to expect. The real ending is a scream. Elaine, hurrying to Bill after being thrown over by Drury, meets a girl who has been enticed to a man's room with the promise of modelling work. "He threw me around, he bruised my arms and really roughed me up" - Elaine's response "What's the man's name and what room is he in". The gleam in her eye leave you in no doubt that she definitely does not want to report him!!!
By the way the girl who is socked at the beginning - "Red's" girl - is the beautiful Noel Francis who played sultry vixens to perfection!! Blossom Seeley, a legendary singer of the time, sings "Frankie and Johnny", "On San Francisco Bay" and "My Melancholy Baby".
Highly Recommended.