The Woman Condemned (1934)

A radio singing star suddenly takes a "vacation" without explanation, and cuts herself off from everybody. Her radio station hires a detective agency to find out what's going on, and the agency sends a female detective to work the case, but when the "star" is killed, the detective winds up being charged with her murder.This is a very low-buck effort put out by very low-buck producer Willis Kent. Production values are chintzy in the extreme, with poor photography, tinny and unsteady sound and extremely choppy editing. The plot is overly complicated, the dialog is lame and the acting is just awful, although attractive Claudia Dell as the detective gives it her best shot and does have her moments. Director Dorothy Davenport didn't have much to work with in front of and behind the camera, and she didn't do much with them. Very poor effort all around. Don't bother with it.

I enjoyed this movie because the plot was complex just like everyone said. Maybe I'm crazy but it pretty much made sense to me. A lot of people seemed confused about how a woman was murdered only to come back at the end. IT WAS HER TWIN SISTER WHO WAS MURDERED, NOT THE SINGER! While the singer, who was having a bit of cosmetic surgery (which she was embarrassed about and wanted to keep quiet), her twin sister was having troubles of her own and came to stay in the singer's apartment. Unfortunately the sister had a slimy boyfriend who shows up and kills her. Everyone thinks the missing singer was killed. At the end, the recovered singer pretends to be the murdered sister and shocks the killer into confessing.I liked the writing, though things could have been put together a bit more cohesive. What would have really helped would have been a couple of better known stars. A better cast, a bit more skillful direction, and a larger budget could have made this film something special. Still, it was interesting like it was despite the somewhat fuzzy print I watched. Unusual movie.

Well now, here's the thing - for this movie to work, you'll have to accept the following - a woman who's murdered is alive again at the end of the movie, a detective stops interrogating the dead woman's fiancée because a newspaper reporter asked him not to, and that same reporter, smitten by a good looking blonde hauled into night court for suspicious behavior, winds up getting married to her in exchange for the judge letting her off the hook. Are you following me on this? I can't tell you how many times I paused and rewound the picture to repeat scenes that just didn't make any sense. In the end, the blonde (Claudia Dell) and the reporter (Richard Hemingway) remained married, but I have no idea how they came to that decision. In fact, I can't figure out how the film maker came to the decision to make this flick. Oh I suppose there's some entertainment value here for just the sheer nonsense of it all, but it would have been nice if even a couple of the pieces fit. Still, I'm not ready to add this one to my Top Ten Worst list. I think that night club scene with the feathered ladies might have saved it. But why was it in the movie? I just don't know.

Another point of interest is that it is directed by Mrs. Wallace Reid. After her husband's death she turned her hand to writing, producing, directing and acting. She only directed a few films and this, unfortunately, was the last. The star, Claudia Dell was a blonde beauty, who came to films with "Sweet Kitty Bellairs" (1930) but by 1931, she was already playing second female supporting parts. This film gave her a chance to play the lead.Jane Merrick (Lola Lane), sweetheart of the air, gives her farewell performance. She is frightened and after some cryptic phone calls to a menacing man (Mischa Auer) you get the feeling she is being black- mailed. Jim Wallace (Jason Robards) who cares for her, goes to a private detective agency to hire someone to keep an eye on her.The most novel part of the film is having a female investigator - although she isn't that good. Claudia Dell plays Barbara Hammond, who is caught trying to break into an apartment and is taken to night court. One of the reporters, Jerry (Richard Hemingway), is taken by her prettiness and concocts a story that she is his fiancée and is always playing practical jokes. The judge lets her off - but marries them before they leave!!! Barbara is hot on Jane's trail when she is arrested for Jane's murder!!! She seems to have secrets as well and refuses all help from her well meaning husband. A phone number leads Jerry to Dr. Wagner's private sanatorium - specializing in plastic surgery!!! Mischa Auer is the plastic surgeon, who says he was hired by Jane Merrick to remove a birth mark from her face.I found it enjoyable, if a bit fantastic. If Jane was in hospital - who was the dead person that Barbara found???? Who knows???Richard Hemingway's claim to fame is that he was once married to Irene Bentley - an actress more mysterious than Garbo!!!