Lady Scarface (1941)

B-movies like "Lady Scarface" from 1941 are all of a piece. The basic plot usually concerns an ambitious female reporter and the good- looking police detective in her way; they're in love but don't know it yet.This film, starring Dennis O'Keefe as the detective and Frances Neal as the reporter, is no different with one exception. Dame Judith Anderson stars as Slade, the the scar-faced head of a robbery gang. This isn't the first time I've seen Anderson go off-type - in the film Blood Money, a precode, she plays a glamorous bejeweled nightclub owner. When you think about one of the great stars of the theater getting these kinds of roles, it's laughable, particularly after her performance in Rebecca as Mrs. Danvers.Anyway, the film concerns robbery money mistakenly picked up by newlyweds (Mildred Coates and Rand Brooks) and detective O'Keefe following the money in an attempt to trace the crooks.Rand Brooks of course was Charles Hamilton in "Gone with the Wind". A little bit of trivia - despite enjoying a long career in films and television, Rand owned a private ambulance service, recognized as one of the best in the country.Entertaining film, worth seeing for Anderson.

Police lieutenant (Dennis O'Keefe) and a nosey reporter (Frances Neal) pursue bank robbers led by a scar-faced lady gangster (Judith Anderson) named Slade. Disappointing because it's less about Anderson's character than O'Keefe's. It's a nice change of pace for Judith Anderson, who is more well-known for her serious parts in films like Rebecca. She gets to sling some snappy gangster lingo, which I'm sure was fun for her. I just wish there was more of her. For their part, O'Keefe and Neal are okay if a little bland. The grumpy cop/lady reporter dynamic had become a cliché by this point, done best perhaps by the Torchy Blane series. The supporting cast is good, featuring the likes of Arthur Shields, Marc Lawrence, Eric Blore, and pretty blonde Marion Martin. Short runtime helps but focus on the boring cop/reporter plot rather than the gangster stuff is a major flaw.

The Film is Highlighted by Every Scene with the Dame known as Lady Scarface (Judith Anderson). There is Early Noir Inspiration in the Choice of Showing the Dark Character's Entrance in Striking Shadow. When the "Lady" is in Person the Flesh Crawls. Her Voice is a Siren from Hell.But when She is Off Screen the Movie Sinks to Comedy Relief and Cartoonish Romantic Boredom. It is Gut-Wrenchingly Awful at Times and comes off as Less a Crime Thriller and more like Nancy Drew. Talk about a Misfire.Worth a Watch for the Lady Scarface Scenes and Little Else. A Curiosity at Best and is Burdened Beyond Belief by All of the Rest of the Sickly, Smarmy, Sappiness.

Sometimes pre-war movie propaganda can take a strange turn, when they surface decades later. Lady Scarface, starring veteran actress Judith Anderson, as Slade, (long before she was tapped as a real "Dame"), gives us a tough female gangster boss, who rules with an iron fist over her small posse of cheap crimesters.This movie, directed by Frank Woodruff, spins a tale of murder and mayhem, bringing Dennis O'Keefe (Lt. Bill Mason) and Frances Neal (Ann), together as the cutie-pie couple who bring down Slade and her crew with surprising wit and affection.This film was clearly made to send the message that women should "toughen up", and be strong - especially in the face of approaching war. Writers Arnaud d'Usseau and Richard Collins, focus on juxtaposing newspaper reporter Ann and crime queen Slade. Ann is much braver and more honest than our hero cop, Bill, and she literally saves the day. Slade, for all of her ruthless nature, spends most of her time trapped – like a wild animal - in a tiny claustrophobic hotel room, pacing about and tersely snapping orders to her male minions. Like many women of the period who stayed home, Slade comes off weaker than her plucky female counterpart, Ann, who freely moves about the city to gather clues and get her woman (so to speak). A strange pairing, indeed!Lady Scarface is a rare prize found among the TCM film archives, so enjoy it the next time it comes to late-night TV.