Overrated

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Dorothy Davenport's fifth film to direct, "The Woman Condemned" will give mystery fans something to ponder during its little over an hour running time. Previously, Davenport had helmed "The Road to Ruin" (1928), "Linda" (1929), "Sucker Money" (1933), and a remake of "The Road to Ruin" in 1934. When Davenport wasn't calling the shots, she racked up twenty screenwriting credits. Popular radio vocalist Jane Merrick vanishes after she announces her plans to take a vacation. Merrick's admirer, radio producer Jim Wallace, dreads the prospect that Consolidated Dairies will withdraw their sponsorship of her program permanently if she doesn't return. Losing this account will irreparably damage the radio station's finances. Wallace worries about Jane and fears the worst may have happened after her maid Sally refuses to divulge her whereabouts, so he resorts to a private detective agency to allay his fears. "There is something strange about the whole affair," Wallace tells the detective bureau chief, "she might even be in danger." The bureau chief explains that policy dictates a detective from another town must be assigned to the case so she won't be recognized. Eventually, the police nab a suspicious female prowler snooping around the balcony window at Jane's apartment after dark. The police take the woman to night court. Smart aleck crime reporter Jerry Beal is immediately infatuated with the dame, who has been identified as Barbara Hammond. He intervenes on her behalf. Not only does he explain to the judge that Barbara is his fiancée, but also that she is "a compulsive practical joker." The judge isn't impressed with Jerry's trumped up tale, and he decides to marry him to Barbara, then releases her into Beale's custody. When she objects that she isn't married, the judge weds them, because Beale had pulled a fast one the previous evening in the case of a drunken bum. The bum, we learn, was Beale's bootlegger and he couldn't get liquor with the guy in jail. Although Barbara assumes that Jerry can get the judge to annul their marriage, she schedules a dinner date later that week on Thursday. Afterward, Jerry drops by to see Jim and learns some of the facts about Jane's vanishing. Like the news hound that he is, Jerry wants to write the story, but Jim convinces to refrain from doing it. Jerry and Barbara dine out, but she refuses to tell him anything about her activities. Later, she goes back to Jane's apartment and sneaks inside where she eavesdrops on a discussion between Jane and an ethnic-speaking guy. For all practical purposes, this man is trying to shake down Jane and wants a stake from her. No sooner has the guy left Jane's apartment than Jane sees an armed killer. She spots him in the mirror and screams as he cuts loose with his revolver. She sprawls lifelessly to the floor, and then the lights go out. The next door neighbors hear the crash of the gunshot, and the husband investigates. Meantime, Barbara checks the body, then trips and loses her flashlight. The first thing that she picks up is a revolver, and the next door neighbor Henry C. Benham appears with his gun drawn. He orders Barbara to dispose of her firearm and he sends his wife, who ventures into the apartment moments later, and screams at the sight of Jane strewn on the floor. She calls the police, and they arrest Barbara. Jerry joins the police, but he cannot believe that Barbara could have killed her. Barbara refuses to give the cops any information. Now, more than ever, Jerry is set on clearing Barbara, and he plays do-it-yourself-gumshoe. His investigation leads him to a Dr. Wagner's private sanitarium. Jerry cannot believe his eyes when he sees who is on the surgeon's table, evidently undergoing an operation. Jerry persuades a reluctant Jim to come and see for himself. No sooner have Jerry and Jim sneaked into the sanitarium that Dr. Wagner gets the drop on them at gunpoint. Initially, he looks as if he is going to conduct an experiment on them when Jane's house maid, Sally walks in and recognizes Jim Wallace. Wagner orders his henchmen to remove their gags and bonds, and he explains to their satisfaction what has really happened. Naturally, Jim is relieved but amazed by this turn of events. Nevertheless, he doesn't understand what has happened.The revelations that follow would spoil the film for first-time viewers. "A Woman Condemned" has a slick ending that works out happily for everybody involved. You won't figure out the mystery unless you've seen a mystery similar to this one.

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!!!