Michael_Elliott The Woman Condemned (1934) ** (out of 4)Newspaper reporter Jerry Beall (Richard Hemingway) gets caught up with the beauty of Barbara (Claudia Dell) that he pretty much forces himself into her life. It happens at a perfect time because Barbara is accused of murdering a woman but she claims that she is innocent so it's up to the reporter to prove it.THE WOMAN CONDEMNED is pretty much the standard "B" mystery that you'd expect from Poverty Row. The only thing really notable about it is the fact that it would turn out to be the final directorial job for Dorothy Davenport, better known and credited here as Mrs. Wallace Reid. Davenport had a number of acting credits in her career but she did direct seven movies as well.As far as this film goes, in all honesty it's a decent time-killer for fans of the genre but it's doubtful too many people will be having a good time with it. The plot is extremely thick for this type of film as it seems something new is being added every few minutes but I'm going to guess that this was done to try and make the film seem smarter than it actually was. The murder doesn't happen until the 35-minute mark, which leaves about half a hour to get it solved.Hemingway was pretty bland in the role of the reporter so he didn't add anything to the picture. You can spot Jason Robards, Sr. in a small role. Then you've got Dell who doesn't get much to do other than to constantly looked concerned over this or that. Lola Lane appears in a very brief role but she's certainly a highlight to the picture.THE WOMAN CONDEMNED really doesn't have too much going for it. The biggest bonus is that it's just 65-minutes long so if you have that to kill and enjoy the genre then you might want to check it out.

asinyne 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.

GManfred This picture held my interest from beginning to end. The more I watched, the more absorbing it became. I felt betrayed by the ending, but by that time it was too late as the picture was nearly over. This was an excellent effort by a Poverty Row company and an excellent Directorial effort by Mrs. Wallace Reid, which almost overcomes some gigantic plot holes.It was a fascinating story which contains several plot turns and twists and I couldn't turn it off. I thought Richard Hemingway was an attractive lead and would like to know more about him. IMDb notes his career was very short and his birth/death dates are unknown. I was amazed to discover how much Jason Robards Sr. resembles his son - or perhaps the other way around.I gave this film a rating of 7, and our current IMDb rating does not do it justice. Now, about that ending...

kidboots 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!!!