Parole Girl (1933)

Too many fans seem to be blown away

A Masterpiece!

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

It promises gritty, hard hitting pre-code earthiness and it almost delivers. Supposedly based on the story "Dance of the Millions" but, really, it is a re-working of Bayard Veiller's popular play "Within the Law". It had already been given the 4 star treatment at MGM as "Paid" (1930) with Joan Crawford. The link between the two movies is sweet Marie Prevost, who played a similar character in both - a ditsy cell mate who teams up with Mae/Joan when they are paroled. Poor Marie spent almost as much time behind bars as Sylvia Sidney. "Everything I do is on the level" to which Mae replies "Well, since you've been in prison - blackmail, larceny and extortion are now crimes"!!!It is interesting, when you view Mae Clarke's performances, she has sincerity and honesty in every part she plays but she just couldn't make the leap to the A grade. Her films were excellent "Waterloo Bridge" and "Night World" etc but by 1933 her bid for stardom was over and "Parole Girl" was described as "bottom of the barrel". It certainly wasn't that!!! While it wasn't in the same league as MGM's "Paid" - it was a perfect vehicle for Mae.Sylvia Day (Mae Clarke) is accused of picking a gentleman's pocket in a department store. She is dragged, humiliated in front of customers, to the manager's office, but it is all a misunderstanding. Then Sylvia goes into her award winning performance - she cries, she sobs and she walks out with a cheque for $500. But it is all a scam - she and the "gentleman", Tony (Hale Hamilton) are working together and while Sylvia is determined to go straight she is persuaded to do one last job. Of course they are caught and she comes up against a stony store manager, Joe Smith(Ralph Bellamy) who is not softened by her pleas for leniency. She is sent to prison for a year and after her release her only thought is to make Smith pay - and pay he does!!! After renewing his acquaintance (he doesn't know her), she gets him "cockeyed" and he wakes up next morning - married!!! Of course it is all bogus as Tony has performed the ceremony.From now on a lot of the grittiness goes and is replaced by pre- code fun as Sylvia glides around in assorted negligees. Mae Clarke does sport an unattractive "butch" hairstyle and I am glad this seems to be the only film that she chose to wear it. There are a couple of glitches to their happiness. Tony is upset that Sylvia has thrown him over and plans to get even with her by slipping a counterfeit bill in her purse but Joe, unexpectedly, comes to her rescue and they really start to fall in love. Then Joe's wife appears - yes, he is already married and to none other than Jeannie (Marie Prevost) Sylvia's little pal from the big house. But everything is smoothed out and all under 70 minutes. After all this was in 1933 when they really knew how to make movies.Highly Recommended.

I recorded this movie and watched it in the morning. It was well worth it, even though it was short and the plot is sometimes very contrived, but then again most movie plots are contrived. Mae Clark did a very good job playing a woman who is basically good but due to circumstances does not always follow the most moral path. I won't go into more but the movie was very entertaining. You can tell the movie is pre-code and that adds just enough of an edge to make it interesting. Ralph Bellamy did a good job of playing the forced upon husband. He was quite entertaining. Mr. Taylor played by Ferdinand Gottschalk was an interesting character it reminded me of the old days when having a wife and kids increased your chance of promotion at the company. Those days are gone, but it does give you an insight into what life was pre-1960's.

Parole Girl. I love that title. This is a forgotten little gem from Columbia, but really was a perfect fit for Warner's. Surprisingly directed by Eddie Cline, who was best known for his association (and patience) with WC Fields. He created some of the most memorable comedies on screen, but managed to put together an interesting and sympathetic effort in this movie.It stars Mae Clarke, best known for getting a grapefruit in her mush by Jimmy Cagney in Public Enemy. Other than that her movies were mostly forgettable as far as I can tell. But she did a great job in this one. She plays a young girl lured into a series of schemes by an old family friend played to the hilt by Hale Hamilton. I have to admit, I wasn't familiar with his work, but he certainly performed here. When Mae is caught by a department store dick in an extortion scam, she is sent up the river for a year. She blames the department store manager, played by Ralph Bellamy, for the pinch and promises revenge. After her release she meets up with him, and through a complicated series of maneuvers,convinces him they married. Since he was already married, she threatens to ruin his life if he doesn't play ball. Her plan is to take him for everything he's got, but of course, it all backfires on her. I bet you will never guess what happens.This was pre-code and there are a number of examples of that naughty dialog that we all loved so much. This is a B movie well worth watching. The entire cast does a credible job with a really stand out performance by Mae Clarke. She was appealing and sympathetic without being annoying. That is sometimes a fine line to walk, but she did it.

If you find yourself sleepless at 3 am and you've got an hour and fifteen minutes to kill with Turner Classic Movies, you can do worse than this charming romance that, while mostly predictable, takes you places and keeps up a good pace."Parole Girl" comes with a competent cast, pre Hays' era sexuality, and a time capsule visit to 1930's America. I counted at least six improbable plot devices, but, oh--who cares? Bellamy was believable. And I fell in love with the intelligent, cunning Mae Clark.What guy, sleepless at 3 am wouldn't hope to find himself in Bellamy's predicament with a woman as alluring and devious as Mae Clark's character?