Marked Woman

Despite the disclaimer at the beginning of the film that asserts that the story is fictitious, Marked Woman is loosely based on the real-life crimefighting exploits of Thomas E. Dewey, a District Attorney for Manhattan who became a national celebrity in the 1930s, and two-time Republican Party presidential nominee in the 1940s, due to his fight against organized crime in New York City. Dewey indicted and convicted several prominent gangsters; his greatest achievement was the conviction of Lucky Luciano, the organized crime boss of the entire city. Dewey used the testimony of numerous call girls and madames to convict Luciano of being a pimp who ran one of the largest prostitution rings in American history. Dewey's dramatic achievements led Hollywood film studios to make several films about his exploits; Marked Woman was one of the most prominent. Humphrey Bogart's character, David Graham, is based on Dewey.

Warner Bros. purchased the rights from a Liberty series on Luciano, but was forced to make alterations in the story, such as changing the women's profession from prostitutes to "nightclub hostesses", because of censorship concerns.[1][2]

The notorious underworld czar Johnny Vanning (Eduardo Ciannelli) becomes the owner of a gaudy New York night club and re-names it Club Intimate. He exploits and mistreats the club's "hostesses" - Mary (Bette Davis), Gabby (Lola Lane), Emmy Lou (Isabel Jewell), Florrie (Rosalind Marquis), and Estelle (Mayo Methot) - in order to get their loyalty and obedience. At the club, Mary entices a young man (Damian O'Flynn) into betting and losing more money than he can afford. On the way home, he confides in her that he does not have the money to repay the gambling debt. He feels that it's a game, but Mary warns him that he is in real danger and to get out of town quickly. She is shocked, but not surprised, to learn soon after that he has been murdered, by Vanning's henchman Charlie Delaney (Ben Welden). District Attorney David Graham (Humphrey Bogart) brings Vanning to trial, feeling he has a clear-cut case against him. But, Mary and the other women refuse to implicate Vanning, fearing his retribution.

Mary's younger sister Betty (Jane Bryan) comes to visit, and, unaware of the dangerous situation she has entered, attends a party at Vanning's club at the insistence from Emmy Lou. She is "picked-up" by one of Vanning's friends (William B. Davidson), but she leaves before anything happens. After arriving back at the women's apartment, she is accosted by Mary for going to the club. Betty returns to the club that evening, despite Mary's wishes. Upon resisting the advances of the same man that met her previously, she is killed by Vanning after he slaps her and she falls down a flight of stairs. Mary threatens to testify against the gangster, but his thugs beat her and scar her face, knifing a cross onto her cheek after she falls unconscious. She becomes the "marked woman" of the film's title, but rather than silencing her, it strengthens her resolve to testify. Aware that they can only be free of the gangster if they find the strength to stand against him, the other women agree to testify also. They turn state's evidence and implicate Vanning, breaking up his vice ring. As Graham is congratulated by the press, the five girls walk off into the foggy night

Bette Davis as Mary

Lobby card

Cast notes

• Eduardo Ciannelli bears a physical resemblance to Lucky Luciano.[4]
• Hymie Marks, who played the bit part of a gangster named Joe in the film, attracted the attention of executive producer Hal B. Wallis, who felt that he did not look menacing enough – despite the fact that Marks was a former gangster and henchman of Lucky Luciano, who had been specifically cast by director Lloyd Bacon because of this connection.[5]
• Warners originally had cast Jane Wyman as Florrie.[1]

The Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA), formed by the film industry in 1922, regulated the content of films by reviewing scripts using the 1930 Motion Picture Production Code, which had been strictly enforced beginning in 1934, and prohibited plots involving brothels or prostitution. As a result, in the film the prostitutes from the Luciano trial became nightclub hostesses, the gangster's racket became illegal gambling, and the crime a murder.[2]

Marked Woman went into production on December 9, 1936[6] at the Warner Bros. studios in Burbank[7] under the working title "The Men Behind".[1] Director Michael Curtiz stood in for Lloyd Bacon while Bacon was on his honeymoon.[1]

When Davis was made-up for the scene in the hospital room, she was unhappy with the minimal bandaging that had been used, so on her lunch break she drove to her personal doctor, described the injuries that the script called her character to have, and had him bandage her accordingly. When she returned to the studio, a guard at the gate saw her bandages and called executive producer Hal B. Wallis to tell him that Davis had been in an accident.[5]

Warners re-released Marked Woman in 1947.[1]

Writing for Night and Day in 1937, Graham Greene gave the film a good review, noting that as a noir film "it's been done before, of course, [...] but it has never been done better than in some of these scenes". Greene praised the acting of Ciannelli who was able to "convey not only corruption but the sadness of corruption", however he expressed disappointment with Davis' acting which he claimed "plugs the emotions with dreadful abandonment".[8]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marked Woman (film).

• Marked Woman at IMDb
• Marked Woman at the TCM Movie Database
• Synopsis at AllMovie
• Marked Woman at Rotten Tomatoes
• LIFE 19 Apr 1937 - Movie of the Week Marked Woman