BETRAYED WOMEN
US, 1955, 70 minutes, Black and white.
Beverly Michaels, Carole Matthews, Peggy Knudsen, Tom Drake, Sarah Hayden, Esther Dale, John Dierkes.
Directed by Edward L. Cahn.
Betrayed women is a start vehicle for Beverly Michaels who made films between 1949 in 1956, often stirring as a tough woman, gangsters moll… However, she retired from films and married director Russell Rouse and had two children with him, married for 30 years without making any films.
Here she is literally a gangster’s moll, he being defiant and shot in a hail of bullets, she going to prison where she experiences the typical oppression of harsh women guards, surprisingly seeing character actress Esther Dale as the tough warden and, more especially, Sara Hayden, the nice aunt in the Andy Hardy films, as a tough guard.
Tom Drake is a sympathetic reformer of prisons, Peggy Knudsen is his girlfriend who is in prison, Carole Matthews is another tough prisoner who escapes.
1. The popularity of women’s prisons films? The focus on the women, interned, punishment, anti-authority, exploitation? The 1950s example?
2. Black-and-white photography, the gangster shootout in the streets, the prisons, exteriors and interiors, the swamps? The musical score?
3. The opening with Baby Face, confronting the police, determined to die, Honey trying to stop him? Her being imprisoned?
4. The prison, the warden and her trying to keep order, shielding her brother, the visit of Jeff, the justification of her management, the low-budget, the poor meals, the harsh punishments? Darcy and her severity, her past and being responsible for a death, harsh treatment of Honey, spying on Laura, putting people in solitary? Her death?
5. Honey, tough, surly, with the authorities, put in solitary, her getting out, Nora is supposed to spy on her? Interactions with Kate, the fight, Cates husband, the $50,000? Friendship with Nora? Happy memories of Baby Face? The decision to escape, the gun, counting to 10, her taking the driver is hostage? Taking Jeff and Nora coming with him, taking the warden? The car, the pursuit, going through the swamps, leaving the warden to die, finding the house, finding Kate, her husband, the shootouts? Honey and her dilemma, remembering Baby Face, remembering Jeff and is urging her to live? The throwing out the guns?
6. Nora, her brother, her love for Jeff, the bitterness, in the office in prison, the attacks on Jeff? Spying on Honey, her reputation? Her phoning Jeff, the confrontation with Darcy, the deciding to leave with the group, honey saying she was a hostage?
7. Kate, tough, the money, her friendship with the warden’s brother, going for drives, using him to escape, his reaction and setting his dogs on her, her husband, is marriage, hearing about the escape, going to the house, get the money, confrontation, death?
8. Jeff, sincere, trying to improve prison life, the relationship with Nora? Her phone call, his confrontation with the warden, hostage, in the car, the swamps, persuading honey to give up?
9. The continued popularity of this exploitation genre?
