Richard Chatten With a title like that - and with Mae Clarke best remembered today as a punchbag for Jimmie Cagney - one approaches this film expecting gritty lowlife drama. This expectation is reinforced by an extremely atmospheric opening sequence (which makes excellent use of tracking shots and realistic sound), seemingly shot in a genuine department store, with store detective Lee Phelps pursuing Miss Clarke as she heads for the exit after a customer loudly accuses her of picking his pocket. She ends up going to jail after the manager of a different store, Ralph Bellamy, refuses her pleas for mercy for a different offence (Bellamy's explanation that "the store's rule has always been to prosecute, our insurance company insists upon it" carries the hint that the brutal, unyielding capitalist system bears some of the blame for her plight); and her time in jail culminates in a superbly staged sequence set in the prison workshop when she demonstrates neither for the first or last time her adroitness as a manipulator by deliberating starting a fire and then 'heroically' turning an extinguisher on it.The film's title and her journey through the lower depths can in retrospect can be seen as Depression-era window dressing serving as a prologue to the vengeful game of marital cat-&-mouse Clarke then begins at the expense of the hapless Bellamy when she emerges from prison, which comprises the rest of the film. Five years earlier with a racier title implying sexual rather than criminal intrigue this story could easily have been a vehicle for the likes of Norma Shearer, with both the many preposterous plot contrivances resembling those of a silent film, and Clarke's chic boyish haircut reinforcing her resemblance to a silent film heroine. Aided by elegant photography by the great Joseph August, Eddie Cline so deftly handles both the early action & drama and the later scenes of sexual tension that it may after all be worth investigating his filmography beyond the vehicles for W.C.Fields with which his name is associated.A charming cameo by Ferdinand Gottschalk as Bellamy's boss deserves particular mention in a uniformly good cast; and Mae Clarke here turns in a real star performance displaying a wide emotional range as well as a rapport with Bellamy. Unfortunately she was on the very brink of a precipitous fall from grace as the result of the double-whammy of a nervous breakdown brought on by overwork in June 1932, followed by a car accident in which her jaw was broken the month 'Parole Girl' was released in March 1933. She thus well exemplifies that lost generation whose work continues to surprise and delight discoverers of pre-Code Hollywood.

svaldez-4 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.

xerses13 PAROLE GIRL (1933) is a variation of the Girl who seeks retribution for a alleged wrong done to her. The original play WITHIN THE LAW (1912) no doubt was the source material for this screenplay. Just changed enough, to avoid being sued for plagiarism.THE NUTS; Sylvia Day (Mae Clarke) gets picked up for shop-lifting. Joe Smith (Ralph Bellamy) is not sympathetic to her problems. In fact never sees her but has flunky turn her over to the law. After serving time and out on 'Parole' she tricks Smith into marrying her to exact her revenge. Eventually pair fall in love and at the fade out REALLY get married. At 67" it is just long enough to be entertaining without taxing the audience.WITHIN THE LAW would be filmed in 1916, 1917, 1923. In 1930 it would be filmed under the title of PAID M.G.M. and star Joan Crawford. The version we are most familiar with is WITHIN THE LAW (1939) M.G.M. and would feature contract player Ruth Hussey, running 65". Last version was INTAQUAM (1969) a Shaktiman Enterprises, production of India. Though this plot-line had been used from T.V. movies too soap operas.One final note, the attractive Mae Clarke though looking very chic had the most unflattering 'butch' hairstyle to grace the 'silver screen'.

howdymax 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.