Woman Wanted (1935)

Director:

George B. Seitz

Writers:

Wilson Collison (story)
Leonard Fields (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

2 August 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

Ann Grey is wrongly convicted of murder. On her way to jail a car accident gives her the opportunity to escape...

Plot Keywords:

Applejack | Attempted Murder | Suicide Attempt | Boathouse | Butler

Cast

Maureen O'Sullivan	...	Ann Gray
Joel McCrea	...	Anthony 'Tony' Baxter
Lewis Stone	...	District Attorney Martin
Louis Calhern	...	Smiley Gordon
Edgar Kennedy	...	House Detective Sweeney
Adrienne Ames	...	Betty Randolph
Robert Greig	...	Peedles, Tony's Butler (as Robert Grieg)
Noel Madison	...	Joe Metz, Smiley's Henchman
Granville Bates	...	Casey (scenes deleted)
William B. Davidson	...	Detective Collins
Richard Powell	...	Lee, Smiley's Henchman
Erville Alderson	...	Constable
Gertrude Short	...	Gertie, Hotel Switchboard

Runtime:

67 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #1076)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Quotes:

Gertie, Hotel Switchboard: [Watching as Tony Baxter takes Ann up to his room] Oh,isn't Mr. Baxter the one!
[Thinks a moment]
Gertie, Hotel Switchboard: Clark Gable's nice, too.
House Detective Sweeney: You women make me sick. D'ja see the dame with him?
Gertie, Hotel Switchboard: Yeah, but I've seen him do better.
House Detective Sweeney: D'ja ever see'er before?
Gertie, Hotel Switchboard: Say, are you the house dick, or am I?

Soundtrack:

Anchors Aweigh

A Fugitive Variation Before "The Fugitive"

This 1935 movie is similar to the later television series and the hit movie "The Fugitive." In this one a female rather than a male is found guilty of a murder she did not commit. Rather than an unplanned train derailment, a planned car wreck sets Ann Gray free. Ann Gray is played by the seductive Maureen O'Sullivan, Tarzan's Jane and Mia Farrow's mother, in a light-hearted manner much in the same way she played Jane. The wreck was orchestrated by mobster Smiley Gordon who is the real killer. The much underrated actor Louis Calhern portrays Smiley with skill and daring. Tony Baxter, Joel McCrae when he was still playing comedic romantic leads, at first unwittingly aids Ann in her escape from so-called justice and hides her away in his apartment. There is a hilarious scene at this point in the film when Tony's on-again off-again fiancée unexpectedly shows up and he has to hide Ann not only from the police but also from his girlfriend. Enter Peedles, Tony's Butler (Robert Greig), who has a delicious time keeping the two separated so the girlfriend Betty Randolph (Adrienne Ames) won't discover the other woman. The law then shows up complicating Peedles' job even more. Now he has to hide both women from the long arm of the law. The wonderful Edgar Kennedy as bumbling House Detective Sweeney is before the camera much too briefly but does get a chance to create a little mayhem for everyone concerned.

Another fun scene takes place in a closed diner where the now two fugitives, Ann and Tony, take shelter following a chase by mobsters during a thunder storm. Ann finds some apple jack and proceeds to get looped. Tony pretends to be the cook when the gangsters arrive and serves them hamburgers that he and Ann intended to eat. The local constable shows up after the hoods leave. He gets pie-eyed too.

This is one of those neat little films where loose ends get tied much too soon making for a fairly abrupt ending, as if the writers ran out of ideas and decided to wrap things up quickly. Still a very watchable comedy drama with some great acting thrown in to make it even more entertaining.