Marked Woman (1937)

A woman (Bette Davis) who works as a nightclub "hostess" in a clip joint run by a notorious gangster (Eduardo Ciannelli) is targeted by the police after a guy (Damian O'Flynn) she left the club with is found murdered. She refuses to cooperate with them but when her sister (Jane Bryan) becomes a victim, she changes her mind. But will she live to tell? The film opens with a disclaimer that the story is fictitious and any resemblance between any living persons is not intended. Bollocks! The film is based on Thomas Dewey's (Humphrey Bogart standing in) prosecution of Lucky Luciano (Ciannelli standing in) for vice crimes including prostitution though the film code required changing them to nightclub hostesses. This was the first film for Davis after her lawsuit against Warners (she lost) in an attempt to get better scripts. She may have lost but after years of dumping her in flicks like SATAN MET A LADY and FASHIONS OF 1934, they listened and this was the first of many films that made her the actress of her generation. Oh, it's the kind of lurid "ripped from the headlines" crime melodrama that Warners did so well during this period but Davis's performance elevates it to something just a bit more. Nicely directed by Lloyd Bacon. With Lola Lane, Isabel Jewell, Allen Jenkins and Mayo Methot, who would go on to marry Bogart a year later.