The House On 56th Street (1933)

A showgirl (Kay Francis) marries a wealthy playboy (Gene Raymond) and for a few years, she leads a dream life including the birth of a daughter. But when an old flame (John Halliday) re-enters her life, fate deals her a cruel hand when she is sent to prison for 20 years for his murder. Directed by Robert Florey (MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE). Kay Francis never got to play MADAME X but this sentimental pre-code drama is about as close as she got. Francis gets the opportunity to play two different aspects of the same woman: the good wife and devoted mother before prison and the hard cynical gambling lady after prison. The first part of the movie, the pre-prison portion is on the dullish side but fortunately, things pick up considerably in the post prison sequences where Francis is all glammed up and pairs up with no good Ricardo Cortez. This being a pre-code film, a character is allowed to get away with murder! Francis fans should eat this up, others will be less charitable. With Margaret Lindsay as Francis's grown up daughter and Frank McHugh.