Beware of Ladies (1936) User Reviews

Forgettable

[jemkat · 5/10 · 14 September 2003]

Irving Pichel in his time directed some very interesting pictures. This 1937 B-effort from Republic is not one of them.

In the plot, such as it is, an unhappily married female reporter is assigned by her boss to beef up the public profile of a naive but honest politician who is running against the crooked incumbent in an upcoming election.

The far from stellar cast are competent in what they do, but you would not exactly call them the most charismatic group of actors ever assembled. The only cast member coming remotely close to being a "name" today would be Dwight Frye of Universal horror picture fame, and his role of a "spy" in the electoral office of our hero Donald Cook is of minimal significance to the picture.

I can't really say that this picture is bad...just of very little consequence, and ultimately, very forgettable.

One ironic element saves the day.

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 25 January 2019]

It brings on unintentional humor when you hear the name of the character that leading lady played by Judith Allen. She even gets to indicate that name when she tells crooked husband George Meeker what she thinks of the last name that he gave her. Then the name keeps being mentioned over and over. It is not the fault of the script that this is the case, but just a coincidence and pretty much the only thing in the film that I found amusing. this is one of the most difficult B films I've seen to try to focus on because while it does have intrigued, it is never interesting enough to truly maintain your attention.

The plot surrounds political Intrigue that Allen brings to reporter Donald Cook to help her with, and for the next hour all day pretty much do is bicker. They certainly aren't Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in "His Girl Friday", and basically have no screen magnetism. It's basically a convoluted mess that seems to take forever to unfold but the running time defies that belief. Another ironic twist is that this was directed by Irving Pichel, a character actor best known for playing creepy roles, and features Dwight Fry in an interesting bit playing another variety of the many creepy roles he also played. These few elements that I mention in a positive way are the only reason that it got above the one star the rating I gave it.

A top thriller!

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 3 August 2014]

Having worked on and off on newspapers all my life, I'm always a pushover for a newspaper yarn. This one is particularly good even though it hails from Republic. The director is Irving Pichel and although his previous effort for Republic, "The Gentleman from Louisiana" (1936) is both disappointing and slow-moving, "Beware of Ladies" not only has a solid premise, but moves at a real crackerjack pace which builds to a thrilling, edge-of-the-seat climax. The cast is top-of-the-tree too, although I will admit that neither Donald Cook nor Judith Allen usually stir my emotions. However in this one, they are not only expertly cast but – thanks no doubt to Pichel's encouraging direction – these two stars keep up both the pace and audience sympathy right from first to last. The support players are A-1 too, although Dwight Frye has disappointingly little to do but pose for a few close-ups. The real villainy is in the expert hands of Russell Hopton. George Meeker is also in there pitching. In fact, Meeker has a decent role for once that allows him to give a bit of shading to his usual characterization and even induce a slight bit of audience sympathy for his plight. All told, by Republic's usual budget-conscious standards, "Beware of Ladies" is a rare hot number! Incidentally, the script (both story and screenplay) is entirely credited to an "L.C. Dublin". As this is the only credit Dublin enjoys on IMDb, the name is obviously a pseudonym. L.C. doublin' for who? Well it's not Lon Chaney or Louis Calhern, that's for sure.

Cheapo That Has Some Good Points

[dougdoepke · 19 July 2021]

Okay B-movie drama from budget-minded Republic Pictures. The plot concerns political intrigue between a naive reform-minded Martin for city DA, and a corrupt incumbent faction seeking to undo Martin's candidacy. At first the bad guys needn't bother since Martin's campaign is too passive to worry about. But then forceful female reporter White sees Martin's potential and helps develop his untapped skills. Alarmed now, the corrupt faction quickly takes action.

It's a no-name cast that performs ably enough with the exception of Judith Allen as reporter White. In short, she's quite effective as Martin's take-charge mentor, reminding me a bit of a feisty Barbara Stanwyck. Note too the unusual womanly subtext that shows White finally lifting Martin beyond listlessness to her level of skill and initiative. And guess what happens as a result. Also, get a load of the 30's style tin-lizzies then crowding the streets, so reflective of the era.

On the downside are the rapid-fire shenanigans between the opposing factions in an over-crowded 64-minute storyline. Too bad ace director Pichel-just then getting started-adds little to the mix. Still the pacing never lags, though the many characters keep ducking in and out; so, a scorecard might be needed. All in all, you might give the programmer a try, especially for the unusual Martin-White matchup and the political lessons that go with it.

(In passing- Maybe you can spot Perry Mason's favorite TV investigator, the handsome William Hopper, in a side role as a reporter. Too bad that I missed him.)