The Tiger Woman

Perhaps it should have been called "The Tell-Tale Pom-Pom instead! There's a deadly-dull detective; a resolution that is patently obvious; a lot of boring, talky scenes that might have been helped by a slight injection of humor; and a typically dependable performance by Adele Mara that is wasted in this crime drama. This plays like a standard television mystery with about the same running time. It's a B movie that is more like a C-, but you may like it if you're willing to grade on a curve.

Republic Pictures will always be best-known for its serials and westerns and John Wayne films, but their feature films, most of which resemble the "B" programmers of, say, Columbia or Universal, are a little-known asset of the studio. Most haven't been shown on TV in decades and few have been released on video. Republic issued a strange assortment of excellent and not so good (such as When Gangland Strikes) features back in the VHS days, but nothing really in 15 years. Republic features were almost always entertaining, economical, professionally made, well-cast, and tightly paced...just like their westerns. This particular feature, the first director credit of Philip Ford (nephew of John), casts the witty, square-jawed leading man of serials and b-action films, Kane Richmond, as a private eye sucked into a web of dirty dealings involving a nightclub owner, his wife, her "friend", etc. The night club is the Tiger Club, and thus the wife is the "Tiger Woman" of the title. No, this is not a jungle film and has nothing to do with the serial of the same name. Xavier Cugat vocalist and Republic leading lady Adele Mara plays Sharon, the Tiger Woman, and shows a range of emotions from confused, naive victim to mourning widow to shrill black widow. Ms. Mara is always a delight to see--her large seductive eyes are not soon forgotten!--and she did a lot of work for Republic in the mid and late 40's. Her boyfriend is played by British actor Richard Fraser (Picture of Dorian Gray), whose accent slips in here and there, and who does a good job of playing a character who thinks he's in control of the relationship with Ms. Mara but who is simply a plaything to be discarded. As always, Kane Richmond is the perfect b-movie leading man--handsome, athletic, witty, self-deprecating even while the character he's playing might be vain--and he and Adele Mara take what could be a standard, unimaginative mystery programmer and make it special. Also usual for Republic is the fine cast of colorful supporting players such as Cy Kendall (often a heavy, here a quirky police detective) and Gregory Gay (as a mobster/mortician (!!!!!) of uncertain ethnicity!). The print reviewed is a 16mm Hollywood Television Service (Republic's television syndication arm) copy with the republic logo removed, so it's possible that this copy could have a few minutes trimmed from the original theatrical release print, but most of these b-programmers are under an hour anyway, and the films moves quickly and gets a lot done in a short time. I also acquired at the same time as this film one made the next year at Republic with the same two stars, PASSKEY TO DANGER, and will try to review that within the next few weeks. THE TIGER WOMAN is a pleasant way to kill an hour, the mystery angle works quite well and while the conclusion could probably be anticipated, the film leads the viewer down so many other blind alleys that when the REAL conclusion comes it almost seems to come out of the blue. If only one could see the Republic library on some cable channel...

Kane Richmond (Jerry) is approached by Adele Mara (Sharon) to ask mobster Gregory Gaye (Joe) not to kill her husband. Richmond does precisely that but things get confusing when husband turns up dead having committed suicide and left a note. Husband's business partner Richard Fraser (Steve) and Mara find the body along with the suicide note. But, this needs to be destroyed as the insurance policy won't pay out if the cause of death is suicide. Mara and Fraser are also lovers so this note doesn't suit them at all as they could do with the dosh. Goodbye note.

Well, that's just the beginning and already quite a lot is happening. However, whilst the story does progress it just gets boring until the final few scenes when Mara comes into her element. She's pretty good in this film as are all the cast except perhaps for mobster boss Gregory Gaye and his peculiar accent.

The title of this film has nothing to do with a jungle setting or with a horror setting in which a woman turns into a tiger. It has to do with the setting of the film at the Tiger Club. It's like calling a film "the Bomb Squad" but the film not being about bombs or even having a military theme but instead concerning itself with a gang of people who hang out in a club called "The Bomb".

Gotta hand it to Republic for "The Tiger Woman", a murder mystery with unusual substance for a Poverty Row studio. I have to say reviewer django-1 just about covered all the bases, and I agree with his review. This is one of Republic's best efforts in a genre which can disintegrate quickly into schlock and formulaic predictability. But the direction and script are a cut above the norm for a small studio and give the picture polish and style.

Too bad they didn't make a series using the good-natured Kane Richmond in his role as Private Eye Jerry Devery, as I found his characterization appealing - just right for a series hero, like Lloyd Nolan as Michael Shayne. Here he is aided and abetted by Adele Mara, the Tiger Woman of the title. She was one of Hollywood's best 'B' femme fatales.

My only complaint is that the murderer's hand is tipped early on and was not as much of a puzzle as it could have been, but I would still rate "The Tiger Woman" a 7 out of 10. It was a big surprise, especially if you're not expecting one.

A budget crime/mystery out of Republic Pictures, The Tiger Woman crams as much as it can into a running time of just under an hour. It's a private detective yarn tinged with a dangerous femme fatale as the plot sends P I Jerry Devery (Kane Richmond) into the world of Sharon Winslow (Adele Mara), who needs him to help get her husband out of debt to the mob. But the husband's death opens up a can of mysterious worms.

Please stop beating your gums.

What follows is a whole bunch of bluffs, wrong leads and red herrings, the latter of which usually involves cigarettes. The pic is strung together via a number of character exchanges where the dialogue pings with humorous spice, in the interim moments there's court shenanigans, murder, beat downs and a beautiful southpaw thrown! It all leads to a genuinely pleasing finale as the reveal seems obvious even though it wasn't, that's how good the twists and turns are in the build up.

Mara smoulders with her big eyes and shapely legs and Richmond offers up good solid lantern jawed machismo. They are supported well by Peggy Stewart, Richard Fraser, Cy Kendall, John Kelly and Addison Richards. Phillip Ford (The Last Crooked Mile/Hideout) directs with classic Republic "B" efficiency and Ernest Miller (The Steel Helmet) photographs to the good staple requirements of black and white crime yarns of the era. 7/10