A Dama e o Carrasco

Opening scene: Jean Parker walks into the death chamber to be electrocuted…and the action cuts to Lionel Atwill and a roomful of reporters apparently congratulating him on cracking the case. He tells them the tale of how he met Parker, how she came to be convicted of killing a blackmailer by whacking him over the head, and how Atwill himself grew convinced of her innocence and set about investigating.

Atwill is quite smooth as Charles Finch, a well knows criminologist who says, "I keep insisting I'm a psychologist." Lionel Atwill didn't get to play the good guy every day, and he does well as the insightful and wise but also quick-thinking detective capable of decisive action.

Jean Parker is sympathetic as the earnest young woman who has a family secret from which it's hard to hide. The role doesn't offer a lot of opportunities for showing her character's fun side, but Parker does a capable job of playing it smart and attractive….She is also the responsible one in a family that includes a wild younger sister (Marcia Mae Jones) who is obviously concealing information vital to solving the mystery.

Douglas Fowley is the other lead, a young doctor ("I prefer to think of myself as a scientist") who has some bold ideas (he is developing a method to revive dead things) but is obliged to raise research money doing a job he hates down at the prison—he throws the switch when a convict is put in the electric chair. He's a rather gloomy fellow; I'm not sure what Parker is supposed to see in him, but of course they fall in love…which causes Fowley an unusual conflict between personal and professional obligations when Parker is sentenced to the chair.

It all builds somewhat predictably but manages to entertain despite the lack of surprises.

Fun to see Atwill in a central good guy role….In the early scene where Fowley tells him his mad-scientist-type idea, I was half expecting Atwill to say something like, "Yes, I've tried that in one or two of my other films"…. Alas, he played it straight.

Lady in the Death House I'm sure is a movie publicist's wet dream. Get this: A woman is condemned to die.. The executioner? Her BOYFRIEND! It's up to a criminologist, er, psychologist to figure out who really killed the shady friend of the prisoner's sister, AND has to get a hold of the Governor somehow Before It's Too Late! This movie is somewhat fun, but fairly predictable, Jean Parker as the lady in question and Lionel Atwill are good here, but nothing really remarkable. The most fun is watching the little bit of suspense at the end with the governor and all. I mean, shouldn't he be AVAILIBLE for last minute clemency phone calls and what have you instead of ordering Denver Sandwiches ("smothered in onions!"). They should have had a shot of the onions frying, THAT would have been clever.

The flick's a PRC programmer that manages some suspense. So, will an eager Fowley and Atwill get to the warden before an innocent Parker is executed. It's certainly one of the lengthiest suspenseful countdowns on white-knuckle record. The story's told in flashback as Parker walks the last mile, so things look bad for her from the outset. Then too, it's two of moviedom's traditional bad guys Fowley and Atwill playing good guys, so seeing them as heroes takes some getting used to. Though the exposition gets a little difficult at times, there's a standout nightclub scene where Parker's dress catches afire with a romantic aftermath that solidifies a relationship. The acting is good, except for the wild-eyed Jones whose expressions at times are almost clownish. All in all, it's a decent little programmer that, with a few changes, might have fit into the old Perry Mason TV series.

Poverty row cheapie starring Lionel Atwill as a criminologist who tries to stop an innocent girl from being executed in the electric chair. Told through flashback, the story begins with Atwill befriending Doug Fowley's character, a scientist who's going to do big things someday but until then he has to make ends meet as the executioner at the state pen! He wants to marry Jean Parker but she refuses, having pretty strong opinions on capital punishment on account of her dearly departed dad being a criminal. Things get even more melodramatic when a guy who was blackmailing Jean winds up murdered and she's tried and convicted for the crime. If you guess that Fowley's job as executioner figures back into things, congratulations. On top of all this, Jean's sister is acting shady and doesn't seem all that broken up about Jean being fried extra crispy. Leave it to Lionel Atwill to solve everything, albeit taking his sweet time to do so. It's not a bad little B movie. Very cheap as you would expect from something made by PRC. But it's perfectly watchable and even curiously entertaining at points. Bonus points for excessive "wipes." A sure sign of a top-notch production.

Okay B noirish film starring Lionel Atwill and Jean Parker.

Told primarily in flashbacks as she heads for the chair, Jean Parker is given a death sentence after being found guilty of murdering her blackmailer - supposedly in front of witnesses. She claims she is innocent, and indeed, the people who claim to have seen her only saw a silhouette behind a shade.

A criminologist (Lionel Atwill) attempts to find out the truth before it's too late. One other aspect - her boyfriend is the one who is supposed to pull the switch.

Nothing special but absorbing all the same.

One tip-off that this is basic poverty row is that when Lionel Atwill messes up his lines, there are no retakes.