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Nan Taylor (Barbara Stanwyck) is caught trying to help three men rob a bank. She sweet talks an innocent, powerful man David Slade (Preston Foster) into defending her, but confesses at the last minute. She's sent to prison and plots her revenge. The prison has a lesbian (shown once), a black prisoner who actually has lines (very surprising for the 1930s), a bird that terrorizes the inmates (don't ask), catfights and some pretty elaborate cells for the women. It makes prison seem like a great place to be!

A definite one of a kind with some pretty risque (for 1933) lines and situations. Barbara Stanwyck is just great in the title role. She tears into it and gives it her all--especially at the end. Lillian Roth also is very good as a fellow prisoner. As for Foster--he's tall and handsome...that's about it, but he fulfills his role.

Tough, fun, very quick (69 minutes) pre-Code movie. Definetely worth a look.

Barbara Stanwyck as a beautiful gun moll who helps her gang commit an armed bank robbery, then gets herself arrested. A young reformer who speaks in front of an "old-fashioned revival" believes in her innocence and tries to help her as they both are from the same hometown and, well, she's not past using her looks to get what she wants. But when, for some reason that I couldn't quite figure out, she actually admits to him she was part of the hold-up, he then assists in sending her to San Quentin. Soon our gal is the "new fish" in prison, and this is a women's prison like no other - if it weren't for the appearance of some older women prisoners in the mix, this would almost look a private girl's school rather than the state Penn! Lounge rocking chairs, newspapers, card games, a "greenhouse" area, a hair stylist, manicures, the "ladies bird club", phonograph record players, and outside - "the sun yard", a regular garden spot. These women can wear their own slinky negligees at night and play records in their room - and one older inmate actually is allowed to keep her own little "lap dog" - h'm.

This film is pretty good - the portrayal of the prison so far-fetched it's actually kind of a hoot to watch. I notice the male prisoners (on the other side of the prison) don't seem to have the same conditions as the women as they are shown in regular jail cells with bars. Anyway, Barbara Stanwyck, one of my favorite actresses from that era, gives her usual star performance and acts up a storm - just great as she plays the world-wise gal who'll play hard ball to get what she wants. A really fun film.

It's a little surprising for those of us who grew up on a double dose of the aging Stanwyck playing an almost hysterical, often villainous matriarch in low-budget theatrical releases or on TV, to see how pale, slender, and vulnerable she was in the early 30s.

Here she's the daughter of a small-town deacon who has suffered through one lecture too many and gone wrong, sent to San Quention for involvement in a bank robbery. (I think -- come to think about it, I'm not sure WHY she was sent up. No evidence links her to complicity in the robbery. All that stands against her is an informal confession to a guy she likes, not made under oath, and easily recanted. Well -- no matter.) Preston Foster is the righteous DA she falls for. He grew up in the same small town, the son of the town drunk, but he straightened up and flew right. Too right, for some tastes. By the way, the small town they grew up in, in which everyone knew everyone else's name, is Benicia, now absorbed into the greater San Francisco Bay Area and it has a population of more than 25,000.

The plot, which comes from a play, carries a lot of familiar real-life baggage and is less interesting than the characters we meet in the course of a kind of tribal study of the ladies' section of San Quentin. There are, first of all, quite a few African-Americans among the inmates, a bit surprising considering the audience the film was aimed at. They're treated mostly humorously but not moreso than the white inmates, and the humor isn't stereotypical. Ruth Donnelly, a familiar face in old movies if there ever was one, is the not entirely unsympathetic warden or whatever her title is. She sometimes carries around a gigantic cockatoo or something on her shoulder which seems to serve no purpose except to scare defiant inmates when it flexes its wings and squawks. Lillian Roth has a prominent supporting part. She's quite pretty, and she sings old songs with more zest than Susan Hayward did in the weeper, "I'll Cry Tomorrow." (Great title, there, Hollywood.) There is the elderly Madam, happily ensconced in her chair, making wisecracks about how all the inmates are now "my girls." Nobody in the movie is thoroughly rotten. If there is a villain, it is the woman who has been born again while in prison and is spiteful, jealous and judgmental. Saints preserve us from zealots. Stanwyck is a surprise in her performance too. She's as good as she's ever been, slouching around in her prison dress, hands in pockets, giving as good as she gets. A grim cigar-smoking dyke is held up for fun without being ridiculed or turned into a monster.

The movie is a curiosity. It's easy to watch, kind of fun, and not badly done. Snippy dialogue, a quick pace, an unpretentious plot, all make it worth a watch.

Don't expect much in the way of pre-Code titillation with this simple film adapted from a play. What you do get is a starring vehicle for Barbara Stanwyck, who plays the moll of a gang who robs banks.

After being apprehended, she is sent to San Quentin, where she learns to live with prison rules and the social structure there. She's a tough cookie, always looking to assert herself, even on her first day of captivity.

Except for the presence of guards, life as depicted in the women's prison is much like "Stage Door", with a leisurely, genial attitude. Comic touches abound in this film, like the scene where one inmate sings to a headshot of Joe E. Brown, of all people.

While Stanwyck is strong in her role and Preston Foster is solid in his briefer portrayal of the revivalist who never gives up on her, "Ladies They Talk About" has a story too simple to challenge the viewer or, for that matter, the actors themselves. And the drama is minimal.

But it's fun to see Stanwyck in one of her earlier films.

Early Barbara Stanwyck who is about as bad as they get. She participates in a bank robbery, manipulates men, lies, and gets sent up to the big house. Plot is somewhat far fetched with little character development other than for Barbara. Story revolves around whether Barbara will again allow Preston Foster to try to save her after trusting him once and having him fail to live up to her expectations. Stanwyck is patterned after the real life experiences and play by Dorothy Mackaye who repeats the formula in Lady Gangster (1942). This movie is worth watching to see the early Stanwyck or the depiction of woman's prison life. Apparently women inmates were allowed to fix up their rooms real nice and change from prison clothes into street clothes during visiting hours -- or so Hollywood would tell us. Sure would have made it easier to escape!

The hard-boiled dames locked up at San Quentin State Penitentiary are some of the LADIES THEY TALK ABOUT.

Barbara Stanwyck stars in this very enjoyable pre-Code crime drama which takes a Hollywood look at women's lives behind bars. The acting is strictly of the ham variety, with a few histrionics, some heart-string tugging and a surprisingly large dollop of comedy thrown in. Some of the plot developments are absolutely ludicrous, but the viewer should never get bored.

Stanwyck is terrific as the female member of a small-time gang of crooks. Prison gives her a chance to get really tough in order to deal with her situation, but the audience always knows that just a few moments with the right man will have her (rather unconvincingly) melting like butter. Whether brawling with a vicious inmate, assisting in an escape attempt, or going gunning for the guy she thinks betrayed her, Stanwyck is always right on the money for entertainment value.

Three female costars give Stanwyck some great support in the prison scenes. Lillian Roth, as the lighthearted inmate who befriends Barbara, nearly steals the show with her perky personality; she gives the movie one of its brightest moments when she croons 'If I Could Be With You' to a fan photo of comic Joe E. Brown. Frowzy Maude Eburne is a hoot as a bawdy former madam who likes to reminisce about her old 'beauty parlor' from the comfort of her rocking chair. Good-natured Ruth Donnelly is a nice addition, in a small role, as an Irish matron with a big white parrot.

Preston Foster, as a reform revivalist who remembers Stanwyck from their childhood together in Benicia, California, gives an earnest performance, stalwart & steady. Lyle Talbot and Harold Huber appear as members of Stanwyck's gang. Elderly Robert McWade makes the most of his performance as Los Angeles' wily District Attorney.

Movie mavens will spot some fine character actors appearing unbilled: rotund DeWitt Jennings as a cagey police detective; Helen Ware as the no-nonsense prison head matron; Madame Sul-Te-Wan as Mustard, the sassy prisoner who's terrified of parrots; Robert Warwick as San Quentin's stern warden. And that's dear Mary Gordon who appears for only a few scant seconds as a laughing white-haired inmate in the Visiting Room.

This is a fine example of the Barbara Stanwyck fans would come to know in future years. Her role is tough as nails (remember this production is pre -code) and no-nonsense but still smooth and sexy. One of the best of Stanwyck's early work.

Am a fan of films from the 1930s and have for a while loved Barbara Stanwyck and many of her performances (regardless of what the rest of the film is like). Have always liked any film crime-related, with mystery, thriller and crime being my preferred genres (adore animation too but there is debate as to whether to class that as a genre) and there are a lot of good melodramas and good films that mix the two. Am somewhat less keen on Preston Foster though.

'Ladies They Talk About' is a very uneven film and not a particularly great one. If anything it is more a slightly above mixed feelings kind of film for me. There is a lot to recommend and it was interesting to see a depiction of life in a women prison, even if it won't ring true for a lot of people (best judging it on its own terms). Despite the improbable story and the even more improbable ending, Stanwyck, most of the supporting performances and the script elevate.

There are plenty of good things with 'Ladies They Talk About'. It is well made, with a good deal of style and atmosphere. It is good that 'Ladies They Talk About' doesn't go on for too long and it never felt dull to me. It is an entertaining film with some nice acid comedy and the melodrama generally doesn't go over the top, despite going off the boil towards the end. The crime element is intriguing and doesn't play second fiddle too much, and the look at life in a women prison is sincere enough.

Stanwyck gives a cool lead performance that leaves one riveted, while not being as intense compared to usual. She gets great supporting turns from Ruth Donnelly, Lyle Talbot and particularly Lillian Roth, their chemistry being the most interesting and having the most growth.

Was far less convinced by Foster, who makes absolutely no impact in a preposterous role that is the sketchiest in 'Ladies They Talk About'. He has no real chemistry with Stanwyck and their subplot is very developed.

Moreover, the story is highly unlikely and sometimes silly and while well-intentioned the portrayal of prison life is almost too idealised. And there were films in the 30s and throughout the decades pre-70s that did have an ahead of the time grim, uncompromising and realistic portrayal of prison life, such as 'The Big House'. Worst of all is the improble and cop-out ending, which is far too out of the blue (a sudden change of decision and opinion just like that), too hasty in pace and it makes no sense compared to what happens throughout the rest of the film. This was studio-interference-like and almost insulting.

In a nutshell, worth a one time look but not great. 6/10

Barbara Stanwyck is a front for bank robbers who winds up in San Quentin in "Ladies They Talk About," a pre-code drama. The film is badly dated with very melodramatic acting, the exceptions being Stanwyck and Lillian Roth. Not to mention, it's an absurd story. A popular reformer, "Brother David Slade" falls for Barbara the minute he sees her, believes her innocent, and wants to help her. He arranges for her release from jail, and then, brimming with confidence, she confesses that she was indeed part of the bank robbery. Shattered, he sends her up the river to San Quentin.

Once there, Stanwyck becomes a popular inmate with the exception of Sister Susie who's in love with Slade and hates her guts. Stanwyck helps her old buddies from the bank robbery escape by tunneling to her cell. The story goes on from there.

Lillian Roth is great as a young woman who befriends Stanwyck, and she gets to sing. Stanwyck is fabulous with her wavy hair and tough talk. Preston Foster mainly looks pious and sincere.

The film is interesting because of Stanwyck and Roth, but the story isn't good. Happily this was at the beginning of Stanwyck's career, and she went on to better things.

Part of a bank robber gang, a woman is sent to prison, while carrying on a tepid romance with an evangelist.

Stanwyck (Nan) is nearly the whole show in this early crime drama from street-wise Warner Bros. She's one tough cookie, and when she struts cocksure into a room full of other tough prison cookies, we believe it. No wonder she had one of Hollywood's most durable A-picture careers. But watch out for that dimpled cutie Lillian Roth (Linda) who almost steals the film with a big helping of winsome charm. The prison tour she makes with a silent Stanwyck is clearly intended to showcase that dimpled appeal. Too bad she had such a problem with booze; in my book, she could have been a big star, especially in musicals.

The movie itself is just okay. Unfortunately, the supposed romance between Stanwyck and a simpering Preston Foster undercuts much of the movie's stab at realism. But then I guess someone had to set Nan on the straight and narrow. Clearly, the best scenes are in prison. There we see an unusual line-up of characters, thanks to the pre-Code period. These include such exotic types as the one-and-only Maude Eburne (Aunt Maggie) as a wacko grandmother from heck, a cigar-smoking butch matron (Dickson) whose daring type would disappear from the screen for decades, and even an "uppity" black woman (uncredited) who takes no lip from anyone, black or white.

Still, it's Stanwyck's movie, and there's enough of her trademark grit to please her many fans, myself included.

Barbara Stanwyck, (Nan Taylor) plays the role of a gal who came from the school of hard knocks and has joined up with some gangsters and they plan to pull off a bank robbery. Nan acts as a decoy and convinces the bank guard to open up the bank early so she can make a deposit and carries in a small dog and hands it to the guard, and right behind her the gangsters friends follow in and rob the bank. A detective notices Nan in the bank and remembers her face from previous criminal events she got herself into and arrests her. Dave Slade,(Preston Foster) plays the role as a preacher politician, and remembers Nan from their childhood days and tries to free her of all the charges against her, however, Nan tells him the truth and she winds up in prison with plenty of women who are all a bunch of wild characters. There is even a butch lesbian who likes to smoke cigars and wrestle with other gals. This is a great classic film with veteran actor Lyle Talbot, (Gangster Dan) who breaks into Nan's cell along with her gangster friends in order to bring her back to their world of crime.

Gun moll Nan Taylor (Barbara Stanwyck) pretends to be a victim while her bank robbery crew escapes. She gets arrested by a detective who recognizes her face. She is befriended by radio crusader David Slade who betrays her confidence. She is sent to state prison.

Stanwyck is the perfect gun moll and prison tough gal. The only odd thing is the nice accommodations. It's way too nice. A harsher prison world would amp up her brutal existence and heighten her tough personality. It's also a little convenient to have the two prisons next to each other. This is a great vehicle for Stanwyck and her sassy toughness.

God, Barbara Stanwyck is my FAVORITE actress ever.

There is just a sizzle when she is on the screen that no actress I have ever seen had been able to imitate. In Ladies They Talk About, she plays a crook that is left on her own to rot in jail. Trying to escape, she meets an influential 'speaker' that tries to help her out legally. Misunderstanding ensues and everything went to haywire.

With the exception of its corny ending, Ladies... is a wonderful film. It gives it star, Stanwyck, space to strut her sass and show what hard knocks is. With a delectable cast of side characters that feels equally alive AND modern, the racquet of the female penitentiary just lit wonderfully in the silver screen. The ladies truly should be talked about. Another wonderful showcase for Stanwyck. [5/5]

Barbara Stanwyck had quite a career. She was the tough sexual predator when she was young and morphed into westerns when she got older. In my opinion, she doesn't get her rightful due as an actress. Many of her performances are just as good if not better than Bette Davis or Joan Crawford.

She also had a hot seething sexuality that was missing in Davis and was lost early on by Crawford.

This movie is something of a comic drama rather than a straight drama. Stanwyck goes to prison. Twice. And plots an escape the second time. It's an interesting movie -- especailly seeing what Hollywood's idea of a woman's prison was like in the 1930's.

Hollywood's popular 1930s prison movies were mainly restricted to the male population. That all changed when Warner Brothers released its February 1933 "Ladies They Talk About." The Barbara Stanwyck film established many of the elements found in subsequent 'women-in-prison' movies, especially when they crested in popularity during the 1970s and 1980s.

"Ladies They Talk About" was based on Dorothy Mackaye's play, 'Gangstress, or Women in Prison,' where the actress used her ten months serving in the San Quentin State Prison as a setting for her fictitious play. When her play was brought to the live theater, she played the lead. Mackaye was sent to prison for lying to the police about her husband's death at the hands of actor Paul, Kelly, whom she was having an affair. Kelly, in a drunken stupor, went over Mackaye's house and beat her spouse to a pulp in front of their maid and daughter while Dorothy was out shopping, killing him. He served two years for manslaughter while Mackaye was sent to San Quentin for claiming her husband's death was from natural causes. The jail facility at the time was separated into male and female sections, but were close to each other until a dedicated women's prison was later built in 1933.

In "Ladies They Talk About," Mackaye fictionalizes the female lead as wise-cracking Nan Taylor (Stanwyck), who gets caught as an accomplice in a bank robbery while the rest of the gang members escape. District Attorney Simpson (Robert McWade), despite sending her to prison, develops a fondness for her. Several weeks later, two of the gang are arrested and sent to San Quentin, where she helps them in their escape attempt. The female prison cells seen in the film were more like college dorm rooms; each convict is housed in relatively luxurious individual rooms, stuffed with comfy furniture, frilly drapes and other home touches. That environment doesn't calm the rambunctious Nan, however. She gets a 30-day sentence of laundry duty along with her loyal friend Linda (Lillian Roth) after Nan punches the lights out of sassy convict 'Sister' Susie (Dorothy Burgess). Soon after "Ladies They Talk About," actress Lillian Roth hit the bottle pretty heavily, disrupting what was becoming a prominent film career. She wrote about her troubles in a 1954 biography, 'I'll Cry Tomorrow,' that MGM turned into a hit film starring Susan Hayward.

"Ladies They Talk About' was tailor-made for Stanwyck. "She was the best woman in Hollywood at playing hard as nails, or playing someone who is hard as nails in an imitation of softness," described film critic Michael Phillips. "She's absolutely stunning, and even if the rest of the film wasn't any good (although it was), she really made it worth watching. I think I could watch her reading the phone book." Her character says, "I must have a swell pan. Everybody's remembering me these days." The term "pan" was slang in the early 1920s to mean someone's 'face." Hence, today the phrase "deadpan" means a person has '"no facial expression."

"Ladies They Talk About" was remade into a 1942 movie, "Lady Gangster," with Faye Emerson as Dorothy and a young Jackie Gleason in a supporting role, his second year in film.

"Nan Taylor" (Barbara Stanwyck) has been in and out of trouble ever since she was a teenager. When she gets older she joins a small gang of like-minded individuals and together they come up with a plan with her managing to get inside the bank prior to the normal opening time and then distracting the guard long enough for them to gain entry and rob it. Unfortunately, she is identified by the detective and is sent to jail pending charges being filed. While there she meets a crusading anti-crime evangelist who gains her trust and then subsequently informs on her out of a sense of conscience. This enrages her and she manages to stay angry the entire time she is in prison. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this is probably one of the earliest Women-in-Prison (WIP) films made and it turned out to be pretty good. Naturally, being made over 80 years ago it doesn't have the sex, violence or exploitation seen in today's movies but that's to be expected. Even so, it does have a pretty good plot which is negated a bit by the short running time of only 63 minutes. All things considered, I thought it was fairly enjoyable and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

This is a reasonably entertaining film but only because of Barbara Stanwyck's typically engaging, controlled and powerful performance.

There is a big problem: the story is so short and so compressed it makes no sense. If there is a story arc to Barbara Stanwick's character it's how her emotions, her feelings and her overall character change as a result of her experience. She manages this really well but the film is just too short to explore why all this happens. It's as though the screenwriters pruned the story down to just ten big scenes without telling us how we got there. WB's no-nonsense, factory production line approach (hurry up, read your lines and then put the cowboy outfit on shoot the baddie then jump into the racing car etc. Etc.) usually worked but not in this case.

Another problem is when your brain tells you that the accent she's doing is Police Chief Clancey from The Simpson's it could spoil the whole film for you. It could, had it not already be spoilt by Preston Foster's terrible, terrible acting. In his defence, he'd not been acting that long and despite this film having two directors, they don't appear to be doing anything. Direction seems to be of the 'if you can act, act. If you can't, just read the lines and stare into the camera as though it's sucking your soul from your paralysed body' school.

This could have and should have been better.