Ladies of the Big House
Ladies of the Big House is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by Marion Gering and written by Ernest Booth, William Slavens McNutt and Grover Jones. The film stars Sylvia Sidney, Gene Raymond, Wynne Gibson, Earle Foxe, Rockliffe Fellowes, Purnell Pratt and Frank Sheridan. The film was released on December 26, 1931, by Paramount Pictures.[1][2]
| Ladies of the Big House | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Marion Gering |
| Screenplay by | Ernest Booth William Slavens McNutt Grover Jones |
| Starring | Sylvia Sidney Gene Raymond Wynne Gibson Earle Foxe Rockliffe Fellowes Purnell Pratt Frank Sheridan |
| Cinematography | John Leipold |
| Edited by | David Abel |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 77 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
Young florist Kathleen Storm (Sylvia Sidney) is instantly the object of desire of a young man standing in front of the shopwindow, where she is arranging flowers. They have two wonderful weeks in their life together before they marry. The same day her criminal ex-boyfriend Kid Athens (Earle Foxe), who heard about her wedding, decides to frame her and her new husband. She and her husband Standish (Gene Raymond) end up in prison. He is sentenced to death penalty on a charge of murder and she to a life sentence. In prison she meets a woman, Susie Thompson (Wynne Gibson), who was Kid Athens' girlfriend before her, who after an initial raging jealousy ends up helping her to tell the authorities the truth about Kid Athens and she and her husband's innocence. Justice wins and the couple can finally have a honeymoon on a ship.
Cast
- Sylvia Sidney as Kathleen Storm McNeil
- Gene Raymond as Standish McNeil
- Wynne Gibson as Susie Thompson
- Earle Foxe as Kid Athens
- Rockliffe Fellowes as Martin Doremus
- Purnell Pratt as John Hartman
- Frank Sheridan as Warden Hecker
- Louise Beavers as Ivory
- Miriam Goldina as Maria
- Hilda Vaughn as Millie
- Fritzi Ridgeway as Reno Maggie
- Esther Howard as Clara Newman
- Edna Bennett as The Countess
- Ruth Lyons as Gertie
- Jane Darwell as Mrs. Turner
- Mary Foy as Mrs. Lowry
- Noel Francis as Thelma
- Theodore von Eltz as Frazer
- Evelyn Preer as Inmate
See also
- The House That Shadows Built (1931) Paramount promotional film with excerpts of Ladies of the Big House
References
- "Movie Review - Ladies of the Big House - Women in Prison. - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
- "Ladies of the Big House (1931) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 21, 2015.