Lady Scarface *** (1941, Dennis O’Keefe, Judith Anderson, Frances E Neal, Mildred Coles, Eric Blore) – Classic Movie Review 11,998

The redoubtable Judith Anderson is particularly impressive as Chicago lady mobster Slade in the film noir crime thriller Lady Scarface (1941).

Director Frank Woodruff’s 1941 RKO Radio Pictures black and white American film noir crime thriller Lady Scarface stars Dennis O’Keefe, Judith Anderson, Frances E Neal, Mildred Coles and Eric Blore.

Anderson and O’Keefe score strongly as Chicago lady mobster Slade and police detective Lieutenant Bill Mason in this otherwise somewhat patchily created gangland thriller tale of a lady hood and her cronies on the run from the cops.

If the script by Arnaud D’Usseau and Richard Collins is a bit dodgy, the pacy handling and sharp camerawork by Nicholas Musuraca keep it moving and give it a sleek, fine, professional look.

The redoubtable Anderson is particularly impressive, even though she is forced to play second fiddle to O’Keefe and his inquiries and his love life with Ann Rogers (Frances E Neal).

The cast are Dennis O’Keefe as Lieutenant Bill Mason, Judith Anderson as Slade, Frances E Neal as Ann Rogers, Mildred Coles as Mary Jordan Powell, Eric Blore as Mr. Hartford, Marc Lawrence as Lefty Landers, Damian O’Flynn as Lt. Onslow, Andrew Tombes as hotel detective Art Seidel, Marion Martin as Ruby, aka Mary Jordan, Arthur Shields as Matt Willis, Rand Brooks as Jimmy Powell, Lee Bonnell as George Atkins, Harry Burns as Big ‘Sem’ Semenoff, Horace McMahon as Mullen, Stanley Andrews as Police Capt. L. Andrews, Eddie Conrad, Kernan Cripps, Ruth Dietrich, Charles Halton, Bert Howard, Harry Humphrey, Claire McDowell, Robert Middlemass as Police Capt. Lovell, Frank O’Connor, Joey Ray, and Douglas Spencer.

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 11,998

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Dennis O’Keefe.