Forgotten Women (1931) User Reviews (5)

A lost title no more

[yrkconnors-1 · 6/10 · 11 February 2015]

FORGOTTEN WOMEN is an interesting title on a number of levels. First, it's listed as lost, but a recently discovered print gets it off that list. It's a title listed as a Liberty Picture. Actually, it was a Monogram production directed by Richard Thorpe, a man who would carve out a long, successful career at MGM. It's also a title linked in a curious way to THE MAD PARADE, a 1931 Liberty Picture directed by William Beaudine, another man with a very long career in Hollywood as a director and also as an actor (about 46 titles). MAD PARADE started out as a Paramount picture to star Ruth Chatterton, Fay Wray and Jean Arthur but the studio scrapped the project and sold the footage it had to Liberty which then hired Evelyn Brent, Marceline Day and Lilyan Tashman to appear. The film was re-issued in 1936 as FORGOTTEN WOMEN. Thus the confusion. Oddly enough, William Beaudine appeared for the 46th and final time as an actor in the Monogram FORGOTTEN WOMEN!!

Spoilers coming. This title must had been re-issued at some point and the print I had access to is titled WOMEN IN HIS LIFE. Set in Hollywood, it tells the story of two women, one a former star now relegated to bit parts, and a young woman with aspirations of hitting the big time. Her boyfriend, a reporter, gets a big break when the old lady, thru somewhat nefarious means, secures information that a notorious gangster from the East is buying into a studio. Passing the information on to the boy, she tells him to take credit for the story and his position will be secure at the paper (thus causing a marriage between the two young people). But the boy quickly moves up the ladder and soon falls under the spell of the boss' daughter. When his former girlfriend reads of their engagement, she decides to link up with the gangster with near tragic results.

Beryl Mercer gives a nice performance as the has been actress hoping for another chance at fame and fortune. Rex Bell is somewhat wooden as the young reporter and Marion Schilling, one of my favorites, is the young boy's love interest and a girl who wants a career, but secretly longs for husband and the white picket fence.

All in all, I'd give this one a 6/10. A rare title, but lost no more. Bob Connors (yrkconnors at yahoo.com)

Beryl Mercer

[boblipton · 6/10 · 8 August 2019]

Marion Schilling is a Hollywood extra. She rooms with Beryl Mercer, another extra, who once was a star. Marion and Rex Bell are in love. He's a reporter, and ambitious. When Beryl Mercer discovers that producer Eddie Kane is in a plot with 'retired' gangster Edward Earle to break his contracts and blow town with the boodle, she brings word to Rex, who parlays the story into a raise and a promotion to City Editor. Marion celebrates their marriage the evening before.... and discovers some money, a letter, and that Rex is going to marry Carmelita Geraghty, the daughter of his publisher, she takes the advice of fellow extra and good-time girl Virginia Lee Corbin and heads off to have a party with Earle.

Miss Mercer shine, as a sweet old lady, who offers prayers that the kids do well, but when matters turn out poorly, turns into a force of nature. Director Richard Thorpe seems to have some issues directing most of the actors in their lines, but visually this is a fine production with a great chase sequence.

Miss Mercer, who was born in 1876, made a few silent films beginning in 1915, but she began her long stretch of films in 1928 in Edward Sloman's WE AMERICANS. Within a couple of years, she was in demand for payng sweet, vague, motherly types, from Lew Ayres' mother in ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (where she replaced Zasu Pitts) to Queen Victoria in THE LITTLE PRINCESS. Still working through the year of her death, she died following surgery in 1939.

Rackateers in Hollywood! Whoulda thunk it?

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 16 January 2020]

When a veteran actress (Beryl Mercer) finds late career work as a bit player in the movies, she strives to make a good friend (Marion Shilling) the first choice for a major part, but upon discovering that the producer has utilized mob money to make an A picture decides to turn the story over young reporter (Rex Bell) so he'll get his big break. Success goes to his head and he begins to spend time with the boss's daughter (Carmelita Geraghty) rather than the young Shilling who ends up involved with Edward Earle, putting her in a precarious predicament when the cops close in on him.

This poverty row drama seems quite claustrophobic and the acting isn't anything more than adequate thanks to cardboard cutout characters and a creaky structure. Prints of the film are quite faded, making this difficult to get through. Mercer seems too good to be true and her performance is cloying to the point of irritation. Virginia Lee Corbin as the cynical blonde friend of Schilling's, gets some showy moments, but her eye makeup makes her look like an owl. For a film which drags, the plot is far too rushed, desperately trying to get thrills rather than be believable. By the time you get to the final and ridiculous climactic chase sequence, your eyes may be rolling along with the end credits.

"He Treated Me Like a Tramp"!!!

[kidboots · 7/10 · 23 May 2015]

Marion Shilling must have seemed like a good bet for a 1931 Wampas Baby selection but ahead of her were mainly westerns, her best days were behind her. She had started at the top in MGM's first all-talkie "Wise Girls"(1929) but then she happened to find herself in "Lord Byron of Broadway"(1930) - supposedly going to be MGM's musical of the year, instead it was a bomb!! She was dropped and then began the studio spiral where she ended up at studios like Division and Kent.

Her co-star in this Monogram poverty rower was also a young man new to movies, Rex Bell, this was before his western movie career and before Clara Bow, when he was playing go-getters. This time as reporter Jimmy Burke who is looking for a big story (aren't they all!!), one that will catapult him into the big time. This is a fast paced movie which combines a look at the movie business with gangsters and fast cars!! Even by 1931 the public couldn't get enough of behind the scenes stories about what made movies tick and this one tells of three unlikely chums, sweet Pat (Shilling), a movie extra, hard boiled Sissy (Virginia Lee Corbin) and dear old Fern (Beryl Mercer) a once great actress who now has trouble obtaining bit parts. Mercer is really given a multi dimensional part as the struggling actress who takes a special interest in Pat and Jimmy.

When Fern gets a call up from the studio she accidentally overhears a conversation linking gangster Moran with a phoney movie contract. She hands her findings to Jimmy for the scoop of the year and promotion to City Editor but unfortunately it puts him in the path of Helen (Carmelita Geraghty), the newspaper owner's pushy daughter. She convinces him that his rightful home is with Park Avenue swells and not down with the riff raff. Pat who knows nothing of Helen convinces him to elope with her but they don't go through with it and in the morning...."he treated me like a tramp"!!!

Meanwhile Sissy has convinced Pat that to give her career a push she needs the "friendship" of mobsters and the film concludes with a speedy car chase around the bends of a Californian beach road!!

Beryl Mercer is just terrific as the put upon elderly actress who, armed with an umbrella, soon becomes a feisty grandma obsessed by speed!! Virginia Lee Corbin didn't make that many more films and unfortunately died young.

A forgotten Film but for those who are into the early days of hollywood

[CinedeEden · 3/10 · 15 November 2022]

Yes This film is forgettable. In Fact I barley saw this a few days ago and I already forgot what it was about or the story. I know its about two hollywood extras trying to make it in hollywood. I did see a familiar face in the film and that was Beryl Mercer who played the older mother in such films as the public enemy (1931) all quiet in the western front (1930) and she also stared in the film with Shirley temple. One thing i do remember of this film was its beach scenes as they looked beautiful to look at as the ocean waves would hit the shore. This film is for pre code fans and people who love old hollywood and this period where they transitioned to sound.