GIRLS IN CHAINS

US, 1943, 75 minutes, Black-and-white.
Arline Judge, Roger Clark, Robin Raymond, Allan Byron, Syd Milton, Emmet Lynn.
Directed by Edgar Ulmer

First of all, this is not a very good film, not at all. It has a number of interesting ingredients, a self-made racketeer (Aljan Byron) running a town, eliminating rivals and opposition with the help of his chauffeur assistant (Syd Melton). Here is arrested on a murder charge but gets off and returns to his racketeering.

The main focus is on a psychologist, Helen Martin, played by Arline Judge, who is rejected by the board for a job at a girls’ reformatory. However, members of the board are persuaded to accept her and she goes to work. There are a lot of scenes in the girls’ reformatory, reminiscent of many prison films and some of the exploitation films on this theme of the 1970s. However, the warden is also corrupt and in the pay of the racketeer. The irony is that Helen Martin’s sister is the wife of the racketeer.

One of the prisoners is a young girl infatuated with the racketeer. She, like many of the others, is eventually won over by Helen Martin and her more humane treatment of the girls, helping them to develop some skills, planning for a future life. The other members of the staff, especially the women, are harsh and severe.

Helen is befriended by Frank, a policeman, Roger Clark in a very stolid performance. He is out to get the racketeer.

The young girl prisoner, about to turn over a new leaf, pleased to see former boyfriend visit her, is released by the racketeer – but murdered.

Just as it seems the racketeer will get away with everything, a bumbling official who has an outburst during the initial board meeting against the ultra prim wife of an important man in the city, takes to drink and appears in a number of sequences in restaurants and bars. He offers information to Frank but is not believed – drunk, he is picked up by the racketeer and the chauffeur, falls into the water but does not drown, rather breaking many bones so that is able to testify against the racketeer.

Helen tries to save her sister. The racketeer and the chauffeur try to escape – the police come, firing guns (seemingly recklessly) but Frank is able to shoot the racketeer.

And Helen becomes the warden.

Directed by Edgar Ulmer, rather prolific in the 30s, 40s and 50s with small budget films – but remembered for his film noir, Detour.