debcha57 Good; but not great, role for Stanwyck. The producers erred in one major way with the making of this film, in that they made it in 1933, and the new prison for women in CA. had opened in 1932 at Tehachapi, so whoever was responsible for the story was not paying much attention to the timeline or the news of those days and times. Otherwise good film-what can I say? I am a nit-pick and like to research the making of films that I enjoy watching.To be truly forthright the only reason I chose to research this one is because I recently watched (again!) "I Want to Live" with the great Susan Hayward and that was a true story that took place in the 1950's about Barbara Graham who was executed in San Quentin, but resided at Tehachapi until the day before her execution, when she was transported to San Quentin for execution the following night. Therefore, I was not even aware that they had ever even housed female inmates at San Quentin; thus I was moved to research how correct this film was.

David_Brown This is a hard film to review. There is a lot to like and a few things to dislike in it. So lets break them down: The bad: 1: The parrot scene with the ugly black woman. The entire scene made me cringe. There was no benefit or reasoning behind this scene even being in the film. 2: The length of the film. It was only 69 minutes. There was a lot of story to tell and there simply was not enough time to tell it in. Stuff like the parrot scene, and not getting into depth David Slade's (Preston Foster) opposition to politicians and the newspapers was a major mistake. If you don't think the politicians and papers would have had a field day with him being involved with and spoilers ahead: Marrying a convicted felon like Nan Taylor (Barbara Stanwyck), and then you believe in Santa Claus. In addition, Stanwyck is almost always worth watching (Except "Walk On The Wild Side", a film without a single redeeming factor). So show us more about her (Like why she went from a preacher's daughter to being so rotten (Which is what they did in her next film "Baby Face")). The good: 1: Linda (Lillian Roth: She was really my favorite character, a person who was probably a lifer (Based on the fact she was in San Quentin before Nan got there and after she left), yet she never became a hater, and all she wanted was friendship from Nan. I usually detest singing in a film, but the scene (Spoilers ahead) of her singing to a photo of Dick Powell was well done. 2: Stanwyck: As usual I like her in this film, and in particular (Spoilers) when she punches out "Sister Susie" (Dorothy Burgess), for framing her over a letter. This is what you could have expected from Cagney. Also when Susie calls the cops for shooting Slade, and she makes her look pathetic by putting a "Do Not Disturb" sign over the keyhole where she was peeking, and this little exchange with Susie: Susie: Say, there isn't any punishment bad enough for you! Nan Taylor: Yeah? Well, being penned up here with a daffodil like you comes awful close. It is a strange film, because Roth & Stanwyck were so good, it could have been a classic, but the parts I disliked (Particularly the parrot scene) really were that bad, I had to deduct stars from it. 7/10.

bkoganbing By force of personality, one of the best the screen ever saw, Barbara Stanwyck put over many a film, especially if she had something to work with. But there were films where even she could do nothing with the potboiler material she got and Ladies They Talk About is definitely that kind of material.The odd thing is that this with a little more subtle treatment could have been as remembered a women's prison picture classic like Caged. There are moments here, but few and far between.Stanwyck is in a role that probably Joan Blondell was too busy to do. She's a wisecracking Depression Era babe getting by on her wits and looks. She's the front for a gang of bank robbers headed by Lyle Talbot. As the film opens Stanwyck and the gang rob a bank with them getting away and Barbara being caught. She goes to prison, but not before running into radio personality and 'reformer' Preston Foster who was from their old home town. Later on Talbot and company also get arrested and are in the men's section of the same prison.After this the plot gets so ridiculous and shrill that it boggles the mind. Barbara still loves Foster buts hates him as well for what she conceives as betrayal. It really was actually, but that depends on your point of view.And Foster actually looks embarrassed on screen mouthing a lot of sanctimonious blather. He's a 'crusader' whatever that means. The best way you can describe him is he's a kind of a Billy Sunday without the degree from the seminary. Foster must have kicked and screamed about this part and should have fired his agent.The best scenes are in the prison and they hold up. But overall the film is horribly dated with characters that people would laugh off the screen today.

movingpicturegal 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.