Parole Girl

Sylvia Day (Mae Clarke) is caught pickpocketing in a department store. The accuser, Tony Grattan (Hale Hamilton), finds his wallet after all and Sylvia threatens to sue the store. The manager pays her $500. It's all a scam. She wants to quit, but Tony pushes her to do it one more time. The scam is going as planned until the insurance company calls. Store manager Joe Smith (Ralph Bellamy) insists on getting the cops involved due to their insurance policy. She's sentenced to one year in prison and vows revenge on Smith.

This is an interesting premise from the start. I like the scam although it would never work in the modern world. It's more plausible back then although $500 is a lot. Grapefruit-face Mae Clarke is able to straddle the divide between innocence and criminal. She's a bit of both. I am looking for a dark tragedy. It is pre-Code after all. Nobody should have a happy ending in this movie.