''Forgotten Girls'' is a 1940 American

crime film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

directed by

Phil Rosen Philip E. Rosen (May 8, 1888 – October 22, 1951) was an American film director and cinematographer. He directed more than 140 films between 1915 and 1949. He was born in Malbork, Marienburg, German Empire (now, Malbork, Poland), grew up ...

and written by F. Hugh Herbert,

Joseph Moncure March Joseph Moncure March (July 27, 1899 – February 14, 1977) was an American poet, screenwriter, and essayist, best known for his long narrative poems '' The Wild Party'' and '' The Set-Up''. Life March was born in New York City in July 1899, wh ...

and George Beck. The film stars

Louise Platt Louise Platt (August 3, 1915 – September 6, 2003) was an American theater, film, and TV actress. Early years Platt was born in Stamford, Connecticut, and grew up in Annapolis, Maryland. Her father was a dental surgeon in the Navy. Career ...

, Donald Woods, Wynne Gibson,

Robert Armstrong Robert Armstrong may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Robert Armstrong (actor) (1890–1973), film actor *Robert Armstrong (cartoonist) (born 1950), American underground comics artist and musician, coined the term "couch potato" Fictional charac ...

Eduardo Ciannelli Eduardo Ciannelli (30 August 1888 – 8 October 1969) was an Italian baritone and character actor with a long career in American films, mostly playing gangsters and criminals. He was sometimes credited as Edward Ciannelli. Early life Ciannelli ...

and

Jack La Rue Jack La Rue (born Gaspare Biondolillo; May 3, 1902 – January 11, 1984) was an American film and stage actor. Early life and family Gaspare Biondolillo was the son of Sicilian immigrants Luigi Biondolillo (1874–1951) and Giuseppa Biondoli ...

. The film was released on March 15, 1940, by

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...

Plot

Factory worker Judy Wingate financially supports her stepmother Frances, who is keeping company with Eddie Nolan, a gangster. Eddie makes a pass at Judy, who knocks him cold with a skillet. A furious Frances finds Eddie recovering, strikes him again and kills him. But it is Judy who is arrested, convicted and sent to prison for five years. A reporter covering the trial, Dan Donahue, develops a romantic attraction to Judy, who finds prison bearable, at least being far from her wicked stepmother. A guilty conscience persuades Frances, however, to offer $10,000 from Judy's life insurance policy to mobsters Gorno and Mullins to break her out of jail. All spirals downhill from there. Judy threatens to go to the police and tell all she knows. Mullins, angry with Frances, runs her down with a car. On her deathbed, Frances attempts to confess, but Gorno shoots her before she can speak. Donahue and the police, however, are able to get the better of the villains and clear Judy's name once and for all.

Cast

as Judy Wingate * Donald Woods as Dan Donahue * Wynne Gibson as Frances Wingate *

as Grover Mullins *

as Gorno *

as Eddie Nolan *

Barbara Pepper Barbara Pepper (born Marion Pepper; May 31, 1915 – July 18, 1969) was an American stage, television, radio, and film actress. She is best known as the first Doris Ziffel on the sitcom '' Green Acres''. Early life and career Marion Pepper ...

as Eve Abbott * Charles D. Brown as Editor Linton *

Sarah Padden Sarah Ann Padden (16 October 1881 – 4 December 1967) was an English-born American theatre and film character actress. She performed on stage in the early 20th century. Her best-known single-act performance was in ''The Clod'', a stage pro ...

as Miss Donaldson *Ann Baldwin as Jackie

References

External links

* 1940 films American crime films 1940 crime films Republic Pictures films Films directed by Phil Rosen American black-and-white films Films scored by Paul Sawtell 1940s English-language films 1940s American films English-language crime films {{1940s-US-film-stub