Film vs Film
Select two cult films to compare side by side.
The Lawless Woman Synopsis
Showgirl June Page is arrested for the murder of gangster Honest Ed Baker, and cub reporter Allan Perry decides he will get her story. She refuses to speak to Allan at all but steadfastly denies killing Baker and insists that, despite rumors, she was not his girl. When the local gangsters meet to discuss a replacement for Baker, Poker Wilson is chosen and announces that he is taking over all of Baker's property, including June. Allan continues his pursuit of June, explaining that this story could be his big break. While they are arguing, Wilson attempts to drag June away with him. Allan knocks him out and June hurries him away to hide in her apartment. She warns Allan that the gangsters will be looking for him and suggests that he spend the night at her apartment. By the next morning, they have fallen in love. When Wilson breaks into June's apartment, she pretends she was holding Allan there for him. Wilson's men take Allan for a ride, but June manages to slip a gun into his coat pocket. Even though the gun only has one bullet, Allan uses it to make his getaway, but still believes that June betrayed him. Allan and Paddy Reardon, a policeman, sneak into June's apartment just in time to hear her confess to Baker's murder, which she committed in self-defense. Reardon shoots Wilson in the back as he tries to escape. June and Allan are reconciled, and their happiness is complete when Reardon tells June that he is sure she will be exonerated for her crime.
Man's Plaything Synopsis
While working as a flower girl in Devlin Maddox's nightclub, Nellie Vaughan meets wealthy young Pelton Van Teel and falls in love. Maddox, desirous of using Nellie to blackmail Van Teel, spreads a rumor that she is his mistress. This makes Nellie uncomfortable, and she demands that Van Teel marry her immediately, to which he agrees. Meanwhile, Van Teel has been losing money gambling to Maddox, who threatens to break up the marriage by producing a worthless check that the young husband has written. Venturing to Maddox's apartment for a showdown, Nellie pulls a gun and demands the check, accidentally shooting Maddox when he throws a lamp at her. Maddox plans to charge Nellie with assault, but when the police arrive, his butler, actually a detective employed by the elder Van Teel, exposes Maddox, who is then arrested, clearing the path for the couple's happiness.
"The Lawless Woman" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "Man's Plaything" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
The Lawless WomanBoth films share