Paid

"Paid" is the story of Mary Turner (Joan Crawford), who spent three years in the pen for stealing from her boss (Gilder's Department Store)--a crime which she didn't commit. She vows revenge as she's dragged away. We see the sentencing phase of her trial with an inept defense lawyer and a vicious, contemptuous DA who keeps interrupting her. Indeed, one recurring theme of this film is its criticism of the justice system--the DA and the cops care only about pleasing the rich by harassing the poor.

According to Vieira, Sin in Soft Focus: Pre-Code Hollywood p. 19 (1999), Crawford got the role when Norma Shearer went on maternity leave. Vieira also says that a five-minute fight scene in the women's shower in prison was cut from the film by the studio. There are stills of Crawford and the fight scene at pp. 24-25.

Mary learns some law while in the joint and she and her prison friend Aggie find some clever ways to make money and frustrate the cops by staying just "within the law" (the title of the play from which the film is drawn as well as the 1939 remake). Mary hangs out with Aggie's gang of petty criminals led by Joe Garson. Joe is, in fact, a kind and decent person who just can't say no to the big payoff. Meanwhile, Mary seduces and marries Gilder's son--just to take revenge on the man who falsely accused her of stealing.

While the final portions of "Paid" get rather contrived (there's a major heist which goes badly wrong) and the ending is melodramatic, I think "Paid" was pretty good and Crawford was excellent. The low ratings assigned by IMDb users to this film are not justified. The film is involving and it has some important things to say about class and justice.

This is one of Joan Crawford's best pre-code films. It is very hard to find, but worth the effort! Through her character's evolution, Joan is able to show off a wide variety of emotions, proving she did have good acting skill early in her career.

Typical of the early Talkies, most of the acting style is a bit theatrical, so viewers not used to watching early classics may feel it has a dated quality. But if that doesn't bother you, you will find that the story is riveting, the characters are colorful, and the performance by Crawford is fabulous.

Crawford's character, Mary Turner, is by far the most fascinating, and commands attention. We see her begin as a confused, frumpy simple girl unjustly imprisoned for a crime she didn't commit. Then we watch her grow into a hard-boiled, intelligent, sophisticated criminal, hellbent on revenge. She grew to become what she had been wrongly accused of. You can't help but pity her lost innocence and respect her determination, despite its criminal intent.

A must-see for anyone who loves pre-code film, gangster films, or Joan Crawford.

"Paid" is the story of a young woman, Mary (Joan Crawford), who is wrongfully convicted of theft in the workplace. She promises to get even with her employer after she serves her time in prison. The film might have been better if they had included more scenes of Mary in prison, demonstrating the rough and dehumanizing conditions she had to endure (as a way of explaining her motivation).

While in prison, Mary becomes friends with Aggie (Marie Prevost), a young woman who lives in criminal circles. She has plans for them both after their release.

After prison, Mary hooks up with Aggie again when she has financial problems. Aggie introduces Mary to Joe (Robert Armstrong)--a thief/grafter with a kind heart. With Mary's intelligence (she even studied law while in prison), this small group works a con that lets them live the good life. Still, Mary wants to be repaid for the three years she spent in prison. She gets to her former boss, Mr. Gilder, through his son.

"Paid" is an early talkie in the pre-code era and is interesting for that alone. It also includes a couple of phrases that, though racist in nature, were deemed acceptable at the time. Obviously, Joan Crawford made the transition from silent films to talkies without a problem. Though I am not a big fan, I find that I enjoy her earlier performances. She definitely had acting skills.

It is interesting to note those times that the director allows the camera to move. Also, the action that takes place on a rooftop--including a fall--was very well done.

I recommend this film, though it is a little wordy in the last third.

Paid (1930)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Joan Crawford plays a young woman named Mary Turner who gets three years in prison when her boss accuses her of stealing from the workplace. She's innocent and swears her vengeance and once she's released she gets it by marrying the man's son but things take a turn for the worse when an old friend (Robert Armstrong) decides to break into his house. PAID is a mildly entertaining film thanks in large part to the performances but there's no question that it runs out of gas around the forty-five minute mark and the final half hour just turns downright silly to the point where you'll be laughing at some of the situations. The screenplay is certainly the bad thing here and especially in the finale as all sorts of crazy things begin to happen starting with this robbery of the Mona Lisa. This doesn't turn out to be the real Mona Lisa, which in itself is pretty funny but also goes to show how dumb these criminals are. The entire film is based around the vengeance of Crawford and it's just not written very well. It just seems like there were so many better ways for her to get revenge and you know once she marries the guy that she's eventually going to start to have feelings for him, which is just another boring subplot. The reason to watch this would be for the performances and especially that of Crawford. She's certainly terrific in the part and especially during the opening courtroom sequence. Just look at the pain and anguish in her eyes as she's begging for her freedom. Crawford perfectly nails this but she also handles the other emotions quite well. Armstrong is also enjoyable as a lovable bad guy and Hale Hamilton is also good as the D.A.. The film probably would have been even better had they cut out about ten-minutes because it eventually just keeps running on and on even though you know how everything is going to work out.

As MGMs Depression era every-woman Joan Crawford plays another hard luck story against an unsympathetic system but in this one she is out for revenge.

Mary Turner is sent up the river for three years for a crime she did not commit. Her boss, Mr. Gilder has it within his power to reduce sentence but he smugly declines. In the big house Mary hardens and makes connections. She hooks up with former inmate Agnes Lynch ( scene stealer Marie Prevost) and a small time crook Joe Garson (Robert Armstrong) and together they begin to make a lucrative business out of bilking wealthy old fools. Mary snags a young one though; the son of Mr. Gilder, making her revenge complete. When Joe gets duped into an art heist the cushy racket begins to come unglued.

Paid opens fast with Mary at her sentencing followed by a montage of degrading prison life. A broken woman she seeks out Agnes (already working a scam)and rises like a Phoenix with a hard as nails attitude and her self taught education in prison. In addition to the vivid prison scenes there are also some strong moments between Crawford and Armstrong as he feels her out. Once in the groove though Mary clearly takes charge especially the moment she announces to Gilder the elder she's hitched to her son.

When Mary goes soft so does the picture unfortunately and scenes go limp when the tough talk gets mawkish. There is a well edited and suspenseful heist scene and a superb in your face death scene where a mug takes his omerta oath to the grave as well as some lines of raw bias that contribute to the film's pre-code hard edge but when Crawford abandons her cynical self assured side and returns to the tremulous voice of the first reel Paid ends up shortchanging you.