The Company She Keeps (1951) User Reviews

Jane Greer and Lizabeth Scott fight over a man

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 5 February 2009]

Jane Greer and Lizabeth Scott star in 1951's "The Company She Keeps," directed by John Cromwell and also starring Dennis O'Keefe. O'Keefe is columnist Larry Collins involved with parole officer Joan Wilburn (Scott), who has Diane Stuart (Greer) as a client. Stuart makes a play for Collins and gets him. The two fall in love, and Joan finds out about it, making her position rather difficult.

This isn't a big movie and provides a different sort of role for Scott. Here she's a good girl with shorter hair, and she almost reminds one of June Allyson. She's quite beautiful and does a good job, though I prefer her as a '40s bad girl. O'Keefe is a serviceable leading man.

The film belongs to the fabulous Greer. In the beginning, at her parole hearing, she's shy, soft and sweet. Once she's out - whoa! The angry, bitter tough gal comes through, only showing her vulnerable side once she falls for Larry.

Worth seeing for Greer.

Parolee

[jotix100 · 6/10 · 30 September 2006]

Diane Stewart has had a lot of obstacles to get over in her life. She started on the wrong side of the law early in life, something that lands her in jail. As her case is reviewed, she is granted a parole status and she must be monitored during this important period of her rehabilitation. Diane ends up working in a hospital where another woman, Tillie, also a parolee is also sent. While Diane rebels, at first, she undergoes a change of heart, while Tillie, a hardened petty criminal goes back to his old tricks.

The kind Joan Wilburn, a parole officer, is in charge of Diane's case. As soon as Diane is out, she sets her eyes on the hunky Larry Collins, who happens to be Joan's boyfriend. It's clear the feeling is mutual. What can Joan do, fight for her man, or give up her relationship with Larry? That decision makes Joan a better person and Diane finally understands her mentor's sacrifice.

John Cromwell directed with his usual style. By going against typecasting, he achieves some interesting acting from his two leading ladies. Lizabeth Scott, who usually played tough women, is seen as Joan Wilburn, a nice person who understands Diane Stewart's tragic life. Jane Greer, on the other hand, starts as a rough girl until she falls in love for Joan's man. Dennis O'Keefe is Larry, the man between these two different women. Fay Baker and John Hoyt, have some good moments in the film.

Although seldom seen these days, "The Company She Keeps" shows some interesting locations in Los Angeles that have a nostalgic look as seen by the lens of Nicholas Musuraca, one of the best camera men working in Hollywood of that era.

Jane Greer best thing about soft-hearted "sequel" to Caged

[bmacv · 7/10 · 2 March 2002]

The Company She Keeps might be viewed as John Cromwell's soft-hearted "sequel" to his great Caged of the same year (some of the same cast members reappear in small parts in both). Taking over the Eleanor Parker role -- the embittered parolee with a chip-on-the-shoulder attitude -- Jane Greer finally goes "freeside." Lizabeth Scott meets her at the train, not as a mentor into the world of vice but wasted as Greer's saintly parole officer. Greer makes it plain that she's none too happy with the constraints (a night-shift job, frumpy clothes, no drinking) imposed upon her, and promptly sets her hat for Scott's fiance Dennis O'Keefe, who tumbles right into it.

And this is where Ketti Frings' script loses whatever edge it had. The hard, manipulative Greer goes soft around the edges, conflicted and vacillating. Scott, meanwhile, magnanimously cedes O'Keefe to her rival and continues to advocate on her behalf with redoubled passion (an opposite change of heart would have furnished welcome friction).

Luckily, a few goblins still hover in the shadows, and, in a brief scene set in Los Angeles' municipal lockup, Cromwell manages to reprise some of the black magic of Caged. But the syrupy social messages and Frings' earnest kind-heartedness almost sink the movie, which nonetheless preserves one of Greer's rare appearances in the noir cycle, particularly savory at the movie's start and near its end. Just don't expect another Kathie Moffat from Out of the Past.

Much better than one would expect!

[pyamada · 7/10 · 25 May 2001]

Scott and Greer are very good in this "woman gets out of prison" movie that could have been awful. Cromwell directs crisply and many shots are well lit and evocative. This may or may not be film-noir, depending on the viewer's perspective, but it holds up well. If you can find it on TV, it is well worth taping, since it is not easy to find on video.

Novel Idea That Falls Short

[dougdoepke · 1 July 2011]

Parole officer (Scott) and parolee Diane (Greer) compete for the same man (O'Keefe), creating conflict on several levels. At best, the movie's about the difficulties of being on parole.

Oddball little programmer. Scott gets top billing, but as others point out, it's Greer who gets the screen time. And far from her usual slinky seductive role, she's not only de-glamorized, but also suitably dour-faced (just count her smiles; I stopped after one). All in all, it's a rather grim screenplay, drably photographed, and I can't believe the studio expected the final product to make money.

Despite the romantic triangle that strains believability, there are several striking scenes. Catch the iconic 40's diner where Diane gets her bottom-of-the-barrel meals. The sweat and steam just about drip off the wall. And that police line-up-- a graphic cross-section of the city's tough cookies, down-and-out'ers, and hopelessly pathetic (& one of the few barfing scenes from that era)-- are all herded along by a bullying cop (Freed). It's one of the more unvarnished glimpses of urban flotsam and jetsam from the period. Then there's the crowded jail cell where the camera abandons Diane (& us) to a nightmare of entrapment. It's an unnerving moment, very well done.

I would've liked the movie better had they made the triangle more credible, plus Scott's sacrificial character seems too good to be true. I expect the latter was RKO's effort at compensating for the harshness of the parole system as portrayed. Likely too, prestige producer John Houseman had something to do with the social realism phase, including the poignant overcoat episode. Anyway, reviewer bmacy's remarks on the influence of the previous year's Caged (1950) are on target. And, had this film carried through more with its realistic dimension, it might not be as obscure as it is.

Starts well, then fizzles.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 17 November 2013]

The film begins with the parole board meeting at a woman's prison. They are discussing Diane Stuart's case. She's granted parole and moves to Los Angeles. Once there, she's met by her new parole officer, Joan Wilburn (Lizbeth Scott). The p.o. is VERY positive and friendly--unrealistically so, actually. She seems more like a cheerleader than an officer of the court. All this occurs while Diane acts as if she'd rather be anywhere than with Joan. Pleasant, she is not.

While Diane does okay on parole, she is a conniver. When she sees Joan with her boyfriend, Larry (Dennis O'Keefe), she decides to get him for herself and slowly he falls for her. However, unexpectedly, she falls for him as well. Here is where is gets more ridiculous--Joan isn't thrilled by all this but is super-supportive and pushes to get the pair permission to marry. As for Diane, she's broken-hearted and expects the worst. What's next?

When the film began, I loved Greer's character. She was wonderfully noir--with a bad attitude and a hard edge. But, when she suddenly actually fell for Larry AND her p.o. was so supportive, the film felt very sappy...and lame as well as VERY inconsistent. Up until then, I would have given this one an 8 or 9. How could they have screwed up so badly?!

Juicy little melodrama

[djensen1 · 7/10 · 4 July 2011]

I fell for Lizabeth Scott in Too Late for Tears, and she's delicious here as a tortured altruist. But it's Jane Greer as the broken dove who has a the limelight for the first two acts. The shades of gray--and green--make this a juicy little melodrama for both characters. Indeed, the lesbian tension is palpable in the beginning (and I didn't know about Scott's reputation), suggesting much more than the film makers may have intended (but, oh, what a movie this COULD have been...). Dennis O'Keefe is the weak link, looking older than his 43 years and strolling thru scenes without adding much flavor. Fay Baker is a nice addition as the tough girl that Greer might have been without the help she gets.

Scott versus Greer!

[JohnHowardReid · 7/10 · 3 September 2014]

It seems incredible that any man would prefer dowdy Jane Greer to stylish Lizabeth Scott, yet that is precisely O'Keefe's choice in this oddly miscast movie! Miss Scott seems a natural for the parolee part and Miss Greer would not have disgraced the role of parole officer. Yet the casting director has reversed this natural order of succession! Director John Cromwell is below form too. Admittedly, he was not helped by the soap opera script, though he does display some occasional flashes of brilliance in such scenes as the brutal police line-up, and the sequence in which O'Keefe describes the things two can do on the town, illustrated by brief snippets of O'Keefe and Greer in the action. Production values are otherwise up to standard.

Some critics complained that the plot and its characters were novelettish and that the movie never came to grips with its subject matter. But personally I feel that's what movies are all about. They're not documentaries about real life. They present characters with which audiences can identify in a fictional world which seems realistic enough to engage viewers' attention. My quarrel is that in this case neither the characters nor plot developments seem quite credible.

unlikely events happen to parolee

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 13 October 2022]

When diane (jane freer) is released from prison, she has a hard time adjusting; her parole officer joan (lizabeth scott) does her best to help diane ease back into society, and a new job. And somehow goes on a date with her parole officer's boyfriend. But that huge chip on her shoulder keeps giving her away. She snaps at everyone, and blames others for her own insecurity. She's so determined to hide her parolee status that it ends up working against her. When joan's boyfriend falls for diane, it all hits the fan. How will diane, joan and larry deal with all this? Complicated. It all kind of plods along. It's all pretty unlikely, as these things go. Directed by john cromwell, who was caught up in the HUAC shenanigans in the 1940s, 1950s, rightly or wrongly. He made this film and "the racket" before he was suspended. He also specialized in fun adventures in exotic, far-away lands, which were usually the back lot. Story by ketti frings. Watchable, but not very exciting.

Pretty parolee is a back stabber.

[michaelRokeefe · 7/10 · 27 June 2011]

Model prisoner Mildred Lynch(Jane Greer)receives an early parole from the State Prison for Women. She served her two years for forging checks and convinced the board of her changed ways. As part of her parole she must stay in contact with parole officer Joan Wilburn(Lizabeth Scott), who wants to befriend Mildred, who wants to start fresh with the changed name of Diane. Joan realizes the parolee has a chip on her shoulder and is very paranoid. None the less, Diane finds an apartment and a job at the hospital on the night shift. She meets a handsome hospital visitor, reporter Larry Collins(Dennis O'Keefe)and practically forces him to fall in love with her. There is a problem here with the fact that Larry is already in a relationship with Joan...yes, Diane's parole officer. Diane manages to hide the facts from Larry that she has been in prison and that she knows he and Joan have history. Scott and Greer are notable in their roles. Other players include: Fay Baker, Don Bledsoe, Bert Freed, and Irene Tedrow.

Well intentioned but ultimately weak soap opera on the parole system of the 50's.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 9 June 2012]

This would make a great follow-up to 1950's "Caged", the Warner Brothers women's prison drama that starred Eleanor Parker as the innocent young girl turned hard by the penal system. In that film, Parker is paroled and it is implied that she'll be back. But what happens to Jane Greer here as the troubled tough girl who can't seem to face the truth about herself and blames everybody else is somewhat forced and unbelievable.

Sultry voiced Lizabeth Scott is the outrageously nice parole officer assigned to Greer's case, and from the moment she comes on, I found her to be one dimensionally nice. There's nothing realistic about this character. She's far too perfect, even when she's crying about realizing that Greer has successfully stolen the love from her man (a bland Dennis O'Keefe).

Scott, who had made a career out of playing sexy tough girls, might have found the change of pace refreshing, but the way Greer treats her (even when Scott is being totally supportive) would cause even Julie Andrews to pull out a few strands of her hair. I doubt that the parole system of the early 50's was as nice as it is presented here. RKO had made some tough talking films on changes in society after World War II, but this one is not among them.

Much better than some reviews would lead you to believe

[Ed-Shullivan · 8/10 · 30 September 2017]

This film does not fall short by any means. The Company She Keeps is a story of a young woman's plight named Diane Stuart (played by Jane Greer) that lands her behind bars on more than one occasion and when the opportunity for parole arises she has developed such a defeatist attitude that she feels she is fighting everyone in the (in)justice system. If Diane did not have bad luck she would have no luck at all. Once out of prison she visits with her parole officer Joan Willburn (played by Lizabeth Scott) and by accident or intention Diane finds the man of her dreams a newspaper columnist named Larry Collins (played by Dennis O'Keefe).

The three main characters in this film, Diane Stuart (ex-con), Joan Wilburn (parole officer), and Larry Collins (newspaper columnist) form the love triangle that has deception written all over this screen play. Lies, lies, lies, or is it just that each person is reluctant to hurt the others feelings?

As the film progresses we the audience realize that even female paroled prisoners are still considered ex-cons and their life is subjected to hell, especially in the year 1951 which is when this film was released. Truth be told, the rights and freedoms of ex- cons has not progressed much over the past 70 odd years.

Inevitably Diane finds herself in a police line-up once again for nothing at all and she realizes her life is crap and any chance of true love, life and freedom was nothing more than a pipe dream.

I won't spoil the film for anyone, but I will say that the director John Cromwell provided the audience with a surprise ending that should make most of his audience leaving the movie theater with a lot to talk about. The performances of Lizabeth Scott, Jane Greer, and Dennis O'Keefe were top notch. After close to 70 years since the films release I felt the film still contains a lot of human interest as it relates to crime and punishment.

I give the film 4**** of 5*****.

the company she keeps

[mossgrymk · 6/10 · 31 October 2022]

In 1950 director John Cromwell made two films about women in varying degrees of incarceration, first "Caged", and then this one. "Caged", dealing with women in prison, is gritty and realistic. "Company She Keeps," about the travails of a parolee, is neither.

As a previous IMDB reviewer stated, it starts off well, with a good scene of the prisoner in front of the parole board. Jane Greer invests her inmate with an interesting combination of hardness and vulnerability and the members of the parole board react to her with, mostly, sympathy mixed in with skepticism from the lone male board member. Then there are some hard hitting scenes with Greer and her sensitive parole officer who is well played by Liz Scott. Nice to see this veteran interpreter of hardened femme fatales in a good gal role for a change and because Scott is a fine, under rated actor she plays it without undue cloyingness.

Then Dennis O'Keefe, playing Scott's newspaper columnist boyfriend, enters the picture and all believability, intensity and interest vanish as we enter the trite realm of the Hollywood Love Triangle. Ketti Frings' dialogue switches from hard edged to purple and John Cromwell's direction goes heavy on the mush and light on the harrowing, with two glorious exceptions, the shoplifting temptation sequence and the great scene in the ladies holding cell which feels like Cromwell was just aching to return to "Caged". Which begs the question, Why didn't he? (Answer below)

Bottom line: You'd think after "Caged", which did well at the box office, that Cromwell could have done a straight on story about the difficulties of parole without mucking it up with this spurious nonsense. Wonder why he did it? Maybe the guy was more commercial than artistic. Give it a C plus.

The Parole Paranoia.

[hitchcockthelegend · 5/10 · 29 November 2013]

The Company She Keeps is directed by John Cromwell and written by Ketti Frings. It stars Lizabeth Scott, Jane Greer and Dennis O'Keefe. Music is by Leigh Harline and cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca.

Released from prison after serving two years, Mildred Lynch (Greer) changes her name to Diane Stuart and sets out for a new start in Los Angeles. Assigned a friendly parole officer, Joan Willburn (Scott), who finds Diane work in a local hospital, Diane struggles to take to Joan and suffers from paranoia as to how the public are going to perceive her. Things get considerably murkier when Diane begins a love affair with Joan's boyfriend, Larry Collins (O'Keefe)…

A waste of potential, a film featuring two noir darlings and one tough guy noir actor should have more about it than merely playing out as a weak willed melodrama. The annoyance is further compounded by the fact that ace cinematographer Musuraca works his magic for many passages of the story, putting tightly fitted noir visuals to scenes involving prison cells and the darker recesses' of the hospital where Diane works. In fact the last twenty minutes, guff laden ending not withstanding, is worth time spent with picture purely because of Musuraca.

It's not as if the acting is bad, where even though I agree wholeheartedly with those who think Greer and Scott should have swapped roles, both the girls do good work here, as does O'Keefe, who has the problem of having both Greer and Scott lusting after him! But nobody is done any favours by Harline's score, the usually skilled composer lays over the top of proceedings a score that would be more at home in a 1940s romantic comedy.

Where there should be intelligent observations on the justice system, and the problems of parolees fitting back into society, there is instead a love triangle that lacks any suspense or a semblance of edginess, the writer evidently afraid to spice things up and do justice to the noir potential of the idea.

Fans of the leading ladies and Musuraca should just about find it watchable, but frustration is almost certainly guaranteed as well. 5/10

Fairly standard melodrama with a fine performance by Jane Greer.

[wrbtu · 23 July 2002]

Lizabeth Scott is OK here, & I'm a big fan of hers, but I would have liked her better in the role of Diane (played by Greer). Scott is just too sugary sweet in her role as a Parole Officer Angel. On the other hand, I kept waiting for Greer's character to wake up & smell the coffee, but she really never did, & that's what makes this film a cut above similar soapers of this kind. Greer is excellent as a sneering, eye-rolling bad girl who just doesn't care about those trying to help her or society, & really doesn't even care about herself. I rate it 6/10. I would have rated it higher if not for Scott's too sweet character & the happy pat en

She was a real B****!

[BERGDORF · 5/10 · 25 August 2021]

What a narcissist this parolee was! What got me is when she held her hand out expecting the male parole member to give her his handkerchief! And he pointed to her fake hanky sewed into her uniform! He could tell she was gonna shoot herself in the foot. What a chip on her shoulder! A big fat baby!

In terms of parole, it's a little outdated

[jordondave-28085 · 5/10 · 22 September 2023]

(1950) The Company She Keeps DRAMA

A particular situation one might be able to see on a long running soap opera, except it's centered on one particular person with two other characters involved! Jane Greer stars as Diane, whose out on parole for a lot of petty little crimes, and while out- she makes a play to her parole officer's friend played by Dennis O' Keefe, resulting to complicated and perhaps bias situations. Anybody who want to know how 'parole' used to work- this film might be for you, but because the film was made in 1950-the times had changed, meaning that this film is slightly outdated and that parole has changed since then making this film irrelevant. Another interesting aspect to check this film out is to look for Oscar winner "Crazy Heart" star Jeff Bridges (uncredited) first on-screen appearance, as he plays the little toddler at the train station, who would later star with Jane Greer again (the star of this film) in "Against All Odds" in 1984.

Abnegation

[dbdumonteil · 19 March 2012]

SPOILERS

When the movie begins ,we side with Diane/Mildred ,we pity her lack of luck,her miserable childhood;and we think that THAT lady (Mrs Wilburn) will tear her to pieces when she knows the truth about her love affair .The unfortunate ex-convict has fallen in love with her parole officer's squeeze!

But it's not what you expect;in fact ,as the movie progresses,the parole officer's morale stature and dignity constantly grows and Lizabeth Scott ,in the second part ,really steals the show from talented Jane Greer.Dennis O'Keefe,on the other hand ,seems too old for the part of a young suitor.

This is nonetheless a moving absorbing movie,with a subject which is still topical,even though it simplifies the matters.Recommanded

Company time

[jarrodmcdonald-1 · 2 March 2022]

In THE COMPANY SHE KEEPS, Lizabeth Scott is cast as a tough but compassionate parole officer in charge of female parolees that are given a chance to prove themselves on the outside. One of her new parolees is a con played by Jane Greer. Greer's character has been in the slammer for nearly two years due to a forgery conviction. She's not a hard criminal, but she has a big chip on her shoulder and is unable to trust people.

The screenplay makes a point of telling us that parolees are technically still serving out the rest of their sentences. While they are released from prison during this period, they have no basic human rights until the sentence is completed. Greer still has three more years to go. However, this may be waived if she marries an upstanding man that the parole board deems suitable (and in essence would transfer the female parolee into the man's care).

But for now Greer rents a room at a boarding house. She has a job as a nursing assistant and must report in to Scott.

Some expected developments occur, as well as some unexpected ones. First, the expected stuff- our parolee has trouble readjusting to society. She experiences temptations that may lead her back into a life of crime, and she has to prove herself on a new job where she doesn't have much say. Also, she has a few ongoing issues with authority which is represented by her relationship with the parole officer.

Now for the unexpected stuff- here's where the melodrama comes in- Greer falls for a journalist (Dennis O'Keefe) who just so happens to be dating Scott. An unconventional love triangle to say the least! After a whirlwind courtship, O'Keefe wants to marry Greer, but he has to let Scott down gently. Creating additional drama is the fact that O'Keefe does not initially know Greer is a parolee and that she answers to Scott.

Scott has to set her personal feelings aside if she is going to do right by Greer and recommend the proposed marriage to the parole board. There is an interesting scene where Scott appears before the board and admits that a complicated romantic relationship has occurred. Meanwhile, Greer has wound up back in jail when she is suspected of participating in a theft where she is in fact innocent.

Scott's work is cut out for her, going to bat for Greer who may end up being wronged by the system. Fortunately for everyone's sake, it all does work out in the end. Greer's legal troubles are dismissed by a judge (John Hoyt) and she is finally free to marry O'Keefe. I did find it a bit contrived that O'Keefe would still be so willing to wed a jailbird, especially when he learns what all her past offenses were. But hey, the guy's smitten so he's going to overlook all that!

It's still a well-played and emotionally satisfying film. I should mention that THE COMPANY SHE KEEPS is directed by John Cromwell, who also helmed the women-in-prison flick CAGED, which was released a year earlier. CAGED seems to suggest some cons cannot be rehabilitated. But this film suggests the opposite, particularly where love is involved.