Tarnished Angel (1938)

(On Cable TV, March 2021) Tracking down an interesting actor’s filmography can take you places you don’t necessarily expect, and that’s how recording a day’s worth of Ann Miller movies can land you in the middle of Tarnished Angel, a 1930s crime drama lambasting religious swindlers. The story begins in Manhattan, in a nightclub where the entertainment (including a young Ann Miller, playing the sidekick) is scared off by a police raid. Unwilling to subject themselves to such further shenanigans, the protagonist (Sally Eilers) flees town and eventually decides on a new career: religious faith-healer shows, helped by “cripple artists” and some showbiz flim-flammery. This is not meant to be a particularly dramatic film—even the most suspenseful moments are handled in a broad audience-friendly way—but there’s some substance underneath the plotting. Watching the film for Ann Miller is not particularly rewarding, but then again—she was at the beginning of her career here, playing in supporting roles that didn’t account for much cumulative screen time. At least she gets to open the film strong with a good singing number before fading into the background as the third wheel in the protagonist’s entourage. There’s a quick conclusion that upends the idea of the charlatan, but much of the film’s best moments are spent dealing with an unscrupulous heroine amazed by the success of her own racket. Tarnished Angel is watchable, even intermittently fascinating in its depiction of 1930s faith healers, but not exactly an enduring classic.