Beauty for Sale (1933)

A beautiful woman lands a job at an exclusive salon that deals with the wives of wealthy businessmen. Her contact with these men leads to a series of affairs.

Director:

Richard Boleslawski

Writers:

Faith Baldwin (novel), Eve Greene,

Stars:

Madge Evans, Alice Brady, Otto Kruger

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Madge Evans	...	Letty Lawson
Alice Brady	...	Mrs. Henrietta Sherwood
Otto Kruger	...	Mr. Sherwood
Una Merkel	...	Carol Merrick
May Robson	...	Mrs. Merrick
Phillips Holmes	...	Burt Barton
Edward J. Nugent	...	Bill Merrick (as Eddie Nugent)
Hedda Hopper	...	Madame Sonia Barton
Florine McKinney	...	Jane
Isabel Jewell	...	Hortense (as Isobel Jewell)
Louise Carter	...	Mrs. Lawson
John Roche	...	Robert Abbott
Charley Grapewin	...	Freddy Gordon (as Charles Grapewin)

Storyline

A beautiful woman lands a job at an exclusive salon that deals with the wives of wealthy businessmen. Her contact with these men leads to a series of affairs.

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Plot Keywords:

jealousy | pregnancy | gold digger | mistress | engineer | 

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Taglines:

WHICH TYPE OF GIRL DO MEN MARRY? (original herald - all caps)

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 September 1933 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bondage of Fear

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[Overheard talking to another salon patron while walking through the salon]
Older Patron of Madame Sonia's Salon: You can't tell me she has to sit on my husband's lap to take dictation!

User Reviews

Solid pre-Code drama

Beauty For Sale stars a radiant Madge Evans as a good girl trying to make it as a beautician in Manhattan. The film is a little more than a multiplot soap opera but benefits from Evans, the unlikely romantic lead (Otto Kruger), solid direction by Richard Boleslawski, and most of all, superb photography by James Wong Howe (here credited simply as James Howe). The film is sublime when Howe's camera is most active, with superb lighting and set-ups and some scenes that look like they could be from films shot 20 or 30 years in the future. His sense of depth is particularly impressive, especially in a brilliant scene involving a slowly swinging bathroom door! The film feels like a classic at about the two thirds mark, but sadly cycles down to merely enjoyable by the final reel, as comedy and romance take over from tragedy and drama. Nonetheless, this is strongly recommended.