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 |
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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 |
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| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Madge Evans | ... |
Letty Lawson
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Alice Brady | ... |
Mrs. Henrietta Sherwood
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| Otto Kruger | ... |
Mr. Sherwood
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Una Merkel | ... |
Carol Merrick
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| May Robson | ... |
Mrs. Merrick
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Phillips Holmes | ... |
Burt Barton
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Edward J. Nugent | ... |
Bill Merrick
(as Eddie Nugent)
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| Hedda Hopper | ... |
Madame Sonia Barton
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Florine McKinney | ... |
Jane
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| Isabel Jewell | ... |
Hortense
(as Isobel Jewell)
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Louise Carter | ... |
Mrs. Lawson
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John Roche | ... |
Robert Abbott
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| Charley Grapewin | ... |
Freddy Gordon
(as Charles Grapewin)
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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.
Note that this screenplay was was written by two women based on Faith Baldwin's novel.On the surface the film seems to be all about scheming young women selling their youth and beauty to rich men. The three main female characters are positively portrayed against the rather vain, older and ridiculous customers of the beauty salon. The men are more sympathetically portrayed. The film may not be understood by today's generation who live in a different world where love, marriage, children without fathers, and the role of women is entirely different.
The script is witty and the acting,direction are excellent. Madge Evans is enticing as the lead female, Una Merkle plays the worldly wise and unabashed gold digger. Two of the supporting characters- Mrs. Sherwood, wife of Otto Kruger who is the married man with whom Madge Evans falls in love and Madge Evan's unmarried but inept boyfriend play roles that are simultaneously humorous and irritating.
After attempting to end the affair between Evans and Kruger, Evans agrees to marry her ridiculous but single suitor. We wouldn't have a happy ending if she hadn't left him at the altar.
Merkle who has managed to marry her prey, is out looking for a house with Evans and a real estate agent. They just happen to see the home built by the Sherwood's and discover that the Sherwood's are divorcing and the home is about to be sold. Evans forces the realator out of the driver's seat and makes a Nascar dash to the office, arriving just in time to stop the sale and inform Kruger that she is also available to live happily together for ever after.
I would recommend seeing this film as a window on the state of love, marriage and divorce in the thirties - as portrayed by Hollwood.