Jeanette Loff's main claim to fame was her beautiful long golden hair which was shown to great advantage in the Bridal number from "King of Jazz". She was a true beauty, similar in looks to Ann Harding and Josephine Dunn and she also had a pleasing soprano voice (in "Party Girl" she had two songs "Oh How I Adore You" and "Farewell"). None of these attributes helped her after the first rung of musicals finished, she had a "blighted career", even appearing as "blonde no. 2" in "Hideout" before her career ended in 1934. Douglas Fairbanks Jnr. is also not the type of actor you associate with these poverty row quickies. Around this time Warners saw him as a partner for Loretta Young but somehow he found himself at Personality Pictures for "Party Girl" in between "The Forward Pass" and "Loose Ankles" both with Miss Young.
I think the professionalism of the cast is what makes the film a cut above the merely exploitative. The biggest asset was definitely Marie Prevost who bizarrely wasn't even named in the cast and who put everyone in the shade doing her best Mae West imitation as full tilt party girl Diana. She shares a flat with Ellen (Loff) who has put her "party girl" ways behind her and is now a respectable secretary in love with the boss's son Jerry (Fairbanks). A "party girl" is nothing better than an "escort girl" - someone paid to attend business men's parties and maybe finding the time for a little blackmailing as well!! When Jerry and his drunken pals gate crash one of the parties he is taken in hand by Leeda who works the old "can't you remember what happened last night, do you have to ask? - we'll just have to get married"!!! con! Unfortunately her part is the main dramatic one and as played by James Montgomery Flagg model Judith Barrie it is easy to see why she was only in a handful of films, her performance is quite amateurish!!
A very interesting scene which shows that the film was striving for some sort of excellence was a super imposed shot of Ellen remembering the happy times with Jerry but with the party lifestyle beckoning her back - very experimental and cutting edge for a 1930 poverty rower. This is when the news breaks that Jerry has married Leeda, Ellen is at a low ebb and Diana accidentally lures her to the type of party she has been avoiding. Leeda is picked up by the police and her instant character reversal and hasty exit pave the way for Jerry and Ellen's happiness - provided Ellen can explain just what she is doing at one of "those" parties!!
All good fun and not as bad as some of the reviewers will have you believe!!
I think the professionalism of the cast is what makes the film a cut above the merely exploitative. The biggest asset was definitely Marie Prevost who bizarrely wasn't even named in the cast and who put everyone in the shade doing her best Mae West imitation as full tilt party girl Diana. She shares a flat with Ellen (Loff) who has put her "party girl" ways behind her and is now a respectable secretary in love with the boss's son Jerry (Fairbanks). A "party girl" is nothing better than an "escort girl" - someone paid to attend business men's parties and maybe finding the time for a little blackmailing as well!! When Jerry and his drunken pals gate crash one of the parties he is taken in hand by Leeda who works the old "can't you remember what happened last night, do you have to ask? - we'll just have to get married"!!! con! Unfortunately her part is the main dramatic one and as played by James Montgomery Flagg model Judith Barrie it is easy to see why she was only in a handful of films, her performance is quite amateurish!!
A very interesting scene which shows that the film was striving for some sort of excellence was a super imposed shot of Ellen remembering the happy times with Jerry but with the party lifestyle beckoning her back - very experimental and cutting edge for a 1930 poverty rower. This is when the news breaks that Jerry has married Leeda, Ellen is at a low ebb and Diana accidentally lures her to the type of party she has been avoiding. Leeda is picked up by the police and her instant character reversal and hasty exit pave the way for Jerry and Ellen's happiness - provided Ellen can explain just what she is doing at one of "those" parties!!
All good fun and not as bad as some of the reviewers will have you believe!!