"Search for Beauty" was something like "Star Search" if the search criteria was beauty and health.
A recently released convict named Larry Williams (Robert Armstrong) got out of prison and was already brimming with an idea to make money. This idea was supposed to be legitimate unlike his idea that landed him and Jean Strange (Gertrude Michael) in prison. He wanted to print a health and fitness magazine. He needed Jean's help and Dan Healy's money. Both would take considerable persuasion to join him.
First he got Jean on board with a lot of persistence. She was still sore at him for the non-existent oil wells he told her about. The two then went out to get two representatives of the magazine. For that they went to the 1932 Olympics held in Los Angeles. They found a swimmer by the name of Don Jackson (Buster Crabbe) and a diver by the name of Barbara Hilton (Ida Lupino). Both were beautiful and healthy, the exact image and message they wanted to present to sell magazines.
After getting the two athletes, Larry (Robert Armstrong) began working on Dan Healy (James Gleason) for the money needed to fund the whole thing.
With all the pieces together they were off, except that Don and Barbara (the athletes) wanted to run the magazine legitimately and ethically, while Larry, Dan, and Jean wanted to do whatever it took to get the money rolling in. They would battle until the very end.
"Search for Beauty" wasn't very compelling. It was an anemic plot to begin with and it wasn't helped any with the performances. Perhaps they were relying on selling tickets with all the beautiful faces and bods, but that only has so much appeal. No one's going to pay to stare at nice bodies for over an hour unless they are doing something interesting. "Search for Beauty" was about as shallow as it sounds, and I prefer something a tad deeper. At least something that comes up to my knees.
A recently released convict named Larry Williams (Robert Armstrong) got out of prison and was already brimming with an idea to make money. This idea was supposed to be legitimate unlike his idea that landed him and Jean Strange (Gertrude Michael) in prison. He wanted to print a health and fitness magazine. He needed Jean's help and Dan Healy's money. Both would take considerable persuasion to join him.
First he got Jean on board with a lot of persistence. She was still sore at him for the non-existent oil wells he told her about. The two then went out to get two representatives of the magazine. For that they went to the 1932 Olympics held in Los Angeles. They found a swimmer by the name of Don Jackson (Buster Crabbe) and a diver by the name of Barbara Hilton (Ida Lupino). Both were beautiful and healthy, the exact image and message they wanted to present to sell magazines.
After getting the two athletes, Larry (Robert Armstrong) began working on Dan Healy (James Gleason) for the money needed to fund the whole thing.
With all the pieces together they were off, except that Don and Barbara (the athletes) wanted to run the magazine legitimately and ethically, while Larry, Dan, and Jean wanted to do whatever it took to get the money rolling in. They would battle until the very end.
"Search for Beauty" wasn't very compelling. It was an anemic plot to begin with and it wasn't helped any with the performances. Perhaps they were relying on selling tickets with all the beautiful faces and bods, but that only has so much appeal. No one's going to pay to stare at nice bodies for over an hour unless they are doing something interesting. "Search for Beauty" was about as shallow as it sounds, and I prefer something a tad deeper. At least something that comes up to my knees.