Girls About Town

"Girls About Town" is a pre-code film with sensibilities that simply would not have been allowed once the toughened Production Code was enacted in mid- 1934. This is because although the film never said so in so many words, the picture is about some women of rather easy virtue who make a living off men. Wanda (Kay Francis) and Marie (Lilyan Tashman) are professional escorts who are often hired to hang out with old men and flatter them while the group is out on business dinners. It never exactly says it in the film, but most adults watching the film most likely assume that the ladies got all their furs, jewels, maid and other luxuries by sleeping with the men.

This film finds the girls paired up with a couple rich guys, Jim (Joel McCrea) and Benjamin (Eugene Palette). However, a couple odd things happen--Jim falls for Wanda and Benji turns out to be total cheapskate and Marie has to work very, very hard to get Benji to buy her anything. However, in a funny twist, Marie and Benji's wife work together--to get him to stop being so stingy. So what's to become of all this? Well, see the film and find out for yourself. It's well worth it, as the script is pleasant and fun. In particular, it's quite fun seeing Benji get his comeuppance!