Glamour for Sale (1940)

An undercover man (Roger Pryor) recruits an escort-service rookie (Anita Louise) to inform him of scams.

Director:

D. Ross Lederman

Writer:

John Bright (original screenplay)

Stars:

Anita Louise, Roger Pryor, Frances Robinson

Cast

Cast overview:
Anita Louise	...	Ann Powell
Roger Pryor	...	James R. (Jim) Daly
Frances Robinson	...	Betty Warren
June MacCloy	...	Peggy Davis
Don Beddoe	...	Frank Regan
Paul Fix	...	Louis Manell
Arthur Loft	...	Harry T. Braddock
Veda Ann Borg	...	Lucille

Storyline

Police detective Jim Davis (Roger Pryor) enlists the aid of good-girl Ann Powell (Anita Louise), inadvertently involved with bad-girl Peggy Davis (June MacCloy) in the investigation of an escort service that is thinly disguising such nefarious practices as fleecing drunks, blackmail and extortion. And rescues Ann from a life of crime and sin.

---

Plot Keywords:

b movie | damsel in distress | double feature film | escort service | blackmail | 

---

Taglines:

TIRED OF...BEING LONELY? THERE'LL BE A MOBSTER AROUND TO SEE YOU...! (original print ad - all caps)

---

Genres:

Adventure | Crime | Drama

---

Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Censors in Ireland, Australia and Trinidad banned this film upon its release. The Production Code Office in the U.S. issued cautions to Columbia about the film's "excessive drinking", revealing costumes, the "rolling" of drunks for their money, and details of blackmailing, extortion and suicide.

---

Soundtracks

Crazy Dreams
(uncredited)
Music by Ben Oakland
Lyrics by Herb Magidson
Performed by June MacCloy

User Reviews

They Should Have Made It Seven Years Earlier

Nice girl Anita Louise needs to make a living. She gets a job at an escort agency -- and stop snickering, because the Production Code was in full force when this was made. Little does she know that her company is controlled by mobster Don Beddoes, who has a sideline of snapping photos of his girls with clients in from other parts, and threatening to publish them. When one of his blackmail subjects kills himself, undercover agent Roger Pryor recruits Miss Louise in a scheme to bring down the forces of evil.

given this is a one-hour second Columbia feature directed by Ross Lederman, it's obvious no one was expecting much from this movie. It was just a movie that Harry Cohn spat onto Gower Street one Friday afternoon. The fact that no writer is credited makes me think the property had been floating around the studio for a long time; certainly, it would have made a great Pre-Code movie. As it exists, there's little of note except for Franz Planer lighting the sets inconsistently to make Miss Louise look beautiful, and June MacCloy doing an Eve Arden imitation. Everyone else is all right, but unmemorable.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 September 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

I'm for Rent

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1