Beauty for Sale (1933)

Una Merkel

Beauty for Sale (1933). A film about the romances of three beauty salon employees. It was based on the novel Beauty by Faith Baldwin. Cast: Madge Evans, Alice Brady, Otto Kruger, Una Merkel, May Robson and Hedda Hopper.

Madge Evans

Letty Lawson, has just run out of the money that her parents have given her to attend beauty school and now needs to make a living for herself. Her room mate, Carol helps Letty, land a job at Madame Sonia's, the salon where she works. Letty, is sent to the home of her first client Mrs. Henrietta Sherwood.

After Henrietta's manicure, Letty finds that her hat has been chewed up by Henrietta's dog, which Mr. Sherwood insists on paying for. When Letty returns to Madame Sonia's, she finds that her hat has been replaced by a very expensive hat.

While Letty, begins seeing Sherwood, Jane, another beautician, becomes involved with Burt Barton, Madame Sonia's son. Jealous of Sherwood's gifts to Letty, Bill confronts Letty, telling her that she is no better than Carol. Wanting to live her life without everyone passing judgement on her, Letty, decides to move in with Jane.

That evening, Letty joins Sherwood for dinner on his yacht and learns that Henrietta is spending the summer in Maine. Sherwood, then confesses to Letty that he is not able to divorce his wife, but.. he loves her and wants to continue seeing her. Letty, asks for a week to think about it...

During the next week, Jane tells Burt, who is about to leave for Russia on an engineering job, that she is pregnant. Burt, promises to marry Jane, but.. Letty, sees him boarding the same ocean liner that Carol and Freddy are taking to Paris.

When Jane hears the news, she becomes hysterical and jumps from her apartment window to her death. Heartbroken, by both Jane's suicide and Carol's advise that she stay away from married men, Letty tells Sherwood, that she can no longer see him.

Later, Bill shows up at the shop and asks Letty for a date. Although, not attracted to Bill and his bad jokes, Letty, agrees to go on a date with him.

Sherwood, wanting to rebuild his marriage suggest to Henrietta, that they build a house in the country.

Out for a drive, Letty and Bill stop by the site of the Sherwood's beautiful new home, where Bill once again acts badly. Will Letty, have a change of heart about marring Bill?

Another Pre-Code film of the 1930s, with colorful performances by Madge Evans, Una Merkel and Alice Brady and I never miss a opportunity to see Hedda Hopper(actress, gossip columnist), in a film. There are also a couple of lines from Bill the boyfriend, that are such duds, that you would not believe someone would leave those lines in a film.

Alice Brady (born Mary Rose Brady, November 2, 1892 – October 28, 1939). Was interested at an early age in becoming an actress. Her father, William A. Brady, was an important theatrical producer, and her mother was Rose Marie Rene, who died in 1896 when Alice was four.

Alice first went on the stage when she was 14 and got her first job on Broadway in 1911 at the age of 18. She continued to perform there (often in shows her father produced) for the next 22 years. In 1931 she performed in the, Mourning Becomes Electra.

Her step-mother was Broadway star Grace George (1879–1961). Her half-brother was William A. Brady Jr, the son of her father Grace George. Brady's father moved into movie production and presentation in 1913,with his World Film Corporation, and Brady soon followed along after him, making her first silent feature appearance in, As Ye Sow(1914).

She performed in 53 films in the next 10 years, all while continuing to perform on stage. In 1923, she stopped performing in films to concentrate on stage acting, and did not appear on the screen again until 1933, when she made the move to Hollywood to perform in her first talking film, When Ladies Meet.

From then on she worked until her death, making another 25 films in seven years. Her final film was, Young Mr. Lincoln (1939).

Brady was married to actor James Crane from 1919 to 1922, when they divorced. They co-starred in three silent films together: His Bridal Night (1919), Sinners (1920) and A Dark Lantern (1920); the couple had one child, Donald.

Alice Brady, died from cancer on October 28, 1939, five days before her 47th birthday.

Pre- Code: Strange Interlude(1932)

Strange Interlude(1932). Romantic drama. D: Robert Z. Leonard. Cast: Norma Shearer, Clark Gable, May Robson, Maureen O'Sullivan, Robert Young, Ralph Morgan, Henry B. Walthall and Mary Alden.

In a small New England town, shortly after the World War, writer Charlie Marsden returns home from Europe to visit the woman he is secretly in love with.  There he finds Nina Leeds, angry with her father for preventing Gordon from marrying her before he died in a plane crash during the war. Announcing, that she is going to move to Boston to work as a nurse in a sanitarium for wounded soldiers.

One year later, Nina is called home when her father becomes ill. By the time she arrives home with, Dr. Ned Darrell, and Sam Evans, her father has already died.

Later when, Nina confesses to Charlie that her obsession with Gordon has caused her to be promiscuous with men, Charlie, even though he wants to marry her, realizes that Nina needs a strong man, suggests that she should marry Sam. Wanting a normal married life, Nina agrees .

Nina, soon realizes her mistake, when Sam's mother confides in her that insanity runs in the family and they should not any children. Mrs. Evans then tells Nina that Sam knows nothing about the "family curse" and suggests Nina have children by another man.

Nina, soon regrets her marriage and when Ned visits, she tells him about the Evans curse and the two decide to conceive a child. During their afternoon together, Nina realizes that she loves Ned, but.. Ned is not ready to get married and to prevent Nina from telling Sam, Ned announces that Nina is pregnant and that he is leaving for Europe for a year. After Ned's leaves, Nina gives birth to a son, named Gordon.

Realizing that he made a mistake, Ned returns and begs her to run away with him but, Nina, realizing that Sam would be destroyed, tells him that she is happy with the way things are.

Ned and Charlie, become silent partners in Sam's business and Sam makes them all wealthy.

Later when Ned, Charlie, Nina and Sam come to watch Gordon, now a collage athlete compete in a regatta, Ned announces that Gordon plans to marry, Madeleine. Nina, objects and asks Ned to stop the marriage and tell Sam the truth about his paternity. When Ned refuses, Nina decides to tell Charlie the truth. Gordon wins the regatta and Sam, overcome with excitement, suffers a fatal heart attack.

After the funeral, Gordon and Ned get into an argument and Gordon hits Ned, causing Nina to blurt out that he has struck his own father. Gordon, misunderstands and says that he always knew Nina and Ned were in love and gives them his blessing. Ned is about to tell Gordon the truth, but.. will Nina have a change of heart and stop him?

Fun Fact: This was the first film in which Clark Gable's trademark mustache appeared.

By the end of this emotionally moving film, you feel sorry for just about everyone in it and they all deprived themselves of happiness. Great acting, especially for Norma Shearer and Clark Gable

 May Robson (19 April 1858 – 20 October 1942).  In 1884, after being widowed, she became an actress simply to support her children. Over the next several decades, she flourished on the stage. She starred in the 1916 silent film, A Night Out, an adaptation of the play she co-wrote, The Three Lights. She made several other silent films, then successfully transitioned to talkies. She made 45 films during the 1930s. Among her starring roles was 1931's The She-Wolf, in which she was cast as a miserly millionaire businesswoman based on Hetty Green. She also starred in the final segment of the anthology film, If I Had a Million (1932) as a rest home resident who gets a new lease on life when she is given a $1,000,000 check by a dying business tycoon. She played the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland (1933), Countess Vronsky in Anna Karenina (1936), Aunt Elizabeth in Bringing Up Baby (1938), Aunt Polly in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938), and a sharp-tongued Granny in A Star Is Born (1937). Miss Robson was top-billed as late as 1940, starring in Granny Get Your Gun at age 82. Her last film was 1942's Joan of Paris.

You Can't Buy Everything (1934).

You Can't Buy Everything (1934). Directed by Charles F. Riesner. Cast: May Robson, Jean Parker and Lewis Stone.

The story begins when Hannah Bell, a wealthy widow, emits her young son Donny, who has broken his leg, into the charity hospital, because she does not want to spend her money.

Later that day, Hannah reads in the newspaper that John Burton, will be the new vice-president of the Knickerbocker Bank and rushes to withdraw all of her money.

Hannah, is then is visited by longtime friend Kate Farley, who convinces her to make a donation to the children's clinic. They begin to talk about Hannah's past romance with John Burton and her unhappy marriage to a gold digger.

After Donny graduates from Princeton University, tells him that he must give up his dream of becoming a writer and take a job at the bank.

Two years later, Kate goes to see Dr. Lorimer, to talk about Hannah's over bearing hold over Donny. Kate arranges with Dr. Lorimer to bring Hannah and the now widowed Burton together. Although, Kate and Dr. Lorimer's scheme backfires when Donny meets Elizabeth, Burton's daughter, it is love at first sight.

In spite of his mother, Donny proposes marriage to Elizabeth . When Hannah learns of Donny's engagement, she threatens to cut off Donny's money. Hannah, watches as, Donny and Elizabeth marry and leave for their honeymoon.

By the time they return from their honeymoon, Wall Street is in the middle of a financial crisis and Burton offers five million dollars of his own railroad stock as collateral against a loan. To his surprise, Hannah agrees to lend him the money but, after his bank is secure, she demands immediate repayment. When Donny hears of Hannah's demands, he calls his mother as a cruel and heartless.

 After Hannah confesses that she married Donny's father only to spite Burton, who had left her without explanation at the altar. Donny tells her that Burton left her because her father had tried to force him to sign a pre-nuptial agreement that said that he could not touch any of the Bell money.

Broken hearted, by Donny's rejection and finding out the truth about her father, Hannah comes down with pneumonia. Before leaving for a journalism job in San Francisco, Donny, learns of Hannah's condition and with Elizabeth, rushes to her bedside. Hannah, admits that she was jealous and apologizes. Will Hanna be reunited with her son and end her grudge against Burton and return all of his railroad stock?

Fun Facts:

May Robson's character is based on Hetty Green, known as "The Witch of Wall Street," because of her financial acuity and frugality.

First film of Robert Paige.

This is a story about a woman going head-to-head in the man's world of Wall Street. May Robson, makes a wonderful villainess. You will need the Kleenex box for this one..

Jean Parker (August 11, 1915 – November 30, 2005). Was discovered by Ida Koverman, secretary to MGM mogul Louis B. Mayer, after she saw a poster featuring Parker portraying Father Time.

She had a successful career playing important roles as in the original, Little Women, Lady for a Day and Gabriel Over the White House, Sequoia, Limehouse Blues, The Ghost Goes West, and the Empress. In 1939, she starred in RKO's The Flying Deuces.

Parker stayed active in film throughout the 1940s, performing in, Dead Man's Eyes. Parker managed her own airport and flying service with then-husband Doug Dawson in Palm Springs, California until shortly after the start of World War II. During the war, she toured many of the veteran hospitals throughout the U.S. and performed on radio. In the 1950s, she stared in, Black Tuesday, The Gunfighter and Lawless Street (1955). Her last film performance was in, Apache Uprising (1966).