BEAUTY FOR SALE, made by MGM, focuses on three young women whose
lives are as tumultuous as any on-screen melodramas. Think THE BEST OF
EVERYTHING, THE WOMEN plus a dash of VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, and you’ve got a
pretty good idea of what’s in store (the film is based on a novel by Faith Baldwin). Made before the enforcement of the Motion
Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, BEAUTY FOR SALE is considered mild by today’s standards but oh what
a scandalous film it must have been back then: adultery, unwanted pregnancy,
booze, suicide...
The film features Madge Evans, a former child actress who
got signed by MGM in the early ‘30s. By the time she landed the lead in BEAUTY FOR SALE, she had already shared
the big screen with many big names, such as James Cagney, Bing Crosby, Jean
Harlow, Robert Young, just to name a few. To say that she’s sensational in this
picture would be an exaggeration on my part, for I find her a bit wooden at
times. Nevertheless, she does have star power, I’ll give her that. She plays
Lettie Lawson, a poor girl recently hired as a wet behind the ears beautician. As
it is often the case in many American films, she quickly learns the tricks of
the trade and winds up being highly sought after, even making house calls for
rich clients. One of whom ultimately being the spouse of married man she is secretly
dating. Should she go on with this charade? Or should she stop the affair?
Sharing the screen as Lettie’s BFF and co-worker is Una
Merkel who plays money-grabbing Carol. She tells Lettie to go on with the
affair, to jump in with both feet and live it up like she does. You’ve got to
love that character. She is one heck of a firecracker. She’s hell-bent on
finding a sugar daddy and does so eventually. Merkel’s part is the comic relief
of the film and she is indeed quite a hoot. The way she goes around cajoling an
elderly rich man is truly enjoyable. She has the strongest presence, in my opinion
and shines every time she appears. The actress made a career playing second
fiddle and it finally paid up when she was nominated for an Academy Award as
best supporting actress in 1961 for SUMMER AND SMOKE which I have yet to catch.
That leaves Florine McKinney who portrays Jane, the third
co-worker, whose naivety and amorous impulses lead her to an unwanted pregnancy
by the salon’s owner’s son. Jane is sort of like the Jennifer of the trio,
referring to Jennifer from VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, of course. Let’s just say that
rose-colored futures are not in her cards. Though she has less screen time,
McKinney is perfectly cast as the used and tossed away heroine. The scene where
she realizes that she has been left at the altar by her baby daddy is both sad
and poignant, so much so that the cinephile in me wanted to save her l. And every
time that happens, I call it magic on screen. I will be on the lookout for other
Florine McKinney vehicles.
Oh yes, BEAUTY
FOR SALE is pretty much on the melodramatic side and if you’re on the
lookout for such fares as I always am, you couldn’t ask for a better film. The overall
delivery is indeed quite fetching, heightened mostly by three fine actresses in
three intertwined storylines which sometimes take a comedic turn (on that note,
another worthy mention goes to Isabel Jewell as the on and off sophisticated manager
of the salon). Director Richard Boleslawski is just the right fit for this pre-code
women picture.
