Joan Crawford plays mother hen to a couple of impressionable shop girls in this pre-coder co-starring Robert Montgomery and Anita Paige. Roomates with Crawford, the scarred veteran, does her best to guide innocents around hovering predators in top hats and gloves but ultimately it is left up to them to find out for themselves, in one case tragically.
Jerry (Crawford) Connie and Francine work as clerk/models at a large department store. Two are pursued by sons of the owners while an unctuous con-man (John Miljhan) seduces the other. Jerry sees through both of these guys, rejecting her suitor as well (Montgomery) even if he is more decent than the others. A series of crash and burns are the results for the girls.
Crawford is a perfect fit for Jerry who probably had plenty of experience with these types of men while climbing the ladder to superstardom. With a nice mixture of cynicism and softness she matches up well with the entitled Montgomery who she cuts down to size in more than one scene. Paige as the tragic Connie gives the film's most powerful performance as a kept woman in an apartment with "hard cover books" that she hasn't bothered to look at because her paramour "thinks brains ruins a woman's job." Ed Brophy as a cheapskate alternative to the devious swells simply magnifies the slim pickings available.
There's a fashion show highlighting Crawford's curves in gowns by Adrian while the set design, top shelf MGM, Cedric Gibbons creations, provide eye-popping interiors from the mansions on Long Island to the one room in lower Manhattan to keep your interest during the slower, mawkish moments.
Jerry (Crawford) Connie and Francine work as clerk/models at a large department store. Two are pursued by sons of the owners while an unctuous con-man (John Miljhan) seduces the other. Jerry sees through both of these guys, rejecting her suitor as well (Montgomery) even if he is more decent than the others. A series of crash and burns are the results for the girls.
Crawford is a perfect fit for Jerry who probably had plenty of experience with these types of men while climbing the ladder to superstardom. With a nice mixture of cynicism and softness she matches up well with the entitled Montgomery who she cuts down to size in more than one scene. Paige as the tragic Connie gives the film's most powerful performance as a kept woman in an apartment with "hard cover books" that she hasn't bothered to look at because her paramour "thinks brains ruins a woman's job." Ed Brophy as a cheapskate alternative to the devious swells simply magnifies the slim pickings available.
There's a fashion show highlighting Crawford's curves in gowns by Adrian while the set design, top shelf MGM, Cedric Gibbons creations, provide eye-popping interiors from the mansions on Long Island to the one room in lower Manhattan to keep your interest during the slower, mawkish moments.