Beautiful Barbara Kent started out as a bland ingénue, then was given the lead in "Lonesome" (1928) a film with similarities to "The Crowd" in it's depiction of ordinary people looking for happiness in a hustle and bustle world. Unfortunately it was made during the changeover to sound when everything was in flux - she became Harold Lloyd's leading lady in his first two sound films. She could have sunk but the early thirties saw her busiest period when she re-emerged as a "nice" leading lady - her role of Amelia to vixenish Myrna Loy as Becky Sharpe in "Vanity Fair" was typical. Joining her in "Beauty Parlour", which in plot resembled a very poor man's "Our Blushing Brides", was Joyce Compton. She usually didn't get main parts but her role as Joan (O.B.B's Dorothy Sebastian) was a good one. She and pal Sally (Kent) are manicurists in the hotel's beauty shop but whereas Sally spends the day fending off persistent romeos, Joan encourages them. Not so wise as Sally, she is sucked into an escort racket when she is dazzled by a client's lavish wallet display. His name is Freemont (Wheeler Oakman) who along with his wife has a racket going along the old "pick up a wealthy patron, slip him a mickey finn and when he wakes up in the morning he has some explaining to do" line. One drugged patron is different, he has already gone to the police and Joan is up to her ears in trouble. The Freemonts have skipped town and Joan is being held on $10,000 bail - what's a girl to do?? Call her equally poor friend Sally of course who has been playing a cat and mouse game with Jeffrey Colt (John Harron) who is wealthy and eager for matrimony. Sally has been giving him the air but now when she really needs him he is out of town - so she has to fall back on an elderly beauty parlour client who also wants to hear wedding bells!!!
Dorothy Reiver is Mrs. Freeman and no-one in the movie could compare to her in beauty. Like Kent, talkies proved no hurdle to her and she was in great demand in those early sound days. Her forte was vamps and molls and this movie gave her a small but showy part proving bad girls had more fun - until they were caught!!
Dorothy Reiver is Mrs. Freeman and no-one in the movie could compare to her in beauty. Like Kent, talkies proved no hurdle to her and she was in great demand in those early sound days. Her forte was vamps and molls and this movie gave her a small but showy part proving bad girls had more fun - until they were caught!!