Cristi_Ciopron
The universe of the vice movies has its classics, people like Esper, Clifton, Shyer, W. Kent, Doris Wishman (who belongs to a very different age, though the vice movies went on in the '50s and '60s, without morphing in the new and piquant exploitation).Beyond the scandals, nowadays irrelevant, the movies witness to their crew's knowledge of the trade. The very distant ancestor, at least in some respects, is Baudelaire, one of the 1st to glamorize what he meant to criticize. The movies are complex because they take a moral stance, not simply pretend to show things neutrally and factually. They are kindred to social dramas, occasionally to horror, Expressionism, Gothic, when an over-the-top approach has been chosen
; the exploitation alludes to the unacknowledged luridness, sometimes to a certain wickedness, occasionally mere naughtiness, in the conveying of the world criticized, but these traits certainly depend on the director, etc.. The best achievements are lurid, appealing. Also, they sometimes discovered beauty, even truth and soundness. Sometimes, a player steps in, making a movie meaningful.The topics were made appealing because they were taboos. So, the lurid topic wasn't sexuality, but prostitution.The heyday has been in the decade betwixt mid-'30s and mid-'40s.Eddie Kaye's drama has two of the vice movies' best players, Betty Compson and Oakman as the heads of an escort traffic; her acting is A, and if it upstages the others it also matches the movie, his, B, while Vallin and Housman have supporting roles. The movie here actually has something to convey. The director wishes it as a drama, spiced with piquant satire.The drama is popular in tone, but effective, thorough and piercing. Both comedy and drama are well conveyed, the direction is smooth, and you can tell people by how a movie elicits the sensibility's answer, whether it does; this is such a lovable movie, I can understand why some deem it addictive. Here, the topic is a glamour girl ring, escort traffic, deceit and lie.I liked the escort woman who's solicited by her husband.
wes-connors
As proprietor of a Hollywood "Escort Bureau", Betty Compson (as Ruth Ashley) procures young men and women for paying customers. The kind-hearted madam has kept her business a secret from fetching young daughter Margaret Marquis (as June Ashley), who spends her time in finishing school. But, things get complicated when innocent Ms. Marquis goes home to live with Mother Compson.Marquis' good-looking fiancé Robert Kellard (as Drake Hamilton) also arrives. Soon, authorities move in on the racket run by Ms. Compson and partner Wheeler Oakman (as Gregory Stone). Fiancé Kellard goes undercover as a male escort, to investigate the area's illegal trade. Guy Kingsford (as Breeze Nolan) is the ringleader."Escort Girl" is a chance to see former silent screen great Betty Compson in a later years role. And, a generous scene features women in various stages of undress. Sporting a figure you won't forget, the dancer in pasties is a titillating highlight. Handsome gigolos Kellard and Rick Vallin are kept fully dressed.**** Escort Girl (1941) Eddie Kaye ~ Betty Compson, Robert Kellard, Margaret Marquis
johnc2141
I saw escort girl thinking it was going to be just another sleazy little exploitation film.its really not bad,it features the ever busy b-movie stars Wheeler Oakman and Betty Compson.who made about a bakers dozen of these sleazy b flicks.its about prostitution,way back in the day when they were called escorts.for an old movie its pretty racy,there is a strip tease scene where a dancer bares her breasts. though some parts are covered by pasties.this film is one of the better movies on the cult classics collection from mill creek entertainment.as usual its a film with a message.anyway i know actor Wheeler Oakman as the bad martian from flash Gordon's trip to mars(1938) i thought escort girl was enjoyable though the print is kind of choppy. must be from VHS.i thought the girl that answered the phones at the agency was funny with her facial gestures.I'm going to give escort girl 6 out of 10.
classicsoncall
The only other reviewer at the time of my posting states that the quality of his VHS transfer was excellent, while my 'remastered' DVD print is about as second rate as they come. A lot of jump cuts and missed dialog however doesn't hurt the flow of the story all that much, but even so, what you're left with it are some of the most over the top melodramatic performances you'll find coming out of the era. All in service to the melodramatic nature of the story, as an undercover investigator attempts to expose the ring leaders of an escort bureau. Drake Hamilton's (Robert Kellard) mission becomes complicated when his fiancée is set up to make a call on him as a 'date' from the escort service, but the arrangement is so awkward you'll wonder why June (Margaret Marquis) just didn't explain the whole story when she got to his room.I'm always amazed at the way times have progressed when it comes to how expensive things are today. The fee for an escort back then - ten dollars plus expenses while on the date!!! That didn't include any business the gals did on the side, I guess that's where entrepreneurial ability came in.There are some genuinely laughable scenes here, not all of which were meant to be I'm sure. One which had a lush (Arthur Houseman) walking into a fern a couple of times, making this viewer wonder which of the two was more potted. And gee, I wonder how many drinks it would take to make a high roller like Snuggles (Isabel La Mal) look good. But the scene that will have you sit up and take notice is the dancing stripper, didn't she have a nice pair of ... legs?The grand finale really goes for the gusto, and I for one actually wondered how investigator Hamilton was going to explain the whole thing to the authorities. Now that would have made for a great sequel!