Barbara Stanwyck, who couldn’t have been more than 19, stars in a 1939 clasic Hollywood soap opera/morality tale about the infamous little blonde bombshell, Lily Powers, an abused girl who resorts to sleeping her up the corporate ladder to… er, success. Of course, she’s successful all the way up, but the manner in which she climbs is, naturally, all the fun. Particularly amusing is the visual motif of the supposed building in which she charms her way to the top floor. Starting with the valet/first floor guard up to the grandson of the CEO, we get an illustration for each corresponding steps of Lily’s progress. Printed on (apparently) each window shade of each corresponding department floor, we see “Human Resources” follwed by “Filing” followed by “Purchasing”, etc. By the time Lily reaches the grandson of the CEO she has left the building.
It’s hard to take any of it seriously, even (and especially) as a morality tale. But it’s great fun and Stanwyck seems to have a ball until her routine gets old. She gets caught in a deadly cross-fire and is forced to leave the country (she’s big-time hoochie at this point). The film then turns on its heels and gets soft. The near tragic/happy ending is corny and Lily nearly ruins it, but you’re glad to see her get the break.
by Marlin Tyree | Source: Warner Home Video
23 Jul 2007 6:14 PM | Submit Comment
