If you know Zasu Pitts from her later years as a comedic supporting actress, this movie will show you a whole different side of her talents. If you loved her performance in Erich von Stroheim's GREED, you will be pleased to see she was allowed during this time to make brief forays into dramatic roles. This film, in fact, showcases both sides of Pitts' repertoire, as it calls on her to play a woman who is a popular vaudeville comedienne by night but who, off stage, leads a lonely and loveless life due to her low self-esteem.
Unfortunately, I have a feeling I watched a truncated print of this film, since it only ran a little under an hour. The editing especially at the beginning was quite poor -- too many characters all introduced at the same time, but often without identifying intertitles. I also have no idea why a seemingly wealthy woman like Maggie Keenan (Pitts) would be tramping about on the Follies stage. Joan Crawford does appear in a small part, though in the print I watched, she was not credited at all.
The real stars of this film, however, are Pitts, Tom Moore (as the drummer she falls in love with), and Lilyan Tashman (as her rival). The story is a contemporary (mid-1920s) backstage look at the Follies. A couple of production numbers are also featured (you must see Pitts dressed as a housefly!). The romantic entanglement is unexpected, and I assure you, the ending will absolutely shock you. I can imagine this one sparked many an after-the-movie conversation. I am a fan of Monta Bell, yet I can't rank this one as highly as some of his other films such as LADY OF THE NIGHT, AFTER MIDNIGHT, and UPSTAGE. Nevertheless, PRETTY LADIES is worth a look -- oh, and Zasu Pitts definitely qualifies as a "pretty lady."
Unfortunately, I have a feeling I watched a truncated print of this film, since it only ran a little under an hour. The editing especially at the beginning was quite poor -- too many characters all introduced at the same time, but often without identifying intertitles. I also have no idea why a seemingly wealthy woman like Maggie Keenan (Pitts) would be tramping about on the Follies stage. Joan Crawford does appear in a small part, though in the print I watched, she was not credited at all.
The real stars of this film, however, are Pitts, Tom Moore (as the drummer she falls in love with), and Lilyan Tashman (as her rival). The story is a contemporary (mid-1920s) backstage look at the Follies. A couple of production numbers are also featured (you must see Pitts dressed as a housefly!). The romantic entanglement is unexpected, and I assure you, the ending will absolutely shock you. I can imagine this one sparked many an after-the-movie conversation. I am a fan of Monta Bell, yet I can't rank this one as highly as some of his other films such as LADY OF THE NIGHT, AFTER MIDNIGHT, and UPSTAGE. Nevertheless, PRETTY LADIES is worth a look -- oh, and Zasu Pitts definitely qualifies as a "pretty lady."