Cafe Hostess

"Cafe Hostess" seemed promising because of its star, Ann Dvorak, an intriguing actress whom Hollywood didn't seem to know what to do with. The film begins stylistically but immediately slows down. It's not until about midway that the drama engaged me mainly because it gives Dvorak something to do other than schmooze with potential johns while picking their pockets. Preston Foster's romantic lead performance is good even though his character is poorly written, presenting him more as a romantic ideal than a real person. I was waiting for a surprise about him that didn't happen. Wynne Gibson is fine as an aging "hostess" even though the script telegraphs early on how she will save the day. Douglas Fowley as the misogynistic gangster is properly menacing and despicable, an interesting surprise since he played the comical, exasperated film director in "Singin' in the Rain" twelve years later. I saw this film as part of a Noir festival at the Guild Cinema in Albuquerque.

When the film begins, there is a blurb announcing that the film is about Bar girls, or 'B-girls'...women who work in bars and encourage men to drink and spend their money. Soon the scene cuts to a clip joint run by Eddie where a variety of women of easy virtue work. Their job is to get the money out of the customers...and in some cases this means setting up guys with big wads to get rolled in the alley for their cash or lifting their wallets. An old timer at the club, Jo (Ann Dvorak), is getting sick of the life as well as Eddie's promises to marry her. Into this joint comes a nice guy, a sailor named Dan (Preston Foster). Do Dan and Jo stand a chance? It's unlikely since Eddie isn't the type to just let a girl go without a fight. To Eddie, they're his property.

While it's never said, I assume many viewers realize that in reality, these B-girls did tricks as well...though with the Production Code of 1934, such things could only be vaguely implied....and it's REALLY vague here. In fact, because of the subject matter many things are really vague in the film...such as the implication that Eddie is fooling around with one of the other B-girls. Still, in spite of this, the film is interesting and worth seeing....and awfully seedy for a Post-Code film.