Escort Girl

I just stumbled into this grindhouse-type feature from the early '40s on the Internet Archive. This is a short melodramatic story of a female head of an escort service who has a big worry on her mind when her daughter-who's never known about her mother's profession since she's been to out-of-town schools growing up-visits her with her fiancée who's investigating to close down these adult places. It's just as well the print I saw had several splices and was just under an hour since the whole thing was mostly laughably cheesy especially whenever that daughter gets angry or sad and gets saddled with the worst lines to boot! There are some intentionally amusing moments though like when Arthur Housman does his usual drunk routine (I remember him from some Laurel & Hardy shorts) or when that receptionist talks and does some facial reactions. I think she's played by Gay Seabrook who's best known as Spanky's mother in a couple of Our Gang shorts. And, yes, there's a somewhat sexy striptease dance of one lady who shows her breasts though her nipples are covered by pasties. So on that note, Escort Girl is worth a look for what I just sighted and no more.

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.

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

Okay, no Oscar bait here. The only question is whether this exploitation flick is bad enough to be good. In my book, there're not enough campy moments to qualify for Ed Wood territory. The trouble is middle-age actors Compson and Oakman are simply too accomplished and get too much screen time to bring down the material to subterranean levels. The young couple qualify with some truly sappy moments and bad acting, but unfortunately those are overcome by their two elders. For the voyeur crowd, which includes myself, the girls' underwear conflabs are more like sorority get-togethers than a bunch of hookers exchanging tricks of the trade. Too bad. Ahh…nevertheless, there is that one brief shining moment when this really shapely little number comes out of nowhere to peel down to pasties and fringed g-string that makes the whole 70 minutes worthwhile. I love the bad lighting that made the scene look like an out-take from a stag film. I suppose the producers figured they needed to deliver more than chatty escorts and naughty innuendo to the balcony crowd. Anyway, I'm sorry to say that this cheapie just isn't distinguished enough to enter that rarefied circle of demonic druggies, promiscuous teens, and wayward women, otherwise known as 30's camp classics.

This film is hilariously bad, with silent star Betty Compson, in her mid-40s (but looking like mid-60s) as an "escort," even though we never get to see her do her thing. Her daughter eventually finds out about her mother, leading to the riveting climax. I won't give away the ending, but let's just say somebody gets shot and someone gets tossed out a window. Ms. Compson isn't in the film enough to make this interesting, even as a curio. The film is made even worse by the condition of the print. The skips cause the dialogue to be chopped to smithereens, characters jump from one position to another, and a gun magically appears in Ms. Compson's hand. At one point, the sound was so bad that Ms. Compson sounded like Porky Pig. The sound disappeared completely for a minute due to the required monthly test by our cable company (I just love when that happens). Arthur Housman has a bit as a drunk, which was an acting stretch for him.