Pretty Ladies

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Pretty Ladies

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Plot

This comedy-drama about the Follies was written by veteran newspaper reporter and "sob sister" Adela Rogers St. John. Maggie (ZaSu Pitts) is the Follies comedienne, and she envies all the other girls in the show -- the pretty ladies with their sweethearts. She knows she's only there for the laughs, and that no one would ever give her a second look if not for her clowning. Things change when the accidentally falls into the orchestra and breaks the drums being played by Al Cassidy (Tom Moore). A friendship begins which blooms into romance, sparking the jealousy of Selma, the leading lady (Lilyan Tashman). Cassidy writes a hit for Maggie and sticks by her. Eventually they marry and start a family. Cassidy, who has become a renowned songwriter, is called to Atlantic City to prepare a new score for Selma. Finally he falls prey to her charms. A gossip informs Maggie of this fact, but when he returns home contrite she refuses to listen to him and pretends nothing has happened. Secretly, she prays it will never happen again. The supporting cast in this picture is impressive. It includes Norma Shearer, Conrad Nagel, and Ann Pennington as herself. In a bit part is an ambitious, up-and-coming young starlet by the name of Lucille LeSueur. It would be a mere matter of months before she became more well known as Joan Crawford. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Cast

Conrad Nagel - Maggie's Dream Lover; Norma Shearer - Frances White; George K. Arthur - Roger Van Hom; Paul Ellis - Warren Hadley; Roy D'Arcy - Paul Thompson; Dorothy Seastrom - Diamond Tights; Lew Harvey - Will Rogers; Walter Shumway - Mr. Gallagher; Dan Crimmins - Mr. Shean; James Quinn - Eddie Cantor; Joan Crawford - Bobby; Gwen Lee - Fay; Myrna Loy - Bit Part; Helena D'Algy

Credit

Monta Bell - Director, Ira Morgan - Cinematographer, Alice Duer Miller - Screenwriter, Adela Rogers St. John - Screenwriter, Adela Rogers St. John - Short Story Author

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Pretty Ladies

German poster
Directed by Monta Bell
Written by Alice D.G. Miller (Writer)
Joseph Farnham (Titles)
Starring ZaSu Pitts
Conrad Nagel
Tom Moore
Joan Crawford
Cinematography Ira H. Morgan
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s) September 6, 1925
Running time 74 min
Country United States
Language Silent
English intertitles

Pretty Ladies (1925) is a silent comedy-drama film starring ZaSu Pitts and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film is a fictional recreation of the famed Ziegfeld Follies. Directed by Monta Bell, the film was written by Alice D.G. Miller and featured intertitles written by Joseph Farnham.

Contents

Plot

Maggie (ZaSu Pitts) is a Broadway dancing comedienne whose husband leaves her for one of the show's beauties, and who longs for the life of other chorus girls but eventually finds love by being herself.

Production notes

Pretty Ladies marked the first credited appearance of "Lucille Le Sueur", soon to be known as Joan Crawford. According to Lawrence J. Quirk, author of The Films of Joan Crawford, this film was the only time Crawford was credited by her real name. (Crawford is also billed as LeSueur in an "MGM Studio Tour" promotional film from 1925 which is shown on Turner Classic Movies.)

It was also the film debut of Myrna Loy (then still performing under her real last name Williams), who signed a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers the following year (1926) and then finally signed with MGM and became a star in 1934 with the release of The Thin Man.

Cast

Color

This movie originally had color sequences by Technicolor. However, no prints of this movie with the color sequences are known to exist currently.

See also

External links



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Dan Crimmins (Actor, Comedy/Romance)
Flying with Music (1942 Musical Film)
Bath Tub Perils (1916 Film)
Lew Harvey (Actor, Drama/Romance)