Babyface

3/5

If you want wicked pre-code content, look no further than Babyface. Barbara Stanwyck plays Lily, a young woman trapped in a sexual slavery in her father's speakeasy. One of the customers a German professor, tries to get her to read Nietsche. (For a little while I thought this was going to turn into the Blue Angel, but no...) Eventually his lectures sinks in and after her father is killed in an accident she and the maid, Chico (Theresa Harris) flee to the big city. On the way Lily offers herself to a railroad worker in order to prevent being thrown out of a boxcar and arrested. From then on a pattern emerges: Babyface sees a man with something to give, she gives him a come hither look, drags him to an empty office or in one case, the ladies room, gets whatever favor she needs in return for hers and then moves on, ruthlessly. She "works" her way through a banking empire, including a very young John Wayne, this way until she marries the president, Courtland Trenholm (George Brent). This is where the movie goes south a bit, because I didn't really buy the love story between Lilly and Courtland which is given very little screen time. She doesn't really seem to care any more for him than she does any of the others. Also I was annoyed that after so many years of faithful service and companionship Chico gets abandoned on a boat so that she can rush home to her husband. The turn about was too sudden and I kept asking myself, "what about Chico?" at the end.