In 1950's "The Fuller Brush Girl", it was Lucille Ball on the street, selling creams, powders and hairstyling items, but here, she's the inventor of a cream she is sure will revolutionize the beauty industry. It all happens after the man she loves (Patric Knowles) marries a member of the upper-crust (Frieda Inescort), breaking her heart. She peddles her product to a manufacturer (Donald Woods) who finds an investor in none other than Inescort. The romantic tensions re-arise between Knowles and Ball as they become re-acquainted, and Lucy, who has come to find Inescort to be a good friend, struggles to do the right thing.
This light-hearted "B" movie is a surprisingly good little drama of a woman making good in spite of herself, past failures and learning how to retain her integrity while rising in the business world. Ball comes on to her investors with a clever deception which actually makes the seemingly snooty Inescort admire her all the more and reveal her down-to-earth nature, only exploding when she learns that husband Knowles intends to leave her to return to Lucy. But the somewhat hasty ending resolves all between the two friends, putting Inescort's bitchy society friends in their place, and proving that women don't have to be competitors for men, can be friends, and can work together without resulting in the snarls of cat-fights and wisecracks.
Those who love Lucy mainly for her TV comedy won't find that persona here, but she's also a far cry from her nasty gangster's moll in "The Big Street" and the cynical dames of her many other "B" films at RKO. The result is a multi-layered characterization that is actually much more realistic and relatable.
This light-hearted "B" movie is a surprisingly good little drama of a woman making good in spite of herself, past failures and learning how to retain her integrity while rising in the business world. Ball comes on to her investors with a clever deception which actually makes the seemingly snooty Inescort admire her all the more and reveal her down-to-earth nature, only exploding when she learns that husband Knowles intends to leave her to return to Lucy. But the somewhat hasty ending resolves all between the two friends, putting Inescort's bitchy society friends in their place, and proving that women don't have to be competitors for men, can be friends, and can work together without resulting in the snarls of cat-fights and wisecracks.
Those who love Lucy mainly for her TV comedy won't find that persona here, but she's also a far cry from her nasty gangster's moll in "The Big Street" and the cynical dames of her many other "B" films at RKO. The result is a multi-layered characterization that is actually much more realistic and relatable.