Escort Girl 1941

Ruth Ashley [Betty Compson] is a former escort girl who, together with hard-boiled Gregory Stone [Wheeler Oakman], now runs the Hollywood Escort Bureau in Los Angeles. The bureau is overseen by Breeze Nolan [Guy Kingsford], who arranges both male and female escorts for clients, while Ruth also has a stake in Café Martinique, where escorts and their dates watch cabaret acts and toast with champagne, with a Flamenco Dancer Cyd Charisse performing on occasion.

Ruth had sent her daughter June Ashley [Margaret Marquis] to a private school on the east coast. Now grown, June is ignorant of her mother’s occupation, believing that Ruth works in real estate. June is engaged to Drake Hamilton [Robert Kellard], and they visit Ruth. Ruth is concerned that June will learn the truth about her business. She grows more worried when she discovers that Drake is in Los Angeles to assist the district attorney in stopping all escort operations.

In the line of duty, Drake pretends to be a prospective client and calls the bureau to book a girl for the evening. Stone craftily sends June to Drake’s hotel room at the specified time. Drake believes that June works as an escort girl and breaks their engagement. June, devastated, blames Stone and threatens to go to the D.A.

Ruth learns what happened and holds Stone at gunpoint, telling him to reveal the truth to Drake. When Drake and Stone struggle for the gun, Ruth is accidentally shot. Stone falls out a window to his death. Ruth, with her last words, tells Drake the truth, and he promises to take care of June.