Bed of Roses

 Joel McCrea and Constance Bennett 1933 "Bed of Roses" is a film that misses many opportunites but it's honest in depicting that Constance Bennett and Pert Kelton (who uses an annoying Mae West manner of speech and movement throughout the film) were in prison for prostitution. When Bennett sets up John Halliday, she's as conniving as Harlow in "Red-Headed Woman" and Stanwyck in "Baby Face" but that direction won't work because her true love is McCrea on the cotton barge. Bennett misses an opportunity to return to McCrea and stands him up which is confusing and Kelton is more annoying than ever in arranging for Bennett to see Halliday again. Confused? You ought to be! There are several loose threads that miraculously get worked out in a rushed ending exposition that's not very believeable, let alone plausible. And when Pert Kelton, who told McCrea everything about Bennett, shows up for the final shot using her affected West impersonation, I had to click off! This was the final of four films McCrea and Bennett appeared in together.