The Beauty Shoppers

Peggy Raymond, a country girl, comes to New York with plans for a career in art and is taken by mistake to a Fifth Avenue address where she meets Dick Merwin, the scion of a wealthy family, whom she mistakes for her cousin. Later, in Brooklyn, she finds that her relatives have moved, and Mabel Hines takes her in and gets her a job. By necessity, Peg is forced to demonstrate fat-reducing rollers in a shop window, where she is unfavorably viewed by Mrs. Schuyler and her husband. She is admired by Sam Billings, a wealthy old bachelor, and becomes involved with Maddox, who affects an interest in her paintings. But through a series of reversals and complications, Peg is made to realize that Dick is the worthier man.

Directed by Louis J. Gasnier, The Beauty Shoppers leans on a strong ensemble — Mae Busch, Doris Hill, Ward Crane — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about comedy titles of 1927.