Bad Girl (1931)

A man and woman, skeptical about romance, nonetheless fall in love and are wed, but their lack of confidence in the opposite sex haunts their marriage.

Director:

Frank Borzage

Writers:

Viña Delmar (novel), Brian Marlowe (play),

Stars:

James Dunn, Sally Eilers, Minna Gombell

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Dunn	...	Eddie Collins
Sally Eilers	...	Dorothy Haley
Minna Gombell	...	Edna Driggs

Storyline

A mug and a jane: Dorothy knows that every guy is going to make a pass at her; Eddie knows that every gal wastes her money on good times. He's saving to open a repair shop. When the two of them meet, they can't believe they get along. One evening he leaves her waiting in the rain; she finds his apartment and reads him the riot act. They end up spooning and napping until 4 AM. She's afraid of her brother, who's her guardian, so Eddie figures she should tell her brother that she's getting married the next morning. Dorothy tries out the story but knows Eddie won't show up. It's the first of a series of promises, fears, miscalculations, and hard knocks. Where will they end up?

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Plot Keywords:

apartment | marriage | new york city | hyperactive child | misunderstanding | 

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Taglines:

VINA DELMAR'S novel of New York Life - BAD GIRL

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 August 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

Barn av idag

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The man in front of the candy shop is played by Sally Eilers' brother Bud Eilers.

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Goofs

At 2:54, shadow of boom mic is visible across Dot's face.

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Quotes

Dorothy Haley: But as Edna says, nobody knows whether a person's good or bad but the person themselves. And they won't tell.

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Connections

Alternate-language version of Marido y mujer (1932)

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Soundtracks

"Come On Baby and Beg For It"
Written by James F. Hanley

User Reviews

Drama of urban life between World Wars, by great "sob=sister" Vina Delmar.

Unfortunately, this is apparently a very scarce film, not available on VHS or DVD, and seldom if ever broadcast. However, as a fan of Vina Delmar I have read the novel upon which the film is based, and must point out that the story takes place in 1923. This was the flapper era, the roaring twenties, the jazz age . . . and the era of Prohibition!

A very different period from that of the Great Depression, which began in 1929, and was two years old when the film was made.

Whether the story line was changed to place the story in Depression-era New York instead of Roaring Twenties New York, is interesting to consider.

I would dearly love to see this film, and to see how well it lives up to the very fine novel by Vina Delmar, BAD GIRL.

Regis Hardy