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

William Pawley played the role of Dorothy's brother in the stage version, and reprises his role here in the film.

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Goofs

At 39:38, shadow of boom mic drifts across the wall.

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Quotes

Dorothy Haley: I gotta go upstairs now. You see, my mother's dead, and my brother's boss of the house. He gets sore when I stay out late. You know, he's careful for me. But as Edna says, you can't watch a girl hard enough to keep her good if she don't want to be.

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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

Interesting, but Far From Borzage's Best

An interesting little Borzage love story set during the Depression, detailing the struggles of young couple (Sally Eilers & James Dunn) with their hopes and dreams. Curiously Borzage won his second Oscar as Best Director for this oddly heady little movie and that's perhaps the only reason to watch it. It works as a timepiece of its era. But I definitely wouldn't call "Bad Girl" one of Borzage's best romances (in many ways it strikes me as turgid and unaffecting in several moments, and I didn't like the ending), but it is definitely worth catching if you are fan or a student of the director's sublime and unheralded oeuvre.