Born to Be Bad (1934)

Letty, a young woman who ended up pregnant, unmarried and on the streets at fifteen is bitter and determined that her child will not grow up to be taken advantage of. Letty teaches her ... See full summary »

Director:

Lowell Sherman

Writers:

Ralph Graves (story), Harrison Jacobs (continuity)

Stars:

Loretta Young, Cary Grant, Jackie Kelk

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Loretta Young	...	Letty Strong
Cary Grant	...	Malcolm Trevor
Jackie Kelk	...	Mickey Strong
Marion Burns	...	Mrs. Alyce Trevor
Henry Travers	...	Fuzzy
Paul Harvey	...	Attoney Brian
Russell Hopton	...	Steve Karns
Harry Green	...	Adolph - Letty's Lawyer

Storyline

Letty, a young woman who ended up pregnant, unmarried and on the streets at fifteen is bitter and determined that her child will not grow up to be taken advantage of. Letty teaches her child to lie, steal, cheat and anything else he'll need to be street smart. We meet Letty when Mickey is 7-1/2. Mal enters the picture when his truck and Mickey, who is hanging on to the back of a delivery truck and being pulled along the streets on his roller skates, collide. Mickey is not injured badly, but when Letty discovers that Mal is rich, she concocts a scheme to take Mal to the cleaners. When her plot is uncovered, Letty is also discovered for the unfit parent that she is, and Mickey is taken away from her. Mal and his wife Alice, unable to have children of their own, take Mickey in and give him a father's love, a true mother's love, and a home he can call his own. Letty is jealous of Mickey's growing attachment to these two good people and she still sees Mal as a ticket to riches. Letty ...

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Plot Keywords:

seduction | motion picture | doctor | recording device | party | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 May 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nascida para o Mal

Box Office

Budget:

$252,238 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

62 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film ran into censorship problems from the start, mainly from the character portrayed by Loretta Young and the skimpy clothes she wore. It was rejected twice by the Hays office before it was finally given an approval certificate, after several cuts and retakes (and all this before the Production Code was more rigorously enforced). Sidney Lanfield directed retakes on 10 November 1933 because director Lowell Sherman was on vacation; other retakes were made early in 1934. In 1935, the film was on a list at the Hays Office, of those films whose release should be halted, but it is not known if any action was ever taken.

User Reviews

Throwback to an Earlier Era

Breathtakingly beautiful is the young Loretta Young in this movie--short movie, that is, which gives us life in the thirties with a look at fashion, language and life. It is a fair movie but pleasant to see because of the era in which it was made is so apparent in it. Cary Grant is young and vibrant and charming, isn't he always? As said, Loretta seems to own many lovely and glamorous clothes for a woman who is down on her luck, but well, it is a movie. Did I say she looks beautiful. She is a selfish woman who devises a plot to win her son back but comes to realize what really matters in the end is not her own good, but the well being of her child. A very short movie, too short, and ends abruptly, but I did enjoy seeing it. Stars today are not as beautiful as once was Loretta Young.