7.4/10
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11 user 9 critic

Why Be Good? (1929)

| Comedy , Drama , Romance | 10 April 1930 (Finland)
Why Be Good? Poster
A flapper with a dubious reputation enjoys a vivacious night of dancing and finds herself romantically linked to her boss.

Director:

William A. Seiter

Writers:

Paul Perez (titles), Carey Wilson (screenplay) | 1 more credit »

Stars:

Colleen Moore, Neil Hamilton, Bodil Rosing | See full cast & crew »
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Photos

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Cast

Cast overview:
Colleen Moore ... Pert Kelly
Neil Hamilton ... Winthrop Peabody Jr.
Bodil Rosing ... Ma Kelly
John St. Polis ... Pa Kelly (as John Sainpolis)
Edward Martindel ... Winthrop Peabody Sr.
Eddie Clayton Eddie Clayton ... Tom
Lincoln Stedman Lincoln Stedman ... Jerry
Louis Natheaux ... Jimmy Alexander
Collette Merton Collette Merton ... Julie
Dixie Gay Dixie Gay ... Susie
See full cast »
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Storyline

A young shop girl is dance mad, even winning prize cups in competitions. Circulating with lots of people gives her a dubious reputation, but we see it's unwarranted. The son of the owner of the department store she works in falls for her without realizing her status. at length, he puts her to a test to see just what kind of girl she is. Written by WesternOne

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

reputation | department store | flapper | dance contest | persona | See All (17) »

Taglines:

Flaming Youth - 1929 Model! See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 April 1930 (Finland) See more »

Also Known As:

That's a Bad Girl See more »

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

First National Pictures See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono (Vitaphone) (Western Electric Equipment) (musical score and sound effects)| Silent (alternate version)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

In September 1928 Warner Bros. Pictures purchased a majority interest in First National Pictures, and from that point on all "First National" productions were actually made under Warner Bros. control, even though the two companies continued to retain separate identities until the mid-'30s, after which time "A Warner Bros.-First National Picture" was often used. See more »

Goofs

When Peabody, Sr. enters the Store Manager's office he calls him Ralph. But the name on the Manager's door is H.B. Lewis. See more »

Quotes

Jimmy Alexander: Well, mama - now that I'm tea'd up - let's neck.
See more »

Connections

Featured in Why Be Good? Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema (2007) See more »

Soundtracks

Moon Madness
(uncredited)
Music by T. Henry Lodge
Played when Pert is daydreaming at her post and as she goes to Junior's office
See more »

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User Reviews

 
It'll make you wish you were born in 1905
5 December 2016 | by cammcculloch – See all my reviews

With stellar jazz-age tunes this movie starts on fire and never fades.

It's funny. It's sexy. It challenges the boundaries of the day.

I kept thinking: I was born several decades too late.

Makes me sad Colleen Moore didn't make many movies after this, before retiring in the mid-30s. Also fun to see ''Commissioner Gordon'' in the silent era. Supporting cast is well above average. And maybe most surprising of all it's all so natural. None of that ham- boned silent-era acting. It's almost as if the actors were delivering their lines in a talkie.

Thank heavens for TCM, or we'd never see this great movie.I could watch this movie over and over again.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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