Why Be Good? (1929)

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)

Stars:

Colleen Moore, Neil Hamilton, Bodil Rosing

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	...	Tom
Lincoln Stedman	...	Jerry
Louis Natheaux	...	Jimmy Alexander
Collette Merton	...	Julie
Dixie Gay	...	Susie

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.

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Plot Keywords:

reputation | department store | flapper | dance contest | persona | 

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Taglines:

Flaming Youth - 1929 Model!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 April 1930 (Finland)

Also Known As:

That's a Bad Girl

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

First National Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

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.

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Goofs

When the Store Manager takes Pert Kelly's file from the file cabinet he takes it from the drawer beneath the one marked O-P, not from the drawer marked K, as would be expected.

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Quotes

Pert Kelly: I suppose you'd like me if I wore long skirts and mittens and sat home knitting socks? Yes you would! You men! You insist on a girl being just what you want - and then you bawl her for being it.

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

He's Tall and Dark and Handsome
(uncredited)
Music by Al Sherman
First played when Jimmy Alexander buys the spray fragrance in the men's room
Played often throughout the picture as Jimmy's theme

User Reviews

Is she a good girl looking to have a good time or just a good-time girl?

recently restored--combined missing disk with footage--Vitaphone Project

This film is a great example of a supposedly lost film that was found due to the so-called 'Vitaphone Project'. Because early Vitaphone sound films consisted of both the film footage AND an accompanying record for sound, many movies seemed to be only available as sound discs or film footage. However, with the internet age, the Vitaphone Project has managed to track down BOTH copies of many films and film shorts--the record and film have finally been reunited! So, although "Why Be Good?" has been considered lost for years, here it is---for the first time in many, many decades.

Like many of these early sound films, it really is NOT a talking picture but a silent with a soundtrack. A few songs in the film also are sung live by the actors. Otherwise, it's a traditional silent film. As for the soundtrack, it's actually at times too invasive and generally too loud! I actually wish, at times, there was no soundtrack!

As for the film, it's a romantic comedy about flappers--in particular, Pert Kelly (Colleen Moore). Pert LOVES to party and goes out all the time with her friends in order to dance. One night, she meets a nice guy, Winthrop Peabody Jr. (Neil Hamilton) and they fall in love. Later, she learns that he's her boss at the department store! The problem is that Winthrop Sr. is worried that Pert might be a bit of a slut. After all, she loves to party, loves to dance and is clearly a flapper. So what's next? See the film.

This is a pretty good film and is one of the last silent-style films from Warner Brothers. The story is good and talks about the double- standard for ladies--the need to be fun, adventurous, rather slutty and yet chaste! My only real complaint is the ending--which seems to come rather abruptly.