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 Marlow (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
Frank Darien	...	Lathrop
William Pawley	...	Jim Haley
Paul Fix	...	Nervous Expectant Father

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:

overly protective brother sister relationship | no abnormal husband wife relationship | pre code film | slang | prohibition era | 

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Taglines:

A new kind of hero in a new kind of romance. (original print ad)

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

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 31:54, Dot's right arm changes position.

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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

Version of Manhattan Heartbeat (1940)

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Soundtracks

Red Head
(uncredited)
Written by James F. Hanley

User Reviews

Surprising Fun Early Talkie

I have to admit to low expectations coming into this film and happy to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. I don't know if it was the time period this film was made, or just this script, but there were a lot of gender stereotypes reinforced within. Also the forced accents were a bit hard to take as well. Never-the-less I did find this film an interesting take of early films here in America and have to say there is an episode in which the male lead tries out boxing to make a few extra bucks, which I found outright hilarious. Yes, it's a little forced but in general I found it fun.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 September 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

Barn av idag

Company Credits

Production Co:

Frank Borzage Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1