Bad Girl (1931)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Frank Borzage

Writers:

Viña Delmar (novel) &
Brian Marlowe (play) ...

Release Date:

13 August 1931 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

VINA DELMAR'S novel of New York Life - BAD GIRL

Plot Keywords:

Based On Play | Based On Novel

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 nomination

Cast

James Dunn	...	Eddie Collins
Sally Eilers	...	Dorothy Haley
Minna Gombell	...	Edna Driggs
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Frank Darien	...	Lathrop
Paul Fix	...	Nervous Expectant Father
Sarah Padden	...	Mrs. Gardner
William Pawley	...	Jim Haley

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The man in front of the candy shop is played by Sally Eilers' brother Bud Eilers.

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.

Movie Connections:

Alternate language version of Marido y mujer (1932)

Soundtrack:

Come On Baby and Beg For It

rare, Oscar winner is a forgotten treat

I finally tracked down Bad Girl. It had been on my list of wanna sees for years as it had won a major Oscar for Best Director- Frank Borzage.It was one of those tantalizing early talkies that had not actually been lost it had merely fell from sight. When I finally saw it last year at a Borzage revival, the film was a revelation.It was a pre-code delight about an ordinary couple, falling in love, struggling financially and having a baby etc.It most reminded me of the great silent film-The Crowd, which dealt with similar matters. What was especially fascinating to me was its depiction of "average" lower middle class types and how they lived and spoke in Depression America. The apartments... the slang, all of it, seemed real. It wouldn't be until the 50's neo realism hit American movies that we would see ordinary people depicted on the screen again, without condescension The movie has all the Borzage trademarks- love surviving against all odds, even an exciting if a little hokey climax.Unfortunately, the film has been slighted often in movie books,most likely, because the authors have never actually seen it. If it is ever shown again, try to see it. It's a wonderful peek at average city folks in Depression America.