The Good Bad Girl


1h 11m 1931

Brief Synopsis

A gangster's moll tries to go straight to marry an honest man.

Film Details

Also Known As
El pasado acusa
Genre
Romance
Crime
Release Date
Jan 1931
Premiere Information
New York opening: 14 May 1931; release: 10 May or 20 May 1931
Production Company
Columbia Pictures Corp.
Distribution Company
Columbia Pictures Corp.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel The Good Bad Girl by Winifred Van Duzer (New York, 1926).

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 11m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
6,555ft (7 reels)

Synopsis

Marcia Cameron, the mistress of gang leader Dan Tyler, desires to end their relationship after she falls in love with Bob Henderson, an honest banker's son who does not wish to know about her past. Tyler refuses to let Marcia go, however, and threatens to kill her if she attempts to flee. Marcia confides in her friend Trixie, the mistress of nightclub proprietor Pagano, that she wants to marry Bob and raise a family. That night, Tyler murders fellow gangster Moreland when he does not make good on a $30,000 gambling debt. Tyler pressures Marcia to provide him with an alibi, but when she refuses, he is forced to go to Philadelphia to hide. Trixie sardonically observes that "nobody goes to Philadelphia unless they have to." Marcia marries Bob, whose parents, also knowing nothing about her past, welcome her into the family. When she goes to Trixie and Pagano to tell them about her marriage, she is followed by Detective Donovan. To protect Marcia, Trixie hides her and informs Donovan about Tyler's whereabouts. After Tyler is arrested, his thugs forcibly take Marcia to the prison, where he once again orders her to testify on his behalf. He threatens to kill Bob if she does not comply, but she counters by stating that she will tell the police that the murder was premeditated if he does not leave Bob alone. As she leaves, photographers take her picture, and she is identified in the newspapers as the "gunman's girl." Horrified by this revelation, the Hendersons demand that Bob and Marcia separate. Despite her love for Bob and her knowledge that she is pregnant with his child, Marcia agrees that this is for the best. Bob reluctantly acquiesces and goes to Paris to secure a divorce. Tyler receives a life sentence, while Marcia goes to live with Trixie and Pagano and has her baby. Tyler escapes from prison and goes to find Marcia, whom he believes tipped off the police to his whereabouts. Just as Tyler is about to kill Marcia, Donovan and his men arrive and shoot him. Before Tyler dies, however, he tells Marcia that his men will kill her and her baby. The terrified Marcia goes to Mrs. Henderson, whose help she had previously refused, and gives her the baby for safekeeping. Marcia then returns to the nightclub to pack, and as she leaves, she is followed by Tyler's men. Bob, having returned from Paris, finds her just as Tyler's men are overtaking her. He saves her from the gangsters, and the reunited couple embrace as he reveals that he did not obtain a divorce. Bob makes Marcia promise never to leave him again, and the couple return to his home.

Film Details

Also Known As
El pasado acusa
Genre
Romance
Crime
Release Date
Jan 1931
Premiere Information
New York opening: 14 May 1931; release: 10 May or 20 May 1931
Production Company
Columbia Pictures Corp.
Distribution Company
Columbia Pictures Corp.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel The Good Bad Girl by Winifred Van Duzer (New York, 1926).

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 11m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
6,555ft (7 reels)

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

According to information in the MPAA/PCA Collection at the AMPAS Library, Columbia was planning to remake this film in 1937; however, the film's script was rejected as unacceptable by the Hays Office because it dealt with "two illicit sexual relationships." In 1931, Columbia also made a Spanish-language version-see record for El pasado acusa.