Why Be Good?
T. alt.: That’s Bad Girl. Sog., Scen.: Carey Wilson. F.: Sidney Hickox. M.: Terry Morse. Int.: Colleen Moore (Pert Kelly), Neil Hamilton (Peabody Jr.), Bodil Rosing (Ma Kelly), John Sainpolis (Pa Kelly), Edward Martindel (Peabody Sr.), Eddie Clayton (Tom), Louis Natheaux (Jimmy), Collette Merton (Julie), Dixie Gay (Susie), Jean Harlow. Prod.: John McCormick per First National Pictures, Inc. DCP. D.: 90′ Bn.
Film Notes
Why Be Good?, Colleen Moore’s final silent, is a First National Film with no dialog, but contains a Vitaphone soundtrack with synchronized music and sound effects. The soundtrack is full of hot jazz and twenties dance music, and confirmed on it are such period jazz greats as Jimmy Dorsey, Phil Napoleon, Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang. The film portrays Colleen Moore as a wild flapper, dancing though beautiful art deco sets. Jean Harlow makes an early appearance as a prominent dress extra. Why be Good? was long believed to be a lost film, it was re-discovered though the perseverance of Film Historian, Joseph Yranski and Ron Hutchinson of the Vitaphone Project. The search began when Joseph interviewed actress Colleen Moore, who told him that a copy of the film survived in an Italian Film Archive. Ron Hutchinson was able to find a 16″ Vitaphone disc containing the soundtrack and the task of locating the missing picture began. Gian Luca Farinelli of Cineteca di Bologna contacted Matteo Pavesi of Cineteca Italiana di Milano, who graciously allowed access to the 35mm nitrate dupe negative for the restoration at L’Immagine Ritrovata in conjunction with Warner Bros. The restoration will have a world premier at Il Cinema Ritrovato.
Ned Price
Why Be Good? had many of the requisite elements: a bad girl who is actually good deep down; poor girl imported into a rich environment; mistaken identities; and the fairy-tale ending. Pert Kelly, a counter girl in a New York department store, has a reputation for promiscuity, but is secretly a virtuous woman. She meets Peabody, Jr., at a roadhouse one night, and they make a date to meet again the following evening. The next morning, Pert is late for work and is called on the carpet by the personnel manager, who turns out to be Peabody, Jr. His father, who owns the store, fires Pert, but Peabody, Jr. is (predictably) smitten with her. He invites her to one of his parent’s fancy soirées. His father doubts Pert’s virtue, so Junior decides to evaluate her by bringing her to a disreputable roadhouse where he has staged an elaborate test. She protests and, convinced, Junior marries her right away.
Jeff Codori, Colleen Moore. A Biography of the Silent Film Star, McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, NC 2012