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Bad Sister

  • 1931
  • Approved
  • 1h 8m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
Bette Davis, Sidney Fox, and Conrad Nagel in Bad Sister (1931)
Drama

Marianne falls in love with a con artist who has a hidden agenda.Marianne falls in love with a con artist who has a hidden agenda.Marianne falls in love with a con artist who has a hidden agenda.

  • Director
    • Hobart Henley
  • Writers
    • Booth Tarkington
    • Raymond L. Schrock
    • Tom Reed
  • Stars
    • Conrad Nagel
    • Sidney Fox
    • Bette Davis
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.1/10
    1.6K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Hobart Henley
    • Writers
      • Booth Tarkington
      • Raymond L. Schrock
      • Tom Reed
    • Stars
      • Conrad Nagel
      • Sidney Fox
      • Bette Davis
    • 37User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos4

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    Top cast20

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    Conrad Nagel
    Conrad Nagel
    • Dr. Dick Lindley
    Sidney Fox
    Sidney Fox
    • Marianne Madison
    Bette Davis
    Bette Davis
    • Laura Madison
    Zasu Pitts
    Zasu Pitts
    • Minnie
    Slim Summerville
    Slim Summerville
    • Sam
    Charles Winninger
    Charles Winninger
    • Mr. Madison
    Emma Dunn
    Emma Dunn
    • Mrs. Madison
    Humphrey Bogart
    Humphrey Bogart
    • Valentine Corliss
    Bert Roach
    Bert Roach
    • Wade Trumbull
    David Durand
    David Durand
    • Hedrick Madison
    Mary Alden
    Mary Alden
    • Dr. Lindley's Nurse
    • (uncredited)
    King Baggot
    King Baggot
    • Policeman on Street
    • (uncredited)
    Sammy Blum
    Sammy Blum
    • Dave - Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    Helene Chadwick
    Helene Chadwick
    • Amy, Sam's Wife
    • (uncredited)
    Charles Giblyn
    • Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    Payne B. Johnson
    • Baby
    • (uncredited)
    Cornelius Keefe
    Cornelius Keefe
    • New Father in Hospital
    • (uncredited)
    Cyril Ring
    Cyril Ring
    • Doctor
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Hobart Henley
    • Writers
      • Booth Tarkington
      • Raymond L. Schrock
      • Tom Reed
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews37

    6.11.6K
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    Featured reviews

    7AlsExGal

    Sidney Fox is terrific as one awful sister

    How often do you see Conrad Nagel and Sidney Fox billed above Humphrey Bogart and Bette Davis? Probably just this one time, and at Universal of all places. You know someone is trouble (Sidney Fox as Marianne) when she sleeps in a bed surrounded by pictures of herself. Marianne is nasty to the servant Minnie, played to perfection by the marvelous ZaSu Pitts, manipulates her father, and uses men like they are a collective escalator. "Good sister" Laura (Bette Davis) is in love with one of Marianne's beaus (Conrad Nagel as Dr. Dick Lindley), although she keeps it to herself and her diary. Then there is the pesky baby brother who, as it turns out, does have a heart and a conscience in spite of his trouble-making ways, but frankly, I would have shipped him off to military school if I had the funds. Charles Winninger and Emma Dunn round out the cast as Mr. and Mrs. Madison, the parents of this unruly brood. This film has all the earmarks of being your standard family melodrama...and then HE pulls into town - Humphrey Bogart as Valentine Corliss. He has come to town to start a factory, pushes hard for Pa Madison to help him with his venture and get his friends to invest in the venture as well, and sweeps Marianne off her feet with his man-of-the world ways. I'll let you watch and see how this all pans out.

    All I can say is wow, could Universal have made Bette Davis look any more unappealing? She spends the entire film dressed up like she was in the first half hour of "Now Voyager" minus the weight problem and minus ten years. Her hair is in an unattractive bun, she has on no make-up, she wears loose fitting matronly dresses, and the only way they could have made it worse is to put sunglasses on those beautiful trademark saucer eyes of hers.

    I'd highly recommend this one, not so much for a plot that is different, but to see some great performances by two stars that didn't have long in the limelight (Nagel and Fox), and see two of Warner Brothers' biggest stars in the most unlikely of places and roles.
    7susanctoo

    Interesting to see the actors at such a young age.

    I enjoyed this movie! It was intriguing to see Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart 3rd and 4th in the billing order. But what fun to see Bogie as a suave smiling dapper con man who whisks the airhead "bad sister" off her feet. And poor Bette Davis, whom I almost did not recognize in her first scenes in the film. So interesting to see how the costumes helped to create the two sisters characters. Bette Davis in drab prints that made her appear very frumpy. And that younger brother!!! Oh my what a pest!! It really is a complicated story with some sad , some glad, and a bit of silliness here and there. A soap opera in a way, but a also a time capsule of simpler times. I agree with others who said the end comes rather abruptly. I had more ideas of what might have happened if it was longer, so was left feeling a bit unfulfilled. I thought it was well made overall. You can see the remnants of the silent film era in its style with a caption inserted in the middle to help us figure out the plot. And lots of long stares with the eyes expressing so much.
    7kevinolzak

    The film debut of Bette Davis

    1931's "The Bad Sister" is chiefly remembered as being the film debut of screen legend Bette Davis, who spent a few despondent months at Universal that year before finding greener pastures at Warner Bros. The title role, however, went to Sidney Fox, also making her movie debut, but in a quirk of fate, Universal's star push on her behalf instead of Davis resulted in Sidney's career ending in three years, while 'the good sister' was being hailed as a star. Not only did Universal miss the boat on these two actresses, they failed to see the potential in 4th billed Humphrey Bogart, who followed Davis to Warners playing essentially the same role he does here, a smooth-talking, big city con man who preys upon the citizens of Central City Ohio, with Miss Fox forging her father's signature to cinch the swindle. Top billing goes to doctor Conrad Nagel, naively in love with 'bad sister' Sidney, when it's 'good sister' Bette secretly in love with him. Bette herself despaired over this film, convinced she had no future in pictures; the virginal 23 year old is effectively deglamorized, dressed like a grape picker's daughter, hair tightly bound in a bun, yet those 'Bette Davis Eyes' remain intact, yearning desire behind them. I myself was curious to see more of the diminutive Sidney Fox, inexplicably top billed over Bela Lugosi in 1932's "Murders in the Rue Morgue" (reuniting her with Bert Roach), but remained entranced by Bette Davis instead; and to think Carl Laemmle Jr. famously said of her in this film, "she has about as much sex appeal as Slim Summerville!" (he too is in the picture).
    5sylvain gross

    not bad

    Not bad at all ,but the main interest of the movie is to see Davis in her first ,and bogart in one of his firsts the story and the way it's developed is very old fashion and the characters are very simplified. the cinematic aspect is not new and the story demoded and to say the truth frankly boring
    5utgard14

    "I live here but I don't belong."

    Pre-Coder about a rotten young woman (Sidney Fox), who's so spoiled and selfish she doesn't care who she steps on, including her own family. It's an unremarkable melodrama about an unlikable character that I wouldn't even have bothered watching were it not for the fact that this is the film debut of Bette Davis. Bette plays Fox's homely but kind sister who's in love with Fox's boyfriend. When Fox dumps him for another man, it opens a door for the beau to look at Bette in a different light.

    It's an unimpressive debut for Bette, showing none of her later acting talent or personality. For her part, Sidney Fox does a fine job playing the worst kind of brat. Also featuring Humphrey Bogart in one of his earliest roles, playing -- you guessed it -- a bad guy. The scene stealer of the picture is child actor David Durand as Fox and Davis' younger brother. He freely speaks his mind and has all of the movie's decent lines. The rest of the cast includes ZaSu Pitts, Bert Roach, Slim Summerville, Conrad Nagel, and Charles Winninger. Worth a look for Bette and Bogie completists or anyone who digs these old timey morality plays.

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Bette Davis' debut. In later appearances on TV talk shows, whenever an interviewer asked Davis, "What was your first film?", her frequent response was: "It was called THE BAD SISTER. And I played the GOOD sister!" Invariably, the audience would roar with laughter and applaud.
    • Goofs
      Driving Marianne home, despite it being very dark, it's as bright as day when they get to her home. They turn right without turning the steering wheel.
    • Quotes

      Minnie: Somehow it doesn't seem natural for her to be so nice. Oh dear.

    • Connections
      Featured in AFI Life Achievement Award: AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Bette Davis (1977)

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    FAQ14

    • How long is Bad Sister?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 29, 1931 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Gambling Daughters
    • Filming locations
      • Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Universal Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 8m(68 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.20 : 1

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