Why Be Good?

Along with Clara Bow, Colleen Moore was one of the defining silent-screen incarnations of the flapper—cute, vivacious, flirtatious, and fun loving—but whereas Bow exuded a sly impishness and carefree sexuality, Moore was a good girl who just liked to have fun. In filmmaker William A. Seiter's Why Be Good? (1929), Moore plays Pert Kelly, a department store salesgirl who dances up a storm and enjoys the high-spirited party life at night, but nonetheless shuns liquor and guards her virtue. Aware of the prevailing double standard—men like to have “fun” but want to settle down with “proper” women—Pert is determined to be both and stands up to the unfounded judgments made by her father (John St. Polis) with a very modern rejoinder: “I'm contributing as much to this household as you are.” The story turns on a romance with a young man named Winthrop Peabody Jr. (Neil Hamilton, famed as Commissioner Gordon on the 1960s Batman TV series), who turns out to be the son of the boss, with the latter also calling Pert's virtue into question. A lightweight film with a bubbly energy capturing the flavor of the jazz era, Why Be Good? was made during the transition between silent movies and soundies, employing a synchronized Vitaphone soundtrack that features several upbeat vocal numbers from the period. Not essential but quite fun, this entry in the Warner Archive manufactured-on-demand line is recommended. (S. Axmaker)