MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for The Bad Sister

The Bad Sister

1931 · 68 min

A brisk, old-fashioned melodrama with a sly pre-Code edge, watching a selfish flirt learn her lesson feels like a cautionary tale told with a wink.

Directed by
Hobart Henley
Genres
Drama
Starring
Conrad Nagel, Sidney Fox, Bette Davis
Tagline
The girl who wanted everything!
Overview
Marianne falls in love with con man Valentine who uses their relation to get her father's endorsement on a money-raising scheme. He runs off with the money and Marianne, later dumping her. Her sister Laura loves Dr. Lindley although she knows he loves Marianne. Marianne returns and marries a wealthy young man, and Lindley turns his love toward Laura.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Add to a list: The Bad Sister

You have no lists yet. Name one, and this title goes into it.

All your lists

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Hobart Henley
Genres
Drama
Starring
Conrad Nagel, Sidney Fox, Bette Davis
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • romanticstrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 1 of 3
  • earneststrength 1 of 3
Pacing
brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
easy-watch, 2 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • betrayal
  • love
  • family
  • deception
  • redemption
Places
  • small town
  • home
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
None
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language none
  • Violence none
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action2
Horror0
Humour3
Realism7
Romance6
Tension3
Darkness4
Complexity4
Emotional weight5

More like this

Titles like The Bad Sister

Movie

No Man of Her Own

1932

A breezy pre-Code charmer where the spark between two con artists makes small-town boredom and quick swindles feel playful and fizzy.

Romantic, brisk · about betrayal and love

Via
  • romantic
  • betrayal
  • love
Pacing
brisk
Attention
easy-watch
Runtime
85 min
Details
No Man of Her OwnHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

In Name Only

1939

A classic romantic melodrama that pulls you into a tug-of-war between love and duty, with a scheming wife and a selfless widow keeping emotions high.

Melancholic, romantic · about betrayal and love

Via
  • melancholic
  • romantic
  • betrayal
  • love
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
94 min
Details
In Name OnlyHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Casablanca

1942

A smoky, bittersweet romance wrapped in wartime tension, with sharp dialogue and a lingering sense of sacrifice.

Melancholic, romantic · about betrayal and love

Via
  • melancholic
  • romantic
  • betrayal
  • love
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
102 min
Details
CasablancaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

1927

A silent, dreamlike fable that moves from shadowy temptation to tender reconciliation, sweeping you up in its visual poetry and emotional sincerity.

Melancholic, romantic · about betrayal and love

Via
  • melancholic
  • romantic
  • betrayal
  • love
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
94 min
Details
Sunrise: A Song of Two HumansHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

2025

A warm, wistful farewell that wraps you in elegant nostalgia and gentle drama, like catching up with old friends one last time.

Melancholic · about betrayal and family

Via
  • melancholic
  • betrayal
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
123 min
Details
Downton Abbey: The Grand FinaleHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Age of Innocence

1993

A sumptuous, slow-burning tragedy of repressed desire, where every glance and social nicety carries the weight of a lifetime's regret.

Melancholic, romantic · about betrayal and love

Via
  • melancholic
  • romantic
  • betrayal
  • love
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
138 min
Details
The Age of InnocenceHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Café Society

2016

A wistful, gorgeously lit stroll through old Hollywood and New York, bittersweet and gently funny, leaving a quiet ache about missed chances.

Melancholic, romantic · about love and family

Via
  • melancholic
  • romantic
  • love
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
97 min
Details
Café SocietyHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Nice Women

1931

A light, old-fashioned romantic comedy about love versus money, with a gentle moral and a tidy resolution.

Same writer: Edwin H. Knopf · Romantic · about betrayal and love

Also
Same writer: Edwin H. Knopf
Via
  • romantic
  • betrayal
  • love
Pacing
measured
Attention
easy-watch
Runtime
70 min
Details
Nice WomenHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Marrying Widows

1934

A gentle, old-fashioned romantic drama where family greed and a hidden revenge plot give way to reconciliation.

Melancholic, romantic · about betrayal and love

Via
  • melancholic
  • romantic
  • betrayal
  • love
Pacing
measured
Attention
easy-watch
Runtime
67 min
Details
Marrying WidowsHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Hold Back the Dawn

1941

A bittersweet, old-Hollywood romance that sweeps you up in its longing and moral compromise, leaving a lingering ache.

Melancholic, romantic · about betrayal and love

Via
  • melancholic
  • romantic
  • betrayal
  • love
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
116 min
Details
Hold Back the DawnHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

So This Is Marriage?

1924

A quiet, earnest silent-era marital drama that simmers with domestic friction and moral parable, moving slowly toward reconciliation.

Same director: Hobart Henley · Melancholic, romantic · about betrayal and love

Also
Same director: Hobart Henley
Via
  • melancholic
  • romantic
  • betrayal
  • love
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
70 min
Details
So This Is Marriage?Hidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Shopworn

1932

A brisk, earnest old-Hollywood romance where class cruelty and maternal scheming test a tender love, ending in satisfying tears.

Melancholic, romantic, brisk · about betrayal and love

Via
  • melancholic
  • romantic
  • betrayal
  • love
Pacing
brisk
Attention
easy-watch
Runtime
66 min
Details
ShopwornHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
drama
Directed by
Hobart Henley
Written by
Edwin H. Knopf
Starring
Conrad Nagel, Sidney Fox, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Charles Winninger, Emma Dunn, Zasu Pitts, Slim Summerville
Cinematography
Karl Freund
Runtime
68 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata