She Couldn't Say No (1930 film)
She Couldn't Say No is a 1930 American Pre-Code drama which stars Winnie Lightner, fresh from her success in Gold Diggers of Broadway (1929). It was adapted from a play by Benjamin M. Kaye. An aspiring singer ends up in a love triangle with a gangster and a socialite.
She Couldn't Say No | |
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Directed by | Lloyd Bacon |
Screenplay by | Arthur Caesar Robert Lord Harvey F. Thew |
Based on | She Couldn't Say No 1926 play by Benjamin M. Kaye |
Starring | Winnie Lightner Chester Morris Sally Eilers Johnny Arthur |
Cinematography | James Van Trees |
Music by | Joe Burke |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
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Running time | 70 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Plot
Winnie Harper (Lightner) is a nightclub entertainer. This club is owned by a notorious gangster named Big John (Marshall). Jerry Casey (Morris), a gangster, begins dating Winnie and becomes her manager in an attempt to go straight. Jerry manages to put Winnie in a fancy society nightclub.
Morris, however, falls in love with Iris, a rich customer (Eilers). In order to be able to buy gifts worthy of his new socialite girlfriend, and also to get money for Winnie's upcoming revue, Jerry asks Big John for another job. Jerry tells Winnie about his love for Iris but she thinks that Iris is not serious about their relationship.
Later on, Jerry gets arrested and Winnie pays his bail, but is broken-hearted when Jerry leaves her to return to Iris. Winnie, with the help of Tommy Blake her pianist (Arthur), lands a job in a revue and attempts to forget Jerry. Nevertheless, when she hears that Jerry is in trouble with his fellow gang members, she goes to try to help him.
Cast
- Winnie Lightner as Winnie Harper
- Chester Morris as Jerry Casey
- Sally Eilers as Iris
- Johnny Arthur as Tommy Blake, Harper's pianist[1]
- Tully Marshall as Big John
- Louise Beavers as Cora
Songs
All songs were performed by Lightner.
Preservation status
She Couldn't Say No is now considered a lost film, but the soundtrack survives intact on Vitaphone disks.
See also
References
- "Plot synopsis". Allmovie. Retrieved March 3, 2008.
External links
- She Couldn't Say No at IMDb
- She Couldn't Say No at AllMovie
- She Couldn't Say No at the American Film Institute Catalog
- She Couldn't Say No at the TCM Movie Database