Poor Connie Heath (Jane Bryan) can't catch a break. Her father is stern and unforgiving. He doesn't trust her going out or any of her friends. It turns out his mistrust in one friend, Hilda Engstrom, is well founded.
Hilda talks Connie into lying to her father and going to a dance he has forbidden. She "loans" Connie a dress she has stolen from the cleaners where they work. Connie gets into trouble but manages to avoid jail time. Her father does boot her out of the house, however.
Connie goes to the city and runs into Hilda again. Hilda is sitting in a idling car outside a bank. Connie decides this is the time to give Hilda a piece of her mind and hops in the car to do so! About this time, Hilda's partner comes running out of the bank, guns blazing. Rather than hopping out of the car, Connie sits there with a puzzled look. She's apparently bewildered by all this. During the high speed police chase Connie gathers her wits and takes the gun. The robbers pull over and the cops find Connie holding the gun.
Afraid of her father finding out, Connie decides it's better to go to prison than explain the events. A case worker takes an interest and investigates on her own. She convinces Connie to tell the truth and gets her out on probation.
Working for and falling in love with DA Dillon (sounds groovy) Connie thinks her life is back on track. But Hilda returns to try and stir things up again, still talking. Somehow, amid all the nonstop talking of their own, Connie had failed to mention to Dillon that she was fresh out of jail and on probation for the bank robbery.
Sound movies had just turned a decade old but the novelty had clearly not worn off. Everything remained dialogue-driven. These people talk and talk and then talk. No scene is set through visuals, no emotions are described through facial expression. Each and every element is articulated through exposition.
The cast is fun and never shuts up. Jane Bryan is cheery despite her character's many setbacks. And she talks about all of it. Sheila Bromley is equally verbose as the diabolical Hilda. Ronald Reagan orates unceasingly as the love interest, Dillon.
This type of rapid-fire dialog was a staple of movies during this era and "Girls on Probation" is a jewel of an example. Highly recommended for a look at a typical by-the-numbers production of the 30s.
Hilda talks Connie into lying to her father and going to a dance he has forbidden. She "loans" Connie a dress she has stolen from the cleaners where they work. Connie gets into trouble but manages to avoid jail time. Her father does boot her out of the house, however.
Connie goes to the city and runs into Hilda again. Hilda is sitting in a idling car outside a bank. Connie decides this is the time to give Hilda a piece of her mind and hops in the car to do so! About this time, Hilda's partner comes running out of the bank, guns blazing. Rather than hopping out of the car, Connie sits there with a puzzled look. She's apparently bewildered by all this. During the high speed police chase Connie gathers her wits and takes the gun. The robbers pull over and the cops find Connie holding the gun.
Afraid of her father finding out, Connie decides it's better to go to prison than explain the events. A case worker takes an interest and investigates on her own. She convinces Connie to tell the truth and gets her out on probation.
Working for and falling in love with DA Dillon (sounds groovy) Connie thinks her life is back on track. But Hilda returns to try and stir things up again, still talking. Somehow, amid all the nonstop talking of their own, Connie had failed to mention to Dillon that she was fresh out of jail and on probation for the bank robbery.
Sound movies had just turned a decade old but the novelty had clearly not worn off. Everything remained dialogue-driven. These people talk and talk and then talk. No scene is set through visuals, no emotions are described through facial expression. Each and every element is articulated through exposition.
The cast is fun and never shuts up. Jane Bryan is cheery despite her character's many setbacks. And she talks about all of it. Sheila Bromley is equally verbose as the diabolical Hilda. Ronald Reagan orates unceasingly as the love interest, Dillon.
This type of rapid-fire dialog was a staple of movies during this era and "Girls on Probation" is a jewel of an example. Highly recommended for a look at a typical by-the-numbers production of the 30s.