Confessions of a Co-Ed

Sylvia Sidney was a fine actress who did a whole lot of good films in her career as a leading lady and then in her later years as a portrayer of old Jewish dowagers. But I'm sure she'd like to forget this one of a young jazz age college girl who gets pregnant with the foreseeable consequences given the mores of 1931.

However this affords an opportunity to see a young Bing Crosby with the trio that he was a member of with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, the Rhythm Boys. The other members of the trio are Harry Barris and Al Rinker. They play at a fraternity house party in the first 10 minutes of the film.

Shortly after this, Bing went out on his own and the rest they say, is history.

Sylvia Sidney goes to college, intending to study chemistry. Phillips Holmes -- top-billed, despite this being Miss Sidney's story -- and Norman Foster compete for her. Foster is too smooth, and Miss Sidney's sorority sister, Claudia Dell, tells her all of Foster's lines. Then Holmes is sent down, leaving with only a few dollars from Foster. Unknown to anyone, Miss Sidney has fallen pregnant

It's a remarkably adults story, pre-code at its finest, with only a few suggestive shots of co-eds' naked legs to show the sort of story that the Production Code would ban. Some of the other lovely co-eds include Martha Sleeper and Dorothy Libaire in her screen debut. Bing Crosby and the Rhythm Boys perform a couple of songs.

"Confessions of a Co-Ed" is a terribly dated and dull film. It's also odd because its both highly moralistic AND extremely salacious...a strange Pre-Code combination!

The story is set at a college, yet, like so many films you NEVER see anyone go to class or do much of anything related to school. Instead, much of the students' energies seem to be focused on scoring....though words like pregnancy and the like are never used. Instead, it's all strongly implied.

Patricia (Sylvia Sidney) is a new student and the male students seem gaga about her...especially Hal and Dan. Dan is a bit of a ladies man and seems bent on scoring with Patricia. Hal is secretly a weasel who who do anything to get Patricia. What's next? See the film.

The movie is a confusing morality tale. On one hand it comes off as rather old fashioned and severe....but on the other it seems to espouse the morality you'd see in a post-code film. As a result, it's weird...and not particularly good.

If you do watch the film, look for Bing Crosby in one of his earliest film roles. He plays himself, by the way. Also, the child in the story is played by Dickie Moore...a child actor who played babies and small children in a bazillion films!