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Rebellious Daughters (1938) movie poster

Timeline

Rebellious Daughters (1938) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
1938 · 69 mins · English
Directed by
Jean Yarbrough
Starring
Oscar O'Shea, Dick Hogan, Monte Blue, Marjorie Reynolds, Dell Henderson, Al Hill

Girl moves out of her parents house against their wishes. Gets a job in a dress shop, gets mixed up with dirty pictures and blackmail.

On this page (5)
  1. 1 Events in order (12)
  2. 2 Timeline questions answered
  3. 3 Movie threads
  4. 4 Movies like Rebellious Daughters
  5. 5 Every angle

12 events in order · contains spoilers

Rebellious Daughters Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Rebellious Daughters (1938) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Babe is left alone on the eve of her birthday

    The night before Babe's birthday, her mother leaves town and won't take her along. Her father is also out of town, leaving Babe feeling abandoned and sad. She reaches out to her friend Eddie to plan something for the evening.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Home
  2. Eddie asks Babe to dig up a live one for Bill Evans

    Eddie asks Babe to dig up a live one for his friend Bill Evans, hinting at something exciting. Babe jokes that only the dead can be dug up, but she agrees to look for something dainty but dumb. The exchange sets the tone for their improvised evening plans.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Babe's home
  3. Babe reaches out to Claire Elliott

    Babe contacts her old friend Claire Elliott, who would love to go out but faces a strict father who won't allow night club outings. The conversation establishes Claire as a potential companion for the night. The plan is to recruit her for the outing.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Claire's home
  4. Babe persuades Claire's father to let her go

    Babe goes to Claire's home to persuade her father to let them go clubbing. After a tense discussion, he is convinced to permit it. Claire decides to join Babe for the night out.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Claire's home
  5. Nightclub outing where Flo Russell appears

    In the nightclub, two of the boys leave to greet old friends, leaving Babe and Claire to mingle. Flo Russell approaches their table and reveals she works for Mr. Gilman, who owns an exclusive gown salon in New York and wants them as models. The encounter hints at a new opportunity unfolding.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Nightclub
  6. Gilman introduced as the modeling opportunity

    Flo's introduction connects Babe and Claire to a possible modeling job with Gilman, offering a chance to move to New York. The girls weigh this opportunity as a potential escape from their current home life. The moment marks the shift from casual night out to career prospects.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Nightclub
  7. The group plans to leave for another party

    The boys return with the plan to go to another party, and Claire is pressured to join the group. The night continues to pull them away from their homes. The atmosphere grows adventurous and risky as they follow the lure of new experiences.

    When
    Night
    Where
    On the way out of the club
  8. Police stop and parental rebuke

    On the way, they are stopped by the police. Claire's father drives them home and scolds them, forbidding her from stepping out again. The scare serves as a concrete boundary against their reckless plans.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Street / Claire's home
  9. Babe and Claire decide to run away to New York

    Babe and Claire decide to leave home to pursue work in New York for Gilman. They commit to a new life away from their families. The decision marks a turning point in their relationship with their surroundings.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Their town / leaving for New York
  10. Hired by Gilman with a dangerous revelation

    They are hired by Gilman, but soon discover he runs a racket in his shop: blackmailing rich customers by photographing them in suspicious situations. The job is no longer just modeling; it carries moral and legal peril. The moment signals a dark turn in their path.

    When
    Soon after arrival
    Where
    Gilman's gown salon in New York
  11. Discovery of the blackmail operation

    The girls learn that Gilman uses the studio to photograph clients for blackmail. This discovery reframes their work and raises questions about loyalty, safety, and survival in their new life. They must decide how to respond to the illicit scheme.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Gilman's shop
  12. The story evolves beyond the initial plan

    With the racket exposed, the narrative evolves as Babe and Claire navigate the consequences of their choices in New York. The future remains uncertain as they confront the moral costs of their new life. The timeline captures how quickly ambition can blur into danger.

    When
    Ongoing
    Where
    New York

Last updated: October 05, 2025 at 11:55

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Timeline questions answered

Rebellious Daughters Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Rebellious Daughters (1938): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why does Babe decide to leave home in Rebellious Daughters?

Babe decides to leave home because she feels abandoned and unloved. On the eve of her birthday, her mother leaves town without taking her along, and her father is also away. The cold, unwelcoming family environment motivates her to seek a different life, leading her to pursue the modeling opportunity in New York with her friend Claire.

Foreshadowing: The opening scene establishes Babe's loneliness when her mother explicitly refuses to take her along for the trip, setting up her desire to escape.

  • Babe Webster
  • leaving home
  • family abandonment
  • rebellious daughters plot
Q2

What does Eddie mean when he asks Babe to dig up a live one?

When Eddie asks Babe to 'dig up a live one' for his friend Bill Evans, he's asking her to find a young woman (referred to as 'dainty but dumb') to accompany them on their evening outing. Babe's response, 'only the dead have to be dug up', is a dark joke suggesting she prefers not to deal with boring or dull company.

  • Eddie
  • Bill Evans
  • dig up a live one
  • slang meaning
Q3

How does the modeling job turn into a blackmail scheme?

After arriving in New York, Babe and Claire are hired by Mr. Gilman at his exclusive gown shop. However, they soon discover the shop secretly operates as a front for blackmail, employees secretly photograph wealthy clients in compromising situations, then use the photos to extort money from them.

Foreshadowing: Flo Russell's pitch about modeling for the 'exclusive' gown shop hints at something more sinister than a simple fashion job.

  • Gilman shop
  • blackmail operation
  • secret photographs
  • extortion
Q4

Why do Babe and Claire stay in New York after discovering the blackmail operation?

After discovering Gilman's blackmail scheme, Babe and Claire face a difficult choice. They have left their homes and have limited options. The film presents them navigating 'loyalty, fear, and ambition' while confronting the moral and legal dangers of their situation. Their decision to stay reflects both the desperation of having nowhere else to go and the risky allure of potentially benefiting from the criminal enterprise.

  • Babe
  • Claire
  • staying in New York
  • moral dilemma
  • blackmail discovery
Q5

What happens when Claire's father picks them up after the police stop?

While driving to another party, the group is stopped by police. Claire's father is called to retrieve them and drives them home. He scolds Claire severely, forbidding her from going out again. This confrontation directly causes Babe and Claire to make the impulsive decision to run away to New York that same night to pursue the modeling opportunity with Gilman.

Foreshadowing: The police encounter marks the turning point where the girls move from casual rebellion to permanent escape.

  • police stop
  • Claire's father
  • running away
  • consequence
Q6

What is Flo Russell's role in the story?

Flo Russell is a woman who approaches Babe and Claire at the nightclub and introduces them to what seems like a glamorous opportunity. She works for Mr. Gilman, the owner of an exclusive gown salon in New York, and pitches modeling jobs to the girls. Her role serves as the initial link that draws the protagonists into Gilman's criminal operation.

Foreshadowing: Flo's appearance at the nightclub introduces the modeling opportunity that eventually leads to the blackmail scheme.

  • Flo Russell
  • Gilman
  • modeling job
  • opportunity
  • recruitment
Q7

What is the connection between Gilman's fashion shop and the criminal operation?

Gilman's gown salon operates as a legitimate fashion business on the surface, but it's actually a front for criminal activity. The shop photographs wealthy clients in the store, secretly capturing them in compromising situations. These photographs are then used to blackmail the clients for money, exploiting the very customers who trust the exclusive establishment.

  • Gilman shop
  • fashion salon
  • blackmail
  • criminal racket
  • exploitation
Q8

Why do Babe and Claire pursue the modeling opportunity in New York?

Babe and Claire pursue the modeling opportunity primarily to escape their restrictive home lives. Babe feels abandoned by her family, while Claire has a strict father who forbids her from nightlife. The promise of a modeling career in New York represents independence, excitement, and a chance at a better life, though the reality proves far more dangerous than they anticipated.

  • modeling career
  • New York
  • independence
  • escape
  • ambition
Q9

What is the significance of the model named Kelly (Rita Houston) in the plot?

Kelly, also known as Rita Houston, is a model at Gilman's shop who becomes entangled in the blackmail operation's intrigue. Her involvement highlights the dangers faced by the women working at the salon and adds to the sense of peril surrounding the entire enterprise. She represents one of many vulnerable women caught in Gilman's criminal web.

  • Kelly
  • Rita Houston
  • model
  • Gilman shop
  • danger
Q10

How does Rebellious Daughters end?

The summary provided does not include the film's resolution, indicating that the ending remains unknown from the available materials. The narrative follows Babe and Claire as they navigate the moral complexities of their situation in New York, confronting the consequences of their choices while dealing with the threats of exploitation and potential violence from the criminal operation.

  • ending
  • resolution
  • finale
  • conclusion

Movie threads

More Movies Like Rebellious Daughters, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Rebellious Daughters tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies about glamorous underworlds like Rebellious Daughters

Alluring worlds of glamour hide sinister secrets and moral peril. If you liked the tense journey into the deceptive fashion world of Rebellious Daughters, explore more movies where glamorous settings conceal dangerous criminal activities. These films often feature rebellious protagonists, blackmail, and the high price of ambition in a corrupt world.

  • glamorous
  • dangerous
  • anxious
  • corrupt
  • deceptive
  • treacherous
  • Tone: tense, anxious, morally ambiguous
  • Pacing: steady, methodical build
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative typically follows a protagonist's entry into a seemingly desirable but morally compromised world, often through a job or opportunity. As they become more entangled, they uncover the dark reality beneath the glittering surface, leading to conflicts involving blackmail, exploitation, and a fight for survival or escape.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here by their shared juxtaposition of visual allure with underlying dread. They create a specific tension rooted in the contradiction between what is seen on the surface and the danger festering below, resulting in an anxious, morally complex viewing experience.

Moral tension thrillers similar to Rebellious Daughters

Stories where characters are trapped by escalating ethical dilemmas. Find movies like Rebellious Daughters that explore the anxious journey of characters facing serious moral compromises. These stories feature protagonists caught in webs of blackmail and corruption, where their decisions lead to escalating danger and intense psychological tension.

  • tense
  • anxious
  • uncertain
  • gloomy
  • moral tension
  • dangerous
  • Tone: tense, uncertain, gloomy
  • Pacing: steady, deliberate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The plot revolves around a central ethical conflict, often triggered by a single bad decision or a moment of weakness. The narrative builds steadily as the consequences of this choice spiral outward, forcing the protagonist into increasingly difficult situations where loyalty, fear, and ambition clash.

Why they belong together: These films are connected by their intense focus on moral gray areas and the psychological toll of compromising one's values. They share a tense, uncertain mood where the primary conflict is internal as much as external, driven by themes of exploitation and coercion.

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Every angle

Rebellious Daughters (1938) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

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