Rebellious Daughters 1938

On the eve of Barbara “Babe” Webster’s birthday, the home where she longs for warmth feels cold and distant. Babe Verna Hillie is the sole beacon in a family where her mother, Mrs. Webster Vivien Oakland, is unloving, and her father, Dad Elliott Oscar O’Shea, is about to be out of town. Left alone with her sadness, Babe reaches out to her friend Eddie to plan something for the evening. Eddie pitches a provocative idea, asking Babe to > “dig up a live one for” for his friend, Bill Evans Dick Hogan; Babe counters that only the dead have to be dug up and promises to see if she can find something dainty but dumb.

Determined to escape the chill of home, Babe contacts her old friend Claire Elliott Marjorie Reynolds. Claire’s father is strict and wary of night life, but Babe persuades him to let her and Claire go out. In a lively night club, the two men return to greet old friends while the girls stay at their table. Flo Russell Sheila Bromley joins them and pitches an enticing opportunity: she works for Mr. Gilman, the exclusive gown-shop owner in New York who would love to have them as models for his shop. The mood shifts as the evening wears on—what begins as a chance for a night out slowly reveals a darker undercurrent. The group decides to move toward a different kind of thrill, and the night takes them closer to Gilman’s glamorous—but perilous—world.

Back with Claire’s father, a brush with the law forces a pause, and the girls must return home. Yet the spark of possibility remains, and Babe and Claire eventually decide to head to New York to work for Gilman. They are hired by the shop, but they soon uncover a second, sinister racket: blackmailing wealthy clients by secretly photographing them in compromising situations. The operation is run by a gang that includes Al, the Chief Henchman Al Hill, and others who will stop at nothing to protect their scheme. Among the moving parts of this scheme, a model named Kelly (alias Rita Houston) Lita Chevret becomes entangled in the intrigue, hinting at the danger that lies beneath the glittering surface.

As the tale unfolds, Babe and Claire are pulled between ambitions, loyalty, and fear. The fashion world’s glamour masks manipulation and risk, and the girls must navigate difficult choices about how far they will go to secure their futures. The narrative threads through moments of suspense, moral tension, and the pursuit of a better life, all while the shadow of blackmail and exploitation looms over the dreamlike Manhattan backdrop.