... because I count only one who shows the ability to love here, and even he has a rather flaky moral compass.
John Hanson (Conrad Nagel) is head teller in a bank who is studying law and close to passing his bar exam. His fiancée Helga (Betty Compson) is just arriving from Scandanavia, and she's green in so many ways as she gets off the boat. The third main character is Phil Wilson (Robert Ames). Phil likes playing the horses and chasing the women. Both Phil and John are living in the same boarding house and are tellers at the same bank, and Helga is living there too until she and John can be married. Months pass, and Helga is getting really bored watching John study at night and listening to the clock tick. Likewise, Phil is an obvious kind of skirt chaser. Not many women buy his act when he claims he is serious. And here he has laid right before him an innocent - Helga - who doesn't know "what it's all about" and takes people at face value. John makes it easy - he unwisely tells Phil to take Helga out and show her a good time while he's studying.
Helga falls for Phil, Phil takes advantage of the situation to make her think it's mutually serious, and sleeps with her. When the two get home afterward, Helga spills the beans about their "love" and John warns Phil that the two had better be married on Monday or else. Now Phil has no intention of marrying what he considered to be a Dutch treat, so he doesn't show up for work on Monday, and tells Helga he's moving to their new apartment, when in fact he's beating it out of town. But Karma visits Phil - because the cops intercept him and tell him the bank examiners have found his books 10K short. Every action he's taken to get away from a shotgun marriage actually make him look guilty of taking the missing money. The fact that he was big on gambling doesn't help either.
John does overhear Phil explaining his leaving town - that he got involved with a "tramp" he didn't want to marry and so he was leaving. After Phil goes to prison, John seems to have everything he wants.He marries Helga, he gets the big law job, he builds a big house, and he loves the little son that is (probably) Phil's, though it is never clearly explained if this is the case - the timing does imply it though.
Meanwhile, five years later, Helga is still carrying a torch for a guy who never loved her and is cold to John, in good with a partying crowd to avoid spending nights alone with him. John knows well she doesn't love him, plus he's in a prison of his own - one of conscience. You see, John actually stole that money that Phil is in prison for stealing. Why? How does this end up? I'll let you watch and find out the rest. I will tell you that five years in the big house have not improved Phil's character any, and he's itching to get out and get even. Also remember this is the precode era and unjust outcomes were allowed in film at this time.
The three stars here, whose time in the talkies were short, gave wonderful performances. Nagel is downright poignant as a guy who makes a few wrong moves at the wrong time for what seem like all the right reasons. Betty Compson, who played several "wise broads" in the early talkies and in silent films too, really makes you believe she just got off the boat. Robert Ames, who died of alcohol poisoning shortly after making this film, is so good as a fellow completely devoid of redeeming characteristics here you'll likely want to hiss at the screen. I bet they did when this was first released!
John Hanson (Conrad Nagel) is head teller in a bank who is studying law and close to passing his bar exam. His fiancée Helga (Betty Compson) is just arriving from Scandanavia, and she's green in so many ways as she gets off the boat. The third main character is Phil Wilson (Robert Ames). Phil likes playing the horses and chasing the women. Both Phil and John are living in the same boarding house and are tellers at the same bank, and Helga is living there too until she and John can be married. Months pass, and Helga is getting really bored watching John study at night and listening to the clock tick. Likewise, Phil is an obvious kind of skirt chaser. Not many women buy his act when he claims he is serious. And here he has laid right before him an innocent - Helga - who doesn't know "what it's all about" and takes people at face value. John makes it easy - he unwisely tells Phil to take Helga out and show her a good time while he's studying.
Helga falls for Phil, Phil takes advantage of the situation to make her think it's mutually serious, and sleeps with her. When the two get home afterward, Helga spills the beans about their "love" and John warns Phil that the two had better be married on Monday or else. Now Phil has no intention of marrying what he considered to be a Dutch treat, so he doesn't show up for work on Monday, and tells Helga he's moving to their new apartment, when in fact he's beating it out of town. But Karma visits Phil - because the cops intercept him and tell him the bank examiners have found his books 10K short. Every action he's taken to get away from a shotgun marriage actually make him look guilty of taking the missing money. The fact that he was big on gambling doesn't help either.
John does overhear Phil explaining his leaving town - that he got involved with a "tramp" he didn't want to marry and so he was leaving. After Phil goes to prison, John seems to have everything he wants.He marries Helga, he gets the big law job, he builds a big house, and he loves the little son that is (probably) Phil's, though it is never clearly explained if this is the case - the timing does imply it though.
Meanwhile, five years later, Helga is still carrying a torch for a guy who never loved her and is cold to John, in good with a partying crowd to avoid spending nights alone with him. John knows well she doesn't love him, plus he's in a prison of his own - one of conscience. You see, John actually stole that money that Phil is in prison for stealing. Why? How does this end up? I'll let you watch and find out the rest. I will tell you that five years in the big house have not improved Phil's character any, and he's itching to get out and get even. Also remember this is the precode era and unjust outcomes were allowed in film at this time.
The three stars here, whose time in the talkies were short, gave wonderful performances. Nagel is downright poignant as a guy who makes a few wrong moves at the wrong time for what seem like all the right reasons. Betty Compson, who played several "wise broads" in the early talkies and in silent films too, really makes you believe she just got off the boat. Robert Ames, who died of alcohol poisoning shortly after making this film, is so good as a fellow completely devoid of redeeming characteristics here you'll likely want to hiss at the screen. I bet they did when this was first released!
