Sworn Enemy
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Edwin L. Marin
Robert Young
Florence Rice
Joseph Calleia
Lewis Stone
Nat Pendleton
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
On law student Hank Sherman's first night working at the Decker produce company, thugs tell him that he has to pay ten dollars to join their "protective association." Just as he refuses, owner Eli Decker drives by and prevents Hank from getting a beating. Decker is fed up and wants to clean the thugs out, and because he is impressed with Hank, he gives him a job as his chauffeur. Some time later, Hank falls in love with Decker's secretary Margaret "Peg" Gattle. One day, she asks him to drive her to Sing Sing to meet someone who is being released from prison. The man, Dr. Simon Gattle, is her father, who was wrongly imprisoned twelve years previously and has since been gathering information on Joe Emerald, the gangster who framed him. At Decker's house, they meet with Paul Scott from the district attorney's office and discuss the means to convict Emerald. Gattle says that Emerald only deals in cash and feels that finding his safe could lead to his arrest on income tax evasion. Outside, Dutch McTurck, an old friend of Hank's warns him to leave Decker, but instead Hank goes to Decker and asks to be part of the investigation. Minutes later, Hank's brother Steve, who is a fight promoter, asks to accompany Decker in his car to discuss a possible fight at Madison Square Garden for his boxer "Steamer" Krupp Hank drives the car, but cannot prevent it from being hit by a steam shovel that kills both Decker and Steve. At Steve's funeral, Hank is bent on revenge but, pretending that he needs a job, accepts Dutch's offer to work for him. Actually, Hank is working undercover with the district attorney and Gattle. On Hank's first "raid" with Dutch, they put castor oil in milk cans owned by a company that will not pay for "protection." When the police arrive, Hank is wounded and hides in a boxcar with Dutch, then kills Dutch when he sees him about to shoot a policeman. Other gang members accuse him of carelessly causing Dutch's death and want him to leave, so he decides to approach Emerald through another means. Hank talks to the grieving Steamer and encourages him to keep boxing to impress Emerald, who is an avid sports promoter, and help put Steve's killers behind bars. Soon Steamer wins so many fights that Emerald, who only walks with the aid of two canes and desperately wants to "own" a champion, offers to buy his contract for $10,000. Hank agrees under pressure from Emerald's gang, but when Steamer cannot fight without Hank, Emerald hires him as Steamer's silent manager who will earn the manager's cut, but let everyone believe that Emerald is the real manager. Hank then tells Emerald that his girl friend Peg wants to be an actress and insists that she also get a job. Some time later, Peg pretends to pass out from drinking in Emerald's penthouse, then sets fire to the apartment. As smoke builds, Emerald rushes to his steam room, then collapses. Steamer then carries him to safety and later tells Hank, who realizes that the safe must be hidden in the steam room. They then arrange to have police detective Simmons go into Emerald's apartment during Steamer's fight to look through the safe. Unknown to them, a huge storm causes the fight's cancellation and Emerald arrives just as Hank, Peg, Gattle and Simmons are in the steam room. Emerald then locks them in and turns on the steam, but Steamer arrives and lets them out. As Emerald then enters the steam room to see what has happened, Simmons blows up the vault. Finally, when Emerald is arrested, Hank and Peg hide in the steam room for some private kissing.
Director
Edwin L. Marin
Cast
Robert Young
Florence Rice
Joseph Calleia
Lewis Stone
Nat Pendleton
Harvey Stephens
Samuel S. Hinds
Edward Pawley
John Wray
Cy Kendall
Leslie Fenton
Robert Gleckler
Harry Tyler
George Chandler
Robert E. Homans
Jack Daley
Tom Mahoney
Charles Keppen
George Guhl
Al Hill
Norman Ainsley
Sidney Bracy
Bud Flanagan
William Orlamond
George Regas
Duke York
Lillian Harmer
King Mojave
Guy Kingsford
Wallace Gregory
Ed Hart
Anthony Quinn
Crew
Tom Andre
Bill Brockway
Fredric Hope
Lucien Hubbard
Frank E. Hull
Eddie Imazu
Wells Root
Douglas Shearer
Dolly Tree
Edward Ward
Lester White
Edwin B. Willis
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
This film was the first of six in which Robert Young and Florence Rice co-starred as a romantic "team." Their last film together was M-G-M's Miracles for Sale (1939, ).
