The Drag-Net
Cast & Crew
Vin Moore
Rod La Rocque
Marian Nixon
Betty Compson
Jack Adair
John Dilson
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In New York City, Lawrence Thomas, Jr., a young attorney, is fired from a sinecure in his father's firm because he is a playboy. His father then gets him a job as assistant district attorney for Peake County, under Thomas Harrison. Harrison's office is being criticized by radio reporter Al Wilson for being "on the take" with the city's mob, led by Joe Ross. Harrison suspects that someone in his office is in league with Ross. His first day on the job, Larry is given jurisdiction over the city's gambling racket, a position formerly held by Arthur Hill, who is Ross's inside man. While celebrating in Ross's underworld nightclub, The Dover, Larry's date, society reporter Katherine "Kit" Van Buren, finds the dead body of a woman in a phone booth. The woman is Mollie Cole, who earlier told Ross she would inform on him if he did not clear her convict husband Fred. Fred, who was recently denied parole, took the blame for a robbery charge for Ross and his attorney, Arnold Crane, who promised to get Fred released through his connections with the parole board. Having never applied himself to any job, Larry is at a loss as to how to solve the murder, but decides to arrest Ross. Crane clears his client, however, and that night on the radio, Al accuses the district attorney's office of being "slack." Kit finds a picture of the victim as a blonde and identifies her as Fred Cole's wife. After Larry innocently tells Hill that he is going to visit Fred in jail, Fred escapes. Larry goes to Ross's office to wait for Fred and finds Hill there. Accusing him of duplicity, Larry fights Hill, ordering him to name the killer by the next morning or be accused of murder. When Hill tells Ross and Crane what happened with Larry, Crane decides to have Larry killed. As per Crane's instructions, Hill makes an appointment with Larry at the Hotel Hunter. Meanwhile, Fred visits Ross and threatens to kill him, until he confesses that it was Crane who killed Mollie. Fred orders Ross to summon Crane to the club. When Larry arrives at the hotel, he finds a dying Hill there. As he dies, Hill confesses that Ross's henchman, Spike Miller, shot him, and that Crane killed Mollie. Al enters and, finding Larry with the murder weapon, accuses him of murder. Larry escapes, and the police conduct a city-wide search for him. Larry calls Kit and tells her he has been framed, then arrives at The Dover and arrests Miller. While the hat check girl calls the police, Miller confesses that Crane ordered him to kill Hill. The police arrest Fred and Ross, and when Crane enters the office, Larry orders the police to handcuff him. By removing a hidden panel that leads to the phone booth, Larry proves that Crane shot Mollie. As Larry exits with Kit, he proposes, promising to return to the law firm of Thomas and Thomas.
Director
Vin Moore
Cast
Rod La Rocque
Marian Nixon
Betty Compson
Jack Adair
John Dilson
Edward Keane
Donald Kerr
Joseph W. Girard
John Bantry
Ed Lesaint
Allen Mathews
Sid Payne
Al K. Hall
Crew
Douglass Biggs
Charles Clague
[ben S.] Cohen
Glenn Cook
Ashton Dearholt
[ashton] Dearholt
Burton King
Edward Kull
Ray Mercer
J. Mulhauser
Thomas Neff
W. N. Selig
Ray Smallwood
W. C. Smith
[george W.] Stout
Lyle E. Willey
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Although a U.S. copyright statement appears on the viewed print, none is listed in copyright records.
