Broadway Jungle

At an minor Hollywood studio, neophyte director Fletcher Mathering tries to put off his landlord's demands for the overdue rent with promises of a lucrative, upcoming project. Soon after, George "Georgy Boy" Gomez, a potential backer for Fletcher's film entitled Death Takes a Spree , the story of a girl attacked by a bank robber, comes to Fletcher's officer and demands that washed-up actress Lena Little play the lead. After George hands Fletcher a check, Fletcher phones Lena and tells her to seduce George as insurance for his continued financial backing. Meanwhile, Bruno, a mute gangland enforcer, and two other thugs report to their employer, a mobster named Boss, that George has used the money he stole from the organization to fund Fletcher's film. Tossing Bruno a gun, Boss instructs him to eliminate George. Meanwhile, at Fletcher's office, an officious woman applies for the job of assistant director and questions Fletcher's credentials. When the woman asserts that casting is the first step in making a film, Fletcher assembles a group of actors to audition. The first, a blonde starlet, stomps off when Fletcher tries to seduce her. After Fletcher pompously states that making art, not money, is his priority, another actor withdraws. As a hefty woman hoists herself onto Fletcher's desk and demands a part, Bruno stalks George through the streets of Hollywood. When George appears at Lena's apartment, Lena excuses herself to "change into something more comfortable." After George cavorts with Lena, George leaves the apartment and notices that Bruno is following him. Trying to elude his assailant, George runs into the entrance of a building, but Bruno pursues and shoots him. The shooting is witnessed by a passerby who hails a police car to help the injured George. The police take George to the hospital and soon after, Boss and his thugs hear a newscast announce that George has been released from the hospital after a failed attempt on his life. When Bruno returns, the disgusted Boss orders his thugs to permanently silence the mute while he takes care of George. As Boss speeds to the studio, he is stopped by a police officer and issued a ticket. Upon reaching the studio, Boss hides in the rafters to await George's arrival. Soon after, Fletcher and his troupe arrive for a rehearsal. Dissatisfied with the love-making techniques of his leading man, Fletcher grabs Lena and demonstrates the proper procedure. Just then, Boss, his gun muffled by a silencer, shoots George, who falls to the ground dead. With George's demise, the bank refuses to cash his check and Fletcher's landlord returns to hound him for the rent. Lena and Fletcher commiserate at a nearby bar, and when Fletcher cannot pay the check, Lena goes to the studio to get her purse. The police, who are at the door guarding the crime scene, allow her to enter, and once inside, she comes face to face with Boss. While Lena tries to elude Boss, the police, wondering what is taking her so long, enter the studio and find her unconscious body on the floor. Spotting Boss in the shadows, the police chase him down and shoot him. Fletcher is still impatiently awaiting Lena's return when a friend comes to the bar and informs him that she has been taken to the hospital. As Fletcher tricks his friend into paying the check, a black janitor cleans Fletcher's office. Putting down his mop, the janitor takes a seat at the desk, and pretending to be a director, starts giving orders.