Badge of Honor
Cast & Crew
Spencer Gordon Bennet
Buster Crabbe
Ruth Hall
Ralph Lewis
Betty Blythe
John Trent
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In a park, Bob Gordon, an unemployed reporter, rescues Helen Brewster, the daughter of newspaper owner Randall Brewster, from her runaway horse and is rewarded with an invitation to her father's office. When Bob arrives, Brewster is meeting with his attorney, who tells him that because of numerous libel suits, The Record 's circulation has fallen off to financially troubling levels. Brewster then talks to Harvey Larkin, his managing editor, and is told that rival newspaper publisher Howard Kent has hired away all of The Record 's best reporters, and that incompetents are running his paper. To remedy the situation, Brewster hires Bob after Helen tells him the story of her rescue, and Bob immediately impresses his new boss by convincing his aunt, Mrs. Van Alstyne, to drop her libel suit against The Record . Bob then helps to settle several other libel suits, thus thwarting the plan of Kent to ruin The Record with Larkin's secret aid. When Bob and photographer Tip Crane are sent to interview Trim Fuller, a gangster recently acquitted of murder, Bob uncovers a connection between Kent, his crooked political allies and the gangster. To retaliate, Kent convinces Trim that Bob is a spy, and Bob is attacked by the gangster, but easily defeats him. Bob then secures an interview with reclusive financier Andrew Comstock, but is shocked when his article appears in both The Record and Kent's newspaper. Against Helen's protests, Bob leaves The Record , but determines to expose Kent and clear his name. To that end, Bob sneaks onto the roof of Kent's house and overhears Kent and Larkin discussing their plot. He also hears Larkin mention a contract that he has with Kent, which he keeps in his office. As Bob is slipping away, he is discovered by Larkin, who follows him in his automobile. On his way to the newspaper office, Bob crashes and is passed by Larkin. Eventually Bob repairs his roadster and catches Larkin as he is about to burn the contract. Alerted by the sounds of a fight, Helen and Brewster burst into Larkin's office in time to read the damning contract. As Larking and Kent face jail terms, Bob and Helen confess their mutual love.
Director
Spencer Gordon Bennet
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Mayfair borrowed Buster Crabbe from Paramount for this production. According to the Hollywood Reporter review and a Hollywood Reporter production chart, Roger Tansy wrote the "original" story on which the film's script was based. All other sources, however, credit Robert Emmett with the story. Although Columbia Pictures Corp. is listed as "author" in the copyright entry, the connection between Columbia and this film has not been ascertained.