The People's Enemy
Cast & Crew
Crane Wilbur
Preston Foster
Lila Lee
Melvyn Douglas
Shirley Grey
Roscoe Ates
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In spite of the efforts of his experienced lawyer, George R. "Traps" Stuart, gangster Vince M. Falcone is found guilty of tax evasion and is sentenced to nine years in a Southern prison. Determined to minimize his stay in jail, Vince orders George to track down Katherine Carr, his long-deserted wife, and their young daughter Mary and prepare them to appear on his behalf at his first parole hearing. Although disgusted with his life as a "mouthpiece" for criminals, George locates Katherine and tells her that Vince wants to make financial provisions for her and Mary. Katherine refuses Vince's aid, but George continues to see her over the next year. George's growing interest in Katherine is deduced by Vince's devoted brother Tony, who tries to alert Vince of his lawyer's activities through smuggled notes. As Vince's parole hearing date approaches, Tony also visits Philip Frances "Duke" Ware, a wealthy "reformer" politician, and at gunpoint forces him to agree to testify on Vince's behalf at the hearing. Ware, who had previously double-crossed Vince out of a $100,000 bribe, reassures Tony that he will be present at the hearing, and on Thanksgiving Day, Tony relays this information to Vince. George then has a cozy Christmas with Katherine and Mary interrupted by the arrival of Tony, who demands that the Carrs show up at Vince's hearing. Although Katherine refuses to help, George and she agree that Vince's case must be settled before they can see each other again, and that George has a professional obligation to do his best to free Vince. Just before the hearing, Vince, fully aware of George's relationship to Katherine, denounces his lawyer and tries to keep him from testifying. In spite of Vince's anger, George appears before the parole board and delivers a convincing argument advocating the gangster's release. When the hypocritical Ware shows up and demands that Vince not be paroled, Vince assumes that George is responsible for his subsequent parole denial. Soon after, George gives the district attorney evidence to indict Ware on a number of swindling charges, while Vince escapes from prison and heads north to confront George. In George's office, the fugitive Vince overhears Ware confess to double-crossing him and, in his fury, shoots and kills the politician. At that moment, F.B.I. agents burst into the office and kill Vince. Finally free from their pasts, Katherine and George marry.
Director
Crane Wilbur
Cast
Preston Foster
Lila Lee
Melvyn Douglas
Shirley Grey
Roscoe Ates
William Collier Jr.
Herbert Rawlinson
Sybil Elaine
Crew
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Although the film was not viewed, a cutting continuity deposited with the copyright records supplied many of the above credits. The working titles of this film were The Bad Penny and The Blind Road. The Variety reviewer noted that the subject of this film "stems from a timely topic, the heat that the government has been bringing on underworld bigshots [such as Al Capone] via the income tax law." Hollywood Reporter production charts add William Harrigan, Charles Coburn and Philip Woods to the cast. Their appearance in the final film has not been confirmed.
