Wide Open Faces
Cast & Crew
Kurt Neumann
Joe E. Brown
Jane Wyman
Alison Skipworth
Lyda Roberti
Alan Baxter
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
After eluding the police, notorious bank robber Duke Temple returns to the small town of Willow Springs to collect the loot he hid in the dilapidated Lakeside Inn. He hides among bus passengers who have stopped at the drugstore of P. T. "Doc" Williams for sodas served by the "Maitre d'Squirt," Wilbur Meeks. Duke convinces Wilbur to take him to the inn, which he claims is the location of a lost photograph of his deceased mother, but as Wilbur is trying to start the car, Duke is captured by G-men. Bored reporters portray Wilbur as a hero and intimate that Duke told him the loot's location, and the gullible Wilbur decides to investigate the Lakeside Inn at night. He frightens the inn's owners, Betty Martin and her aunt Martha, but they forgive him the next day when they verify his identity. Wilbur believes that the publicity surrounding Duke's capture will draw tourists and tells Betty that he will get a loan from bank president L. D. Crawford for her to re-open the inn. Crawford turns him down, and as Wilbur is returning to the drugstore, he is almost run over by hoodlum Tony and his moll Kitty, who have come in search of Duke's money. Wilbur tells them to stay at the inn, where he sends the other gangsters who arrive. Betty and Martha, needing money for food and furniture, ask Wilbur for the funds he promised. Just then, Crawford arrives and gives Betty the loan, for he is impressed by the sudden influx of "tourists." Another gangster, Stretch, orders his moll Belle to "vamp" Wilbur for information about the money, but Kitty is also after him, as are all of the other molls. Despite the attentions of the sophisticated city women, Wilbur has eyes only for Betty. One evening at dinner, Wilbur states that Duke told him that his greatest treasure was at the inn, and while Wilbur means the photograph, the criminals assume he is referring to the money and search the inn that night. Betty and Martha are awakened by the noise and summon Wilbur, who is cornered by Kitty. Betty walks in as Kitty is kissing Wilbur and states that their friendship is over. Wilbur tries to escape Kitty while they sit on a sofa and discovers Duke's money hidden under a cushion. Tony and his mugs get the money and beat a hasty retreat after tying up Wilbur and hiding him in the attic. The next morning, the town is in shambles, for the other gangsters, frustrated at not finding the money, have plundered Willow Springs. Suspecting that Wilbur is involved, the sheriff finds and questions him. Wilbur protests that he is innocent, but not even Betty believes him. Determined to find Tony and Kitty, Wilbur escapes with Betty, and soon they find the desperate couple, who, still in town, are being pursued by the other gangs. Following a thrilling chase, the gangsters are rounded up, and the stolen money is retrieved. Soon after, reporters surround Wilbur as he collects $25,000 in reward money for capturing the gangs. They are about to take his picture, when he pulls Betty to his side and states that the future Mrs. Meeks should be in the photograph also.
Director
Kurt Neumann
Cast
Joe E. Brown
Jane Wyman
Alison Skipworth
Lyda Roberti
Alan Baxter
Lucien Littlefield
Sidney Toler
Berton Churchill
Barbara Pepper
Joseph Downing
Stanley Fields
Horace Murphy
Gary Owen
Dick Rich
Walter Wills
Joe E. Marks
Crew
Joe Bigelow
Tom Carman
Jay Chernis
Pat C. Flick
Richard Flournoy
Harve Foster
Edward Gross
David L. Loew
Clarence Marks
Jack Ogilvie
Dr. Hugo Riesenfeld
John Ducasse Schulze
Earle Snell
Paul C. Vogel
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
This was the last film of actress Lyda Roberti, who died from a heart attack on March 12, 1938.
