Manhattan Melodrama Page #6

Synopsis: Orphans Edward "Blackie" Gallagher and Jim Wade are lifelong friends who take different paths in life. Blackie thrives on gambling and grows up to be a hard-nosed racketeer. Bookworm Wade becomes a D.A. vying for the Governorship. When Blackie's girlfriend Eleanor leaves him and marries the more down to earth Wade, Blackie harbors no resentment. In fact, their friendship is so strong that Blackie murders an attorney threatening to derail Wade's bid to become Governor. The morally straight Wade's last job as D.A. is to convict his friend of the murder, and send him to the electric chair. After he becomes Governor, Wade has the authority to commute Blackie's death sentence-- a decision that pits his high moral ethics against a lifelong friendship.
Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
Production: Warner Home Video
 
IMDB:
7.2
Rotten Tomatoes:
86%
NOT RATED
Year:
1934
93 min
307 Views


- You're too late. You missed the boat.

What?

And so,

for the governorship

of the Empire State of New York,

for the chair of Theodore Roosevelt,

of Charles Evans Hughes,

of Alfred E. Smith,

I place a nomination,

one whose integrity

is conceded by friend and foe alike.

James W. Wade!

- Good night, Governor.

- I can't tell you how much obliged I am.

- Good night. Good night.

- Good night.

Good night.

Well,

thank goodness that's over.

You know, I think those yes men would

go to bed with me if they had a chance.

Don't worry, darling,

they won't have a chance.

My, am I proud of myself.

Imagine me, the Governor's wife.

Hey, wait a minute.

I've only been nominated.

Well, I can't be worried about details.

I'd love you just as much, darling,

if you were

Vice President of the United States.

I'll bet you say that to all the boys.

Don't you?

Oh!

Well, hello, Snow.

How did you get in here?

They don't know downstairs yet

that you've soured on your assistant.

Allow me to congratulate you, Governor.

That can wait until November.

I've not been elected yet.

But you're a cinch. It's in the bag.

You haven't got me to weaken the ticket.

And you were going to make

them run me as district attorney.

You were going to put up a fight for me.

I'm sorry to say that I did put up a fight.

When I told them last night

that unless you were on the ticket,

they could count me out,

I learned a number of things

that I never knew before.

Darling, would you mind? Please, dear.

Good night, Mr. Snow.

Snow, in all the years

I've worked with you,

I've disregarded the gossip about you.

I refused to believe

the Citizens' Nonpartisan outfit.

But last night, from our own people,

I got the proof.

You're nothing but a cheap,

chiseling grafter.

The party won't stand for you and I won't.

You not only don't go on the ticket

as district attorney,

but from tonight you're not even

my chief assistant any longer.

Well, that's just too bad.

Have you finished

your address to the jury?

Because, if you have, there are

a couple of points I would like to make.

It's a shame you're quitting the DA's office

with the Manny Arnold case unsolved.

I don't feel very happy about that.

I simply couldn't find the murderer,

that's all.

You couldn't find the murderer?

You didn't even try to find him.

You could have, by asking

in any speakeasy in New York City.

Everybody knows

who killed Manny Arnold.

That is, everybody except

our district attorney

whose best pal, Blackie Gallagher,

happened to be the killer.

Wait a minute.

You know as well as I do

we had no case against Blackie.

We made every possible effort

to trace that coat.

You made a lot of weak, futile gestures,

if that's what you mean by effort.

Why didn't you get

an indictment against Gallagher?

That's what the people

would like to know.

I'm not going to discuss it with you, Snow.

For reasons of my own,

and as district attorney,

I'm convinced that Blackie

had nothing to do with it.

Now, get out.

All right, but I'm gonna open

this case so wide

that the voters will run you out of town.

You'd better get another story,

because I don't think

they like the one you've got.

Perhaps they'd rather believe the one

that's going around, the one I'll tell,

that you wouldn't hold Gallagher because

you wouldn't prosecute your wife's ex...

You better get your nose

out of that program, Blackie.

Somebody's looking at you awfully hard.

Yeah? Who?

Somebody you used to know

a long time ago.

- Where is she?

- You find her.

- What am I running, a lonely hearts club?

- I'll be right back.

- Now, look here...

- I said I'd be right back.

Can I have a hot dog?

- Hello, Mrs. Governor.

- Hello, Blackie.

Where's the law and order?

He's supposed to meet me here,

but you know this business

of running for governor.

I'm going to have to sue that campaign

manager of his for alienation of affections.

What's on your mind?

Why nothing, nothing at all.

No trouble between you and Jim, I hope?

Nothing in the world could cause trouble

between Jim and me.

That goes for me, too.

But what's the trouble?

Something's wrong

and I want to know what it is.

I'm worried about Jim's campaign,

about the election.

Is that all?

Well, you can stop worrying right now

and start planning your dress

for the inauguration.

He's a cinch.

He was until they brought up

the Manny Arnold case again.

Manny Arnold? Why, what about it?

Jim insists that this won't hurt him,

but his campaign manager

tells me that the election

would have been close anyway

and that this will...

Turn to your programs, please.

Number one, Commander, the Billing's

entry, was scratched at the last moment.

Imagine that.

I had three bucks on that plug, and he ain't

gonna run now because he's scratched.

Imagine that.

A great big horse like that

and they won't let him run

because he's got a little scratch.

Say, who are these guys? Why, the dirty...

It's just one man, Snow.

He used to be Jim's assistant.

He has a grudge against Jim,

and he's waiting until just before election

to spring everything.

Yeah. Yeah, I remember him now.

I think I'll look him up,

have a little talk with him.

Now, Blackie.

Blackie, don't do anything foolish.

Blackie?

Did I ever do anything foolish?

They're off!

Come on, Beverly!

Look, look at 'em go. Look.

Over there, over there! Come on, baby!

Come on, baby! Keep that stride!

Hold that stride! Take them jumps steady!

- Take those jumps...

- Spuddie!

What do you want? What do you want?

If you'll give me a dime

I'll get that hot dog myself.

Look at him come. Look at him come.

Oh, boy!

Come on, Beverly! Come on, Beverly!

There he goes past Gallant Madam!

Come on, Beverly! Come on, Beverly!

a close second.

Now can I have a hot dog?

Eleanor, I wouldn't say anything

to Jim about...

Well, about what we've been talking.

You know, he wouldn't understand.

And anyway, it's just between us.

All right, I won't, Blackie.

But, Blackie, tell me,

what are you going to do?

I don't know. I'll find something.

Well, look, I gotta go collect

for that last race.

Last race?

Do you ever lose?

Yeah.

Every once in a while.

- Goodbye.

- Goodbye.

- Hello, Gallagher.

- Hello, Snow.

Well, what's on your mind?

Must be something pretty important,

getting me in here

in the middle of the game.

Never was anything

more important to you

in your life as being here right now.

Well, what is it?

Say, is there anybody here but us?

- Only us.

- What do you want?

I want to do a little favor for a friend.

Here, take it.

Okay, buddy, that's for luck.

- Good morning, darling.

- Good morning.

You look tired. Didn't you sleep well?

I haven't slept yet.

I've been at the office until now

with plenty to do.

Honey, Snow was murdered last night

in Madison Square Garden.

Snow murdered!

My dear, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have...

It mustn't be, it can't be, Jim!

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Oliver H.P. Garrett

Oliver H.P. Garrett (May 6, 1894 – February 22, 1952) was an American film director, writer, newspaperman, rifleman and usher. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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