Philanthropical druggist Daniel Abbott, occasionally robs the rich to take care of the poor, goes to court with his young ward, Jimmy Nolan. In the courtroom Daniel meets Mrs. Warren, who, despondent over her inability to care for a newborn baby, has been charged with attempted suicide. Daniel takes mother and daughter under his wing, watching with pride as the girl, Helen, and his ward, Jimmy, grow to a tender adolescence. Sylvester Doane, a tenement owner, falls in love with Helen, and Daniel makes plans to rob him. Jimmy learns with shock of the plans and goes to Doane's apartment to prevent the robbery. Jimmy takes the gems to forestall his father, but he is found with them in his possession and put in jail.
Acting
Lionel Barrymore's charismatic morally-flexible patriarch.
Direction
Hugh Dierker's efficient 50-minute melodrama pacing.
Production
Authentic 1920s tenement New York atmosphere.
Director
Hugh Dierker
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Lionel Barrymore made this between Broadway stints and before his iconic 1930s MGM villain era.
This 'noble criminal' trope flourished in 1920s cinema before the Hays Code criminalized sympathetic lawbreakers in 1934.
US
