The lives of a number of the workers and executives in a Manhattan skyscraper are affected by the actions of a philandering and crooked company boss.The lives of a number of the workers and executives in a Manhattan skyscraper are affected by the actions of a philandering and crooked company boss.The lives of a number of the workers and executives in a Manhattan skyscraper are affected by the actions of a philandering and crooked company boss.
- Bank Executive
- (uncredited)
- Mechanic
- (uncredited)
- Young Mechanic
- (uncredited)
- Inspector Ned Connors
- (uncredited)
- Information Clerk
- (uncredited)
- Elevator Passenger
- (uncredited)
- Crook
- (uncredited)
- Janitor
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOne of a number of early 1930s films such as American Madness (1932) and Prosperity (1932) made on the subject of business corruption and banking practices in the wake of the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the onset of the Great Depression. In many cases, when reviewing the screenplays of these films prior to production, the censors demanded that such films must instill "confidence in banking institutions" and "big business" in the average American. The studios begrudgingly obliged.
- Quotes
Kenneth Burns: 'Brought that voucher for a thousand dollars?
Mr. Hoyt: I won't take the responsibility. I can't.
Kenneth Burns: Then you can take the consequences. You're through.
Mr. Hoyt: I worked hard for you and the company.
Kenneth Burns: Go on! Get out!
Mr. Hoyt: Before I go, I want to tell you something. Everyone who works for you hates you. But they haven't the courage to tell you. Men like you always have someone in their employ whom they can torment and persecute. Someone weak and powerless who can't fight back. Someone like me. I suppose when you were a child, you pulled the legs of grasshoppers just to see them wriggle and squirm.
Coinciding with Mr. Burns is Mary Harper (Mary Brian). She's Mr. Burns secretary and he can't keep his hands off her, much to the dislike of her fiance, Jimmy Duncan (James Hall). Fighting off Mr. Burns--or rather downplaying Mr. Burns' grabbiness because she wants to keep her job--became the least of her problems after she drained her bank account and gave it to Mr. Burns to invest. She didn't know he was loose with money and she was clearly too naive to give it much thought. The money she lost wasn't just her own, it was hers and Jimmy's to start a new life together.
Now Jimmy had two reasons to hate Mr. Burns.
Going on concurrently with the aforementioned was an attempt of the tower bank to stave off its biggest clients from withdrawing their money. If they withdrew then the bank would collapse. Dave Witman was going to try to quietly convince the bank's biggest clients to stay, but the genie got out of the bottle.
It was quite a madhouse in the Manhattan Tower, but you got the impression that everyday was a madhouse. I thought the romantic excursions of Mr. And Mrs. Burns were superfluous considering so many movies in the 30's had that element. It's almost like it was a requisite part of any script. Romantic trysts aside this was a good movie with plenty of entertainment and even a little suspense.
Free on YouTube.
- view_and_review
- Jul 27, 2023
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $50,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 7 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1