:: Disorderly Conduct ::

Disorderly Conduct

Fox Film Corporation; directed by John W. Considine, Jr.; story and dialogue by Wm. Anthony McGuire; continuity by Del Andrews. United States: Fox, c1932. ...:

The players: With Spencer Tracy [Dick Fay]; Sally Eilers [Phyllis Crawford]; El Brendel [Olsen]; Dickie Moore [Jimmy]; Ralph Bellamy [Tom Manning]; Ralph Morgan [James Crawford]; Allan Dinehart [Fletcher]; Frank Conroy [Tony Alsotto]; Cornelius Keefe [Stallings]; [Claire Maynard (lunch room girl); Nora Lane (Gwen Fiske); Josephine Johnson (Phoebe Darnton); Charles Grapewin (Limpy); Lucy Beaumont (Mrs. Fay); Geneva Mitchell, James Todd, Sally Blane].

Credits: Photography by Ray June; sound recorder, W.W. Lindsay, Jr.; art director, Duncan Cramer; costumes by Guy S. Duty. [Edited by Frank Hull]. ...:

Crime film; feature.

Credits in brackets supplied from studio records obtained through AFI cataloger and from Film daily yearbook, 1933.

Playing time on release was 82 min., according to: AFI catalog, 1931-1940. "Western Electric System."

Summary: "While on another officer’s beat one night, motorcycle cop Dick Fay refuses a bribe from Fletcher, a bootlegging associate of influential politician James Crawford, to ignore passing lumber trucks on which liquor is hidden. When Dick pursues the trucks, Stallings, the liquor supplier, drives Dick into a ditch and leaves him unconscious. The next day, Dick returns Crawford’s ’gift’ of two five hundred dollar bills and, after stating that the only way to get to the top of the department is by being a good cop, refuses Crawford’s offer of help. After Dick arrests Crawford’s daughter Phyllis for speeding, trying to bribe him and eluding arrest, he is demoted to the rank of patrolman. He is then transferred to a station run by Captain Dan Manning, a former army officer known as ’Honest Dan’ because of his intolerance of graft among his officers. Phyllis, who has refused Manning’s marriage proposals, is snubbed by Dick as she and her society friends visit the station, and she begins to respect him. In order to buy expensive gifts for his mother, two orphaned nieces and his nephew Jimmy, who live with him, Dick, who is now cynical about his occupation, begins to accept graft from racketeer Tony Alsotto, a rival of Stallings. In return, Dick tells Alsotto when Manning plans to raid his speakeasy. When Dick makes insulting remarks to Manning about Phyllis, Manning slugs him and locks him up for disorderly conduct. Suspicious of Dick, Manning plans to raid Alsotto’s club. Phyllis visits the club that night, and she is attracted to Stallings, whom she met earlier at her father’s house. They go to a private room, but when he grabs her, she stabs her flower pin into his hand. Stallings slugs her just as the raid begins, and as she tries to leave the room, Stallings is shot by Alsotto. Dick arrests Phyllis, and after Manning fires him for accepting graft from Alsotto, Dick taunts Manning, saying that now Manning will have to evade the law himself to keep Phyllis’ name cleared. Crawford pleads with Dick to keep Phyllis’ name out of the scandal, and Dick complies, for $10,000. Alsotto, who believes that Dick has double-crossed him, follows him home with his mob, and they open fire with a machine gun and kill Jimmy. Dick locates Alsotto and in a gunfight kills him and his men while suffering a bullet in the stomach. He returns to the station and gives Manning the $10,000 before fainting. When he recovers, Manning tells him he can report for his old job as a motorcycle cop. Sometime later, Phyllis arranges for Dick to catch her speeding so she can give him a note saying that she has learned to hate herself and to like him"--AFI catalog, 1931-1940. ...:

PRESERVATION HISTORY: Preserved at the UCLA Film and Television Archive. Cataloged February 7, 1989.

Topics(s): Police corruption --Drama. Political corruption --Drama. Organized crime --Drama. Prohibition --Drama. Nightclubs --Drama.

Genre(s)/Form(s): Police films and programs. Features. UCLA preservation.

Credits heading(s): Considine, John W., 1898-1961. direction McGuire, William Anthony, 1885-1940. writing Andrews, Del, d. 1942. writing June, Ray, 1898-1958. camera Lindsay, W. W. sound Cramer, Duncan. production design Duty, Guy S. production design Hull, Frank. editing Tracy, Spencer, 1900-1967. cast Eilers, Sally, 1908-1978. cast Brendel, El, 1891-1964. cast Moore, Dick, 1925- cast Bellamy, Ralph, 1904-1991. cast Morgan, Ralph, 1883-1956. cast Dinehart, Alan. cast Conroy, Frank, 1890-1964. cast Lane, Nora. cast Grapewin, Charles, 1869-1956. cast Blane, Sally, 1910- cast Fox Film Corporation.

Database: Film and Television Archive