In this 58 minute precode from Universal, we get a slice of nocturnal life. Most of the action occurs at a popular nightclub called Happy's Place, which is owned by a charming bootlegger (Boris Karloff). We're told patrons are starving not only for food, but also for attention. This is the hottest spot in town to see and be seen.
The somber attitude of a wealthy patron (Lew Ayres) is at odds with the festive goings on. His mother (Hedda Hopper) shot and killed his father a short time earlier, and everyone's talking about the sensational murder case. Ayres is trying not to listen, and he's drinking like a fish to deaden the pain of his fractured family life.
While Ayres consumes a large quantity of booze to forget his father's death, he meets his father's female friend (Dorothy Peterson). She insists it was just friendship, but she loved his father and will never forget how his mother took all that away.
Meanwhile another patron (George Raft) shows up. He's a crooked gambler who likes to ogle chorus girls. He snags a date with one of them (Mae Clarke). But she is more drawn to Ayres and his emotional problems.
Though there is some heavy drama, the mood is also light...thanks in large part to the music and dancing scenes. Floor show numbers come to life under the choreography of Busby Berkeley, whose style is unmistakable. The routines show off the ladies' anatomies, particularly their legs.
There aren't many sets used here, since most of the main action is inside Karloff's club. However, a fluid camera often pans from one end of the floor to the other, then cuts to the dressing room and office. Like GRAND HOTEL, we follow all the different subplots that play out simultaneously and anticipate various outcomes.
The characters' lives are entwined with one another, as if it is a big soap opera. Karloff's wife (Dorothy Revier) is cheating on the side, while he wages war with a rival gangster. A kind doorman (Clarence Muse) has a wife dying in a nearby hospital but cannot leave work. And of course, Clarke is torn between two men who both want her...they square off to decide which one will emerge victorious.
Several situations at the club go too far, and not everyone will live to see the morning light.
The somber attitude of a wealthy patron (Lew Ayres) is at odds with the festive goings on. His mother (Hedda Hopper) shot and killed his father a short time earlier, and everyone's talking about the sensational murder case. Ayres is trying not to listen, and he's drinking like a fish to deaden the pain of his fractured family life.
While Ayres consumes a large quantity of booze to forget his father's death, he meets his father's female friend (Dorothy Peterson). She insists it was just friendship, but she loved his father and will never forget how his mother took all that away.
Meanwhile another patron (George Raft) shows up. He's a crooked gambler who likes to ogle chorus girls. He snags a date with one of them (Mae Clarke). But she is more drawn to Ayres and his emotional problems.
Though there is some heavy drama, the mood is also light...thanks in large part to the music and dancing scenes. Floor show numbers come to life under the choreography of Busby Berkeley, whose style is unmistakable. The routines show off the ladies' anatomies, particularly their legs.
There aren't many sets used here, since most of the main action is inside Karloff's club. However, a fluid camera often pans from one end of the floor to the other, then cuts to the dressing room and office. Like GRAND HOTEL, we follow all the different subplots that play out simultaneously and anticipate various outcomes.
The characters' lives are entwined with one another, as if it is a big soap opera. Karloff's wife (Dorothy Revier) is cheating on the side, while he wages war with a rival gangster. A kind doorman (Clarence Muse) has a wife dying in a nearby hospital but cannot leave work. And of course, Clarke is torn between two men who both want her...they square off to decide which one will emerge victorious.
Several situations at the club go too far, and not everyone will live to see the morning light.