Afraid to Talk (1932): Cast & Plot

In a Depression-era metropolis, a corrupt political machine centered on Mayor Billy Manning [Berton Churchill] works to polish his image as he seeks re-election. When a local mobster is shot in his hotel room by a speakeasy owner/racketeer named Jig Skelli [Edward Arnold], the crime is witnessed by bellhop Eddie Martin [Eric Linden], who is quickly taken into custody by the police. The city’s powerful A.D.A. John Wade [Louis Calhern], allied with Manning’s circle, pressures Eddie to name Jig as the killer, going so far as to block any warning from Eddie’s wife, Peggy [Sidney Fox], who fears for their safety. With the media already naming Eddie as the prime witness, the stage is set for a high-stakes confrontation between truth and a carefully managed political narrative.