Bowery Champs 1944

Gypsy Carmen, a former Broadway star, files for divorce from nightclub owner Tom Wilson and demands the return of securities she owned before the marriage. When Wilson refuses, she draws a pistol from her purse; a shot blasts through the window and Wilson falls dead as Gypsy bolts in a panic.

Jim Lindsay, the star reporter for the American Express, is at an auction bidding on oriental rugs and ends up missing the initial murder story. To cover the crime, Muggs McGinnis and Glimpy McClusky, two East Side Kids, step in and head to the Wilson house in the newspaper’s delivery car. There, they listen as police question Wilson’s mistress, Diane Gibson, and Wilson’s manager, Ken Duncan. The lieutenant notes that the murder weapon was a .38 caliber bullet, and a houseboy recalls a woman in a fuzzy coat and a funny hat who hailed a yellow cab after the shooting.

After buying a rug, Jim learns of the murder and hurries to the Wilson house to investigate. The trio traces the lead to the taxi stand, where the driver reports delivering a woman wearing a fuzzy coat to the Stephens apartment building, Gypsy’s residence. As the police move to arrest Gypsy, Muggs orders Skinny to don Gypsy’s hat and coat and slip away in the newspaper car, creating a diversion.

Skinny drives toward the Wilson house, watches as Diane leaves and follows her to the Pussy Cat Café, where Diane hands over Gypsy’s stolen securities to Duncan. Skinny calls his sister Jane to relay Skinny’s message and locate Muggs. Meanwhile, Jim escorts Gypsy to the clubhouse to interview her, but Gypsy slips away and Jim directs the police to the café.

Skinny, meanwhile, is tailed by one of Duncan’s men and imprisoned in a room. After Diane returns to perform, Gypsy reappears, pulls out her gun, and demands that Duncan return the securities. Diane wrestles with Gypsy while Skinny struggles with his captor in the next room. Muggs and the East Side Kids arrive just as the confrontation escalates, and the police arrest Diane and Duncan. Jim files the story on the capture of Wilson’s murderers, bringing the whole sequence to a close with the truth finally out.