One Night at Susie’s 1930

Susie, Helen Ware, who runs a house for gangsters, raises Dick Rollins, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., the son of a dead convict, with careful discipline. She shields him from her criminal circle and even helps him land a job as a press agent. Dick falls for Mary Martin, Billie Dove, a chorus girl, and their romance grows as they imagine a shared future.

When he announces their engagement, Susie becomes furious, convinced that a girl from that milieu will push him toward crime. Her fears seem to come true as events begin to unfold around the couple.

Hayes, John Loder, who is producing Mary’s show, hosts an engagement party for the pair. Dick is called away to work, and Mary attends the party alone. Hayes makes a violent attempt to rape her, and she shoots him in self-defense. Despite Mary’s pleas, Dick confesses to the murder and is convicted of manslaughter.

While in prison, Dick writes a play for Mary. She struggles to find a producer, facing rejection everywhere. Knowing how much the play means to him, she makes a deal with David Drake, Claude Fleming, who will produce the play only if she submits to his sexual advances. The gamble pays off: the play is a success and makes Mary a star, which makes Dick happy when he hears the news.

Houlihan, James Crane, who had previously made advances to Mary but was refused, goes to Susie and reveals everything concerning Mary’s sordid affair. Mary denies it at first, but she eventually confesses, and Susie promises to keep the secret. When Dick is released, the lovers are happily reunited.