The Tip-Off 1931

Tommy Jordan, Eddie Quillan is dispatched for a routine radio repair, but two men block the street and haul him away to a place he cannot see. He jokes about the situation, saying it must be a hide-out that he should not know where he is. He ends up alone in the apartment, and as he follows a loose wire into the bedroom, a sudden turn of fate leaves him lying on the floor beneath the bed, only catching a glimpse of a woman who emerges from the bathroom to take a call.

The room fills with new mysteries as he discovers the woman is tied to a legendary fighter, Kayo McClure, [Robert Armstrong], and she introduces herself in a way that hints at more glamour than danger. The woman is also known as Baby Face, Ginger Rogers, a striking presence in McClure’s life. When McClure comes home, Tommy scrambles to stay hidden as trouble moves in: Nick Vatelli, Ralf Harolde and his gang menace the apartment, forcing McClure to stand firm. Tommy uses the radio’s voice to pretend there are police on the way, and the intruders bolt, leaving McClure grateful and intrigued by his unexpected ally.

Impressed by the young man’s nerve, McClure offers help and even hands him a ticket to a ball, a chance for Tommy to walk into a different world. At the event, Baby Face is eager to dance with him, but to avoid arousing McClure’s jealousy he pairs off with another girl. That girl turns out to be Edna Moreno, Joan Peers, Nick Vatelli’s fiancée, whose presence adds a tense complication to the evening. The following day, the clash over the kids’ safety escalates, and Edna leaves the apartment without a word. Tommy tracks her down and, with McClure’s aid, sets out to rescue her from an arranged marriage to Nick.

As the story unfolds toward its hopeful finale, Tommy’s steadfast stubbornness and McClure’s protection converge to free Edna from Nick’s plans. In the end, the crisis is resolved and Tommy and Edna choose to start a life together, their bond sealed by shared peril and a hopeful future. > “must be a hide-out, that I should not know where I am”