Now I’ll Tell 1934

Drama

Runtime

82 mins

Language

English

Directed by

Edwin J. Burke

Made by

Fox Film Corporation

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Now I’ll Tell Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Now I’ll Tell (1934). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

Murray Golden, Spencer Tracy, is an unscrupulous New York City gambler and casino operator who wants to live life to the fullest. His philosophy is encapsulated in something he keeps saying: > “You’re only wrong when you fail.” His wife, Virginia Golden, Helen Twelvetrees, has extracted a promise that he will quit the business once he makes $500,000. However, when he does, he breaks his word. He also starts seeing Peggy Warren, Alice Faye, behind his wife’s back.

Murray learns that gangster Al Mossiter Robert Gleckler has fixed a championship boxing match. He pays one of the fighters to take a dive in the second round, before Mossiter’s man goes down in the fifth, and wins a lot of money. (Mossiter’s boxer is later murdered.) However, Virginia hears about Peggy and threatens to leave Murray. He manages to convince her that Peggy is the mistress of Freddie Stanton, Hobart Cavanaugh, Murray’s friend and associate. He also tells her that he has made enough money and is getting into the insurance business.

Later, Mossiter learns who double-crossed him and vows to get back everything Murray won from the fight. An associate suggests he kidnaps Virginia. When Murray is told about the kidnapping, he races back to the city, but is injured and Peggy is killed in a car crash. Virginia is freed unharmed when the ransom is paid, but she has had enough. She decides to get a divorce.

Years later, Murray receives a telegram from Virginia, telling him she is sailing home from Europe and has a “surprise”. He is overjoyed, assuming she is coming back to him. However, she tells him that she is going to marry someone else. She asks him for her jewelry. He promises to give it to her in a week, though he is down on his luck and has pawned them.

He gets into a poker game with Mossiter and others. After playing for a day and a half, he owes $210,000. Mossiter buys up all of his IOUs and gives him a deadline to come up with the money. Murray shows up at Mossiter’s hotel room and declares he is not going to pay. Furthermore, he says he is going to tell the district attorney who killed the boxer. After Mossiter shoots him, Murray reveals he took out a life insurance policy on himself in order to raise the money to get Virginia’s jewelry back. He boasts that he has outsmarted his killer (winning a $20 bet they had made). The doctor informs Virginia that Murray is dying, so she lies and tells him she is returning to him.

Now I’ll Tell Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of Now I’ll Tell (1934) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.

Murray Golden's gamble and vow to quit

Murray Golden lives as an unscrupulous New York gambler and casino operator who wants to live life to the fullest. He clings to a hard-edged motto: you're only wrong when you fail. His wife Virginia extracts a promise that he will quit the business once he makes $500,000, a vow he later breaks.

New York City

Murray starts an affair with Peggy Warren

Shortly after, Murray begins seeing Peggy Warren, keeping the relationship hidden from Virginia. He continues his casino and gambling lifestyle while the affair remains secret from his wife. The tension between loyalty and desire tightens around his promise to quit.

New York City

Al Mossiter fixes a championship boxing match

Murray learns gangster Al Mossiter has fixed a championship boxing match. He pays one of the fighters to take a dive in the second round; Mossiter's man goes down in the fifth, and Murray wins a lot of money. The scheme shows how far Murray is willing to go to chase a payout.

second round New York City

Mossiter's boxer is murdered

Mossiter’s boxer, the one who took the dive, is murdered later as the fix begins to unravel. The violence heightens Murray’s risk and draws law enforcement attention toward Mossiter’s operation. The stakes of the gamble suddenly become deadly.

New York City

Virginia confronts Murray; deceit about Peggy

Virginia learns of Murray's affair and threatens to leave him. To keep her from walking away, Murray spins a lie, claiming Peggy is Freddie’s mistress and that he’s moving into the insurance business. The deception deepens the strain on their marriage.

shortly after the fight New York City

Kidnapping plot grows; Peggy dies in a car crash

An associate suggests Mossiter kidnap Virginia to force Murray’s hand. Murray races back to the city when the plan develops, but is injured along the way. Peggy is killed in a car crash during the upheaval, and Virginia is eventually freed after the ransom is paid.

New York City

Virginia decides to divorce

Despite Virginia’s return to normal life after the kidnapping, she has had enough and decides to end the marriage with a divorce. The betrayal and danger surrounding Murray leave their partnership irreparably broken. The divorce signals a definitive break between them.

New York City

Years later: Virginia’s Europe voyage and surprise

Years later Murray receives a telegram from Virginia, telling him she is sailing home from Europe with a 'surprise'. He believes she is coming back, but she plans to marry someone else. She asks for her jewelry, and Murray promises to give it in a week, only to discover he has pawned them in hard times.

years later Europe (on a voyage home)

Murray sinks into debt in a marathon poker game

Murray sits down to a grueling poker game with Mossiter and others. After a day and a half, he owes $210,000, and Mossiter buys up all of his IOUs, giving him a strict deadline to come up with the money. The tension mounts as his luck and nerve fail under pressure.

day and a half of play Mossiter’s hotel room

Confrontation leads to a shooting and a secret plan

Murray shows up at Mossiter’s hotel room, refuses to pay, and announces he will tell the district attorney who killed the boxer. Mossiter shoots him, and Murray reveals he had taken out a life insurance policy on himself to fund the plan to reclaim Virginia’s jewelry. He boasts that he has outsmarted his killer by winning a small bet of twenty dollars.

immediately after the confrontation Mossiter’s hotel room

Doctor delivers grim news; Virginia lies to him

A doctor informs Virginia that Murray is dying. She lies to him, telling him that she is returning to him, masking her true intentions and emotions. The scene underscores the fragility of their relationship and the cost of Murray’s double life.

after the shooting Hospital

Final lie: Virginia’s return plan remains a lie

As Murray’s condition worsens, Virginia doubles down on the lie that she is coming back to him. The scene closes the timeline with unresolved tension and a marriage built on deception and danger.

terminal

Now I’ll Tell Characters

Explore all characters from Now I’ll Tell (1934). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.

Murray Golden (Spencer Tracy)

An unscrupulous New York City gambler and casino operator whose motto, You’re only wrong when you fail, frames a life built on risk. He is charming and persuasive, yet relentlessly self-serving, willing to double-cross friends to win. His craving for wealth drags him deeper into crime and deceit, with devastating personal costs.

💰 Ambition 🎭 Manipulation 🌀 Recklessness

Virginia Golden (Helen Twelvetrees)

Murray's wife who demands he quit the illegal life after she extracts a promise of reform. She can be stern, protective, and resolute, using threats of leaving to steer him toward stability. Her loyalty is tested through jealousy and betrayal, and she ultimately chooses independence over a collapsing marriage.

💔 Loyalty 🗝️ Independence 🌪️ Resolve

Peggy Warren (Alice Faye)

Murray's mistress who becomes entangled in his dangerous gambling world. She navigates secrecy and manipulation, trying to hold onto affection while the plot's crimes threaten her safety. Her presence pressures the couple's marriage and accelerates the story's conflicts.

💖 Charm 🎭 Deception 🕰️ Consequences

Al Mossiter (Robert Gleckler)

Gangster and fixer who fixed the boxing match and later pursues his due after being double-crossed. He embodies the ruthless, calculating edge of the criminal underworld, willing to use violence to protect his interests. His actions catalyze the film's most perilous turn.

🔫 Crime 🧠 Cunning 💥 Brutality

Freddie Stanton (Hobart Cavanaugh)

Murray's friend and business associate who cycles through loyalty and opportunism as the plot thickens. He operates in the same circle of deals and danger, contributing to the moral ambiguity and shifting alliances. His presence helps drive the narrative toward its darker outcomes.

🤝 Friendship 💡 Opportunism 🎲 Gambling

Now I’ll Tell Settings

Learn where and when Now I’ll Tell (1934) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.

Time period

The film's events unfold over several years, tracing a rise to power through gambles and schemes and then a long arc of consequence. It depicts a modern urban world where deals are sealed with risk, and personal loyalties are continually tested.

Location

New York City, Europe

The story unfolds primarily in New York City's casinos and nightlife, a hub for high-stakes risk and fast talk. It also spans Europe as characters travel and communicate across borders, underscoring the film's transatlantic stakes. The setting emphasizes a world where money, power, and deceit intersect in a ruthless urban landscape.

🗽 Urban hub 🎲 Gambling center 🌍 International travel

Now I’ll Tell Themes

Discover the main themes in Now I’ll Tell (1934). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.

💰

Greed

Greed drives Murray Golden's decisions from the start, pushing him to fix fights, promise lavish rewards, and chase profits at any cost. His vow to quit after earning $500,000 proves hollow as ambition overpowers promises. The money becomes a measure of self-worth and control, not security. The film shows how wealth can corrupt trust, ruin friendships, and fuel dangerous schemes.

🕵️‍♂️

Crime

From the boxing fix to the attempted kidnapping, crime threads through the plot with escalating stakes. Mossiter's murder of the fighter underscores the brutal costs of manipulation. Murray's life-insurance gambit and the high-stakes poker debt create a tangled web of deceit and peril. The narrative builds toward a fatal clash where plans unravel and violence returns to its authors.

💔

Relationships

Marriage and loyalty are tested as Murray lies to Virginia about Peggy and her own loyalties. Virginia's decision to divorce marks the collapse of a personal bond built on a fragile foundation. Peggy's involvement and the betrayal reshape the dynamics between lovers, friends, and rivals. The final turn shows relationships as currency in a ruthless world.

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Now I’ll Tell Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of Now I’ll Tell (1934). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.

In the smoky heart of 1930s New York, the city’s glittering nightclubs and back‑room gambling dens pulse with restless ambition. Beneath the lights, deals are whispered over clinking glasses, and the underworld moves with a blend of swagger and secrecy that feels both intoxicating and dangerous. The atmosphere is drenched in a gritty romanticism, where every rise seems to promise a fall, and the allure of quick wealth hangs like a neon promise over the streets.

Murray Golden is a charismatic gambler who has made a living turning chance into profit. His philosophy—“you’re only wrong when you fail”—drives him to chase ever‑larger stakes, while his sharp wit and polished demeanor let him navigate the treacherous world of casinos and high‑rollers with ease. Yet at home, Virginia Golden has coaxed a different promise from him: to walk away from the tables once he reaches a half‑million dollars, hoping love will finally eclipse the lure of the game. The tension between his relentless pursuit of riches and his devotion to his wife creates a compelling inner conflict that fuels every decision.

Adding to the mix is Peggy Warren, a captivating presence whose friendship with Murray hints at the complexities of loyalty and desire that the underworld breeds. As Murray climbs higher, the line between ambition and devotion blurs, leaving him perpetually torn between the dazzling promise of wealth and the quiet stability of his marriage. The film’s tone balances suave sophistication with a simmering undercurrent of danger, inviting the audience to wonder how far a man will go when the stakes are both his fortune and his heart.

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