''The Finger Points'' is a 1931 American

Pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

directed by John Francis Dillon and written by

John Monk Saunders John Monk Saunders (November 22, 1897 – March 11, 1940) was an American novelist, screenwriter, and film director. Early life and career Born in Hinckley, Minnesota, to Robert C. Saunders and Nannie Monk Saunders, his family (6 children) mov ...

W.R. Burnett William Riley Burnett (November 25, 1899 April 25, 1982) was an American novelist and screenwriter. He is best known for the crime novel ''Little Caesar'', the film adaptation of which is considered the first of the classic American gangster m ...

and Robert Lord. The film stars

Richard Barthelmess Richard Semler Barthelmess (May 9, 1895 – August 17, 1963) was an American film actor, principally of the Hollywood silent era. He starred opposite Lillian Gish in D. W. Griffith's ''Broken Blossoms'' (1919) and ''Way Down East'' (1920) and w ...

Fay Wray Vina Fay Wray (September 15, 1907 – August 8, 2004) was a Canadian/American actress best known for starring as Ann Darrow in the 1933 film ''King Kong''. Through an acting career that spanned nearly six decades, Wray attained international r ...

Regis Toomey John Francis Regis Toomey (August 13, 1898October 12, 1991) was an American film and television actor. Early life Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was one of four children of Francis X. and Mary Ellen Toomey, and attended Peabody High ...

, Robert Elliott,

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

, Oscar Apfel and Robert Gleckler. The film was released by Warner Bros. on April 11, 1931.

was chosen to be Louis J. Blanco, the chief enforcer of the mob. Contracted with MGM, Gable filmed scenes for ''The Finger Points'', '' Night Nurse'', and '' The Easiest Way'' simultaneously.

Plot

Breckenridge "Breck" Lee (

) is a young, naïve kid from the South who comes to New York to get a job as a newspaperman. After getting hired by The Press, his first assignment is to expose the existence of a newly opened gambling parlor. Gangster Louis J. Blanco (

) attempts to bribe Lee to keep quiet. Lee refuses to accept the bribe, and publishes an article about the casino which subsequently gets raided by the police. Mugged and severely beaten by gangsters, Lee winds up in the hospital. Upon leaving the hospital and returning to work, he longs to marry fellow reporter Marcia Collins (

), but his meager salary combined with the hospital bill prevents this from happening. Lee attempts to seek a raise from City Editor Frank Carter ( Robert Elliott), but is refused the increase in pay. Yearning for the aforementioned bribe, Lee re-approaches Blanco with a deal that he will not report on the organization's dealings in return for a fee. As Blanco pays well for Lee's un-reporting, Marcia becomes suspicious of Lee's wealth, but Lee denies any illegality in the acquisition of the money. Becoming increasingly confident of his control, Lee determines to acquire a larger share of the bribes by shaking down the gangsters. After learning that Number One, the head of the organization, is planning on opening a new gambling house, he threatens Blanco that he will print that information unless he gets a bigger share of money. Upon meeting Number One, Lee obtains the larger graft, but is warned that if the story gets published, he will be in danger. Feeling that Lee is untrustworthy, Collins agrees to marry fellow reporter Charles "Breezy" Russell (

). Consequently, Lee decides to go straight and leave the city with Marcia if she will marry him. She acquiesces, but "Breezy" publishes the gambling story, hoping to impress Marcia. The following morning as Lee and Marcia are getting ready to leave, "Breezy" shows up with his story in the newspaper. After Lee sees it, he decides to go to the bank to retrieve his money despite Marcia's pleas not to. Lee is followed and killed by gangsters. At his funeral, Lee is named as a hero. Marcia stays quiet, although she knows the truth.

Cast

as Breckenridge 'Breck' Lee *

as Marcia Collins *

as Charlie "Breezy" Russell * Robert Elliott as City Editor Frank Carter *

as Louis J. Blanco * Oscar Apfel as Managing Editor Ellis Wheeler *

Robert Gleckler Robert Gleckler (January 11, 1887 – February 25, 1939) was an American film and stage actor who appeared in nearly 60 movies between 1927 until his death in 1939. He was cast for the role of Jonas Wilkerson, overseer of the slaves at Tara in ...

as Larry Haynes, Sphinx Club Manager Uncredited Roles * Mickey Bennett as Arthur, Office Boy * James P. Burtis as Cop * Martin Cichy as Blanco's Bodyguard * Bob Perry as Henchman in Haynes' club *

Lew Harvey Lew Harvey (October 6, 1887 – December 19, 1953) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 140 films between 1918 and 1950. He was born in Wisconsin, educated in Portland, Oregon, and died in Los Angeles, California. Selected f ...

as Henchman in "Number One's" office * George Taylor as Henchman in "Number One's" office * Frank Marlowe as Guard at "Number One's" office * Herman Krumpfel as Breck's Tailor * Frank McClure as Casino Patron * Field Norton as Casino Patron * Albert Petit as Casino Patron * J. Carrol Naish as Phone Voice ("The Finger is on You")

Preservation

A surviving feature it is preserved in the Library of Congress.''Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress'' (<-book title) p.58 c.1978 by The American Film Institute

References

External links

* * * * 1893-1993 {{DEFAULTSORT:Finger Points 1931 films Warner Bros. films American drama films 1931 drama films Films directed by John Francis Dillon American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films