Plot
On the crowded Lower East Side of New York lives Tommy O’Day (Morton Downey), a golden-voiced Irish lad who is the pride and joy of his mother, Mrs. O’Day (Beryl Mercer). Tommy works as a delivery boy in a delicatessen, and during his rounds he befriends Jake Sturmberg (Osgood Perkins), an impoverished and half-starved violinist. In exchange for food and kindness, Sturmberg trains Tommy’s remarkable singing voice.
Tommy’s family life is far from peaceful. His rascally brother Harry O’Day (Brian Donlevy) steals the family’s meager savings, and suspicion falls unjustly on Tommy. Mr. O’Day (John T. Doyle), bitter and mistrustful, adds to the boy’s grief. Cast out of his job at the delicatessen, Tommy and Sturmberg seek shelter at a Bowery mission, where they encounter Joe Bush (Lorin Raker), a once-successful press agent now down on his luck. Recognizing Tommy’s talent, Joe finds him work as a singer in a night club.
In this new world of glitter and shadows, Tommy meets Beatrix Townleigh (Barbara Bennett), a sophisticated society woman who takes an interest in his welfare. With her influence and Joe’s help, Tommy soon rises to greater heights, eventually securing the leading role in a Broadway revue produced by Gus LeGrand (Robert Gleckler). On the eve of his triumph, as the curtain is about to rise, Tommy’s sweetheart Rose Lyndon (Helen Chandler), a devoted stenographer, arrives with heartbreaking news: his beloved mother lies at death’s door.
Without hesitation, Tommy abandons the show and rushes to his mother’s bedside. There, with a song from his heart, he lifts her back from despair, and she begins to recover. Mrs. O’Day’s health is restored, and the family is reconciled. LeGrand, initially furious at Tommy’s desertion, relents and allows him to return to the revue. Tommy makes his debut, wins renown as a star singer, and secures the love of Rose, the girl who stood by him.
This page is based on this
Wikipedia article Text is available under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
