Plot
Through the influence of her friend Don Holland (John Davidson), former speakeasy hostess “Texas” Malone (Texas Guinan) gives up her job at the nightclub run by Andy Quinlan (Arthur Housman) and Nick (Jimmy Phillips) to open a more legitimate club of her own. The venture quickly becomes a success. Angered by Holland’s support of Tex and furious that their own club has been padlocked, Quinlan and Nick plot revenge against him.
Tex, hardened by her past—including a failed marriage to Phil Parr (Jack Norworth) and the trauma of having her son taken from her—is determined to take back her power and make the world pay for her suffering. While scouting talent, she attends a vaudeville performance featuring Bea Walters (Lila Lee) and Eddie Parr (Eddie Foy Jr.), the son of stage veteran Phil Parr. Impressed, Tex breaks up the act by hiring Bea for her club, much to Eddie’s dismay.
Eddie, still in love with Bea, haunts the club nightly trying to persuade her to leave and rejoin him. His persistence leads to tension with Holland, culminating in a threat. Eventually, Bea and Eddie quarrel and separate.
Meanwhile, Quinlan and Nick, intent on eliminating Holland to remove their competition, devise a sinister scheme: during a staged “bandit dance” routine, they plan for Bea to unknowingly shoot Holland using a planted live bullet in her stage prop revolver. When this fails, they decide to recover the bullet. Quinlan sneaks into Bea’s dressing room and finds Holland there while Bea is behind a screen. Seeing the opportunity, Quinlan calmly shoots Holland, tosses the gun to the floor, and slips out unseen.
Bea, hearing the shot, rushes out in shock. Moments later, Eddie enters, intending to make peace, sees Holland’s body, and instinctively picks up the gun. Tex arrives just in time to witness the aftermath.
Sensing trouble, Phil Parr arrives at the club and recognizes Tex—his former wife. She, unaware that Eddie is her son, has just phoned the police to arrest him for Holland’s murder. Upon learning Eddie’s identity from Phil, Tex quickly helps the boy escape. He is later recaptured and put on trial for murder.
Driven by long-suppressed maternal love, Tex hires Lawyer Grant (John Miljan) and passionately defends Eddie. Though the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming, one juror refuses to vote guilty. In an unusual move, the entire jury, Tex, and her lawyer visit the scene of the crime. There, Tex finds a key dropped by Quinlan on the night of the murder. It matches the key to Quinlan’s own club—one Tex never returned after quitting.
Tex calls Nick (Jimmy Phillips) from the courtroom audience. Under pressure, Nick confesses that the key is indeed Quinlan’s and that Quinlan murdered Holland. Quinlan attempts a desperate escape from the courtroom but is shot by a guard (uncredited).
Eddie is exonerated and freed. He and Bea head to Niagara Falls for their honeymoon. Meanwhile, Tex and Phil Parr, reunited by the ordeal and their son, find happiness together once again.
Production
The film starred the legendary bar hostess and silent film actress Texas Guinan as "Texas Malone", a character obviously based upon herself.
Warner Bros signed Guinan to make the film on August 15, 1928. [4] Jack Norwood, John Davidson, and Eddie Foy were signed to support her. [5] Filming started in September 1928.
Guinan had recently toured Los Angeles. [6] According to George Raft's obituary, Raft made his movie debut in the film as a dancer, but his scenes were cut from the final film. [7] However Variety did a review which said "nite club scene introduces George Raft, the hot' stepper, as the m. c.and band leader, being brought down for one of his rip-snorting hoofing specialties." [8]
Filming started September 1928. [9] It finished by November. [10]
Reception
The film was generally reviewed as mediocre by critics. Mordaunt Hall of The New York Times called it "a somewhat entertaining thriller", though he found the ending "amateurishly forced". [11]
Variety wrote, "Tex hasn't much to do, but does what she has pretty well... Texas Guinan and "Queen of the Night Clubs" is a double-barreled, come-on at the gate. The' ballyboo potentialities are limitless. Peasants will go for it like unexpurgated literature. " [12]
Film Daily called it "dull and uninteresting", writing, "This film was built solely to give Tex Guinan a chance to show how she runs her Broadway night club, but it has been done so often and so much better in other films of night club life that it carries no kick." [13] John Mosher of The New Yorker expressed disappointment, writing, "Rather to our surprise and much to our regret, Miss Guinan doesn't carry the picture with as much verve as it might seem that she would." [14]
Box office
According to Warner Bros the film earned $459,000 domestically and $13,000 foreign. [2]
