American Madness

The Union National Bank directors voice concern that Dickson has loaned too much to risky borrowers during the Great Depression and threaten to replace him. Dickson defends his strategy, insisting his loans go to people he knows are good risks and that lending keeps money circulating to prevent a deeper downturn.

Phyllis plans a special celebration for their anniversary, but Dickson forgets and is buried in business. He promises to take her out the next night, but immediately schedules another business meeting instead.

Dude Finlay and two men intimidate chief cashier Cyril Cluett over a $50,000 gambling debt. They demand his help to rob the bank that very night and coax him to arrange a plausible alibi for midnight. They warn that he will be in danger if he refuses.

Cluett, hoping to curry favor, pretends to have always been in love with Phyllis and asks to take her out that night. With Dickson unavailable due to work, Phyllis agrees, setting the scene for trouble and gossip. Matt Brown notices the interaction from afar.

Cluett returns to the bank and resets the vault's time lock, enabling a planned midnight robbery. The seemingly ordinary act passes under the radar as the plot thickens with personal entanglements.

Phyllis and Cluett go to a theater performance and then to his apartment, while Matt Brown follows, hoping to expose the affair. The tension between duty and desire threads through the night.

While the romantic intrigue unfolds, the gang robs the bank of $100,000 and murders a guard who witnesses them. The crime is committed with no immediate witnesses to the full extent of their operation.

Rumors about the missing money spread the next day, triggering a bank run. Dickson frantically tries to marshal emergency funds, but the board refuses to provide support and aims to push him out.

Police suspect Matt Brown and Cluett; Brown withholds his alibi and Cluett is traced through sightings with Dude Finlay. Under pressure, Cluett implicates Phyllis, intensifying Dickson's personal ordeal.

Dickson, convinced his marriage is to blame, grows despondent and contemplates suicide. He agrees to resign, but Phyllis arrives to reconcile and talk him back from the brink.

As cash runs low, former borrowers deposit what they can, convincing the board to mobilize funds and deliver money to depositors. The bank is saved and Dickson regains his resolve.

Dickson rewards Brown with a promotion and encourages him to marry his girlfriend Helen. He also asks Helen to arrange a luxurious sea voyage for himself and Phyllis, signaling a hopeful new chapter.