Lady Killer

Dan Quigley is fired from his job as a theater usher due to gambling and other issues. The dismissal sets him on a precarious path and exposes his willingness to bend the rules. The opening establishes his opportunistic nature that drives his later schemes.

He tracks down Myra Gale to her apartment and returns the purse she dropped. This encounter leads him to sit in on a poker game with her 'brother-in-law' Spade Maddock and the others. The night marks the beginning of his entanglement with the gang.

After losing all his money, he realises he has been conned. He threatens to go to the police unless they let him join, insisting he has profitable ideas. They accept him, pulling him into their burglaries and schemes.

The gang runs a nightclub and casino as a legitimate cover to scout wealthy targets for burglaries. Dan’s influence grows as he helps plan heists and leverage his new connections. The operation marks a shift from petty crime to organized burglary.

Dan stages a car accident so a passing 'doctor' can persuade Mrs. Marley to let him rest at her mansion. This ploy gives the gang access to the house and a chance to study security for later break-ins. The plan foreshadows their bigger heists.

More burglaries follow, but Dan decides to quit when a butler is killed during the latest one. The murder raises the stakes and pushes him to question the group's methods. The tension foreshadows his breaking away from the gang.

Pete cracks under police interrogation and betrays the others. When the police arrive, Duke kills Pete and the remaining gang members flee. Dan and Myra head to Los Angeles to avoid capture.

Dan and Myra flee to Los Angeles to escape pursuit. Their move marks a transition from local crimes to a broader chase across cities. The escape underscores the danger surrounding their life of crime.

Dan is picked up for questioning at a train station and gives his money to Myra for safekeeping. Myra encounters Spade, who persuades her to go with him to Mexico. Dan is released for lack of evidence.

Broke, he takes an extras job and meets star Lois Underwood. The studio seeks rough, ready faces, and Dan writes himself fan letters to boost his image. He quickly becomes a rising star at National Studio.

Dan and Lois start dating, and he forces a harsh critic to swallow his words. They go to his new suite where they unexpectedly find Myra waiting; Lois leaves in astonishment.

Spade and the old gang pressure Dan to help burglarize stars' homes, but he refuses and offers them $10,000 to leave town. Spade accepts the money yet shows no intention of departing, setting the stage for future trouble. The tension between Dan and the gang escalates.

The burglaries resume with the same MO, and the police suspect Dan as the ringleader. He tracks the crooks who robbed Lois and recovers her jewels at gunpoint, but the police arrive and he is arrested while the others escape. The case ends with Dan in custody.

Lois intends to pay Dan's bail and stand by him, but Myra bails him out so they can kill him. After a car chase and gunfight, the thieves are either dead or in custody, and Dan is exonerated. He asks leniency for Myra, and he and Lois plan to marry in another state.

Dan and Lois marry and fly to another state to begin their life together away from the pursuit and danger of the gang. The ending frames Dan as a man who has left crime behind and looks toward a hopeful future with Lois.