Elderly friends Nora Taylor and Maggie Ryan own a weird boarding house full of wacky characters but the bank is threatening to take it away. Maggie's daughter Sarah Jane (Ann Sheridan) is trying to be a showgirl while still being a good girl. Nora's aspiring songwriter son Tommy Taylor (Jeffrey Lynn) plays the piano at a nightclub owned by gangster Chips Maguire (Humphrey Bogart). Tommy is tired of Chips' empty promises. When Chips kills a police snitch, he blackmails Tommy into getting him a room at the boarding house.
The problem with this movie is that Tommy is a complete stiff. Bogie has more charisma in his little pinky finger than that man's whole body. For a cinematic romantic pairing, Sheridan needs to get together with Bogie but the story requires that Sarah gets together with Tommy. That's the rub with this movie. Bogie is the most compelling actor and his character has the most compelling redemption arc. In a certain light, this should be his movie and this should be a character study of Chips.
The problem with this movie is that Tommy is a complete stiff. Bogie has more charisma in his little pinky finger than that man's whole body. For a cinematic romantic pairing, Sheridan needs to get together with Bogie but the story requires that Sarah gets together with Tommy. That's the rub with this movie. Bogie is the most compelling actor and his character has the most compelling redemption arc. In a certain light, this should be his movie and this should be a character study of Chips.