Bessie Barriscale

Story about four generations in a family of musicians.

In the 1860s, Mary Marlowe defies her father's wishes to marry a British lord and runs away with clerk John Carlton as he heads West to make his fortune. Mary and John endure the difficult journey and settle into a small cabin, then face the hostilities of a cattle rustling gang, as well as the tragic loss of their only son. With Mary's help, John defeats the gang, which propels him to political power that, over the years, gradually erodes the once-happy marriage.

Robert Armstrong stars as Scoop Adams, an ace newsreel cameraman whose love affair with the bottle all but destroys him professionally. Scoop manages to get his photographer pal Dick (Richard Cromwell) fired as well, but he promises to restore Dick's reputation, some way or another. He gets his chance while covering a dirigible wreck (some three years before the Hindenburg), saving the day for both Dick and himself.

Eddie Kehoe is a young vaudeville hoofer who thinks his inability to hit the big time is the fault of stage managers, agents, musicians...everybody but himself. Eddie likes to tell others how good he is, but seldom shows them. Kitty Mayo, an old-time burlesque queen, who is with the McNary Vaudeville Company, advises Eddie to get himself a partner, as his solo abilities can only be stretched so far. He decides to follow her advice and, while in a theatrical supply shop, he sees Rita Carey rehearsing her dancing act that includes a trained duck. Eddie tells Rita he is a good friend of McNary's, and, with him as her partner, her future in show business will be secured. She agrees to join him and Eddie promptly names the act "Eddie Kehoe and Partner". Despite his conceit, Rita likes Eddie, as do others in the troupe, including Cleo a little gold-digger.

Ruth Marshall's dire financial situation forces her to marry Richard Janeway, a wealthy but drunken playboy who cheats on her. Not only that, but on their honeymoon he hooks up with Lucia, a former girlfriend. Ruth becomes pregnant, but on the night their child is born, Richard decides to attend a wild party; not long afterward he throws her out of their house, threatening to give their child to his mistress. Eventually, Richard's abuse becomes more than Ruth can stand. What will she do?

Aurora Lane (Bessie Barriscale) lives in a small town loaded with small-minded residents. She had an illegitimate child and with the earnings from her millinery shop, she has sent him away to be educated. When Don, her son (Arnold Gregg), returns from college, he finds he has to defend his mother constantly. He is accused of murdering a man who made a snide remark about Aurora and is put on trial.

Socially prominent but penniless Stephen De Koven marries Muriel Chester, a woman whose loveliness he admires but whose money he really desires. Discovering this on her wedding night, Mrs. De Koven, because of her love for her husband and her wounded pride, elects to live her life alone, seeing her husband only when formalities demand.

No plot available for this movie.

Member of a socially prominent but impoverished family, Mary Ware, is in love with the equally poor Ronald Cliffe, but Mary's mother convinces her to save the family from debt by marrying the wealthy Grey Sands. Ronald is sent to work in the oil fields out West, and Mary, married to a man she doesn't love, is cold to her husband, who then vows revenge.

Mira Sacky (Bessie Barriscale) will inherit a fortune if she is able to come up with ten thousand dollars for lawyers' fees. Since she has no money of her own, the only way she can think of raising the funds is to marry someone wealthy. When she gets the attention of Michael Ordsay (Jack Holt), she quickly asks him to marry her. It seems to be a mismatch, so Mira obtains the needed money from his kindly father (Tom Guise), and heads for Rome, where she undergoes voice training and becomes an operatic star.