Easy Money (1936) Synopsis

Insurance con-man Eddie Adams is sent to trial, but his brother, Dan Adams, who is working for District Attorney Harrison, botches the prosecution and forces the judge to let Eddie go free. Without explaining himself, Dan resigns and goes to work for Richard Curtis, president of Consolidated Insurance, saying that he wants to make up for throwing the case by bringing Eddie to justice. When Curtis introduces Dan to employee Carol Carter, she is at first suspicious of him, but later apologizes for being rude. Meanwhile, at Duke Trotti's interior decorator's salon, Eddie tells Duke that he wishes to quit the liability claims racket, but Duke ignores him and tells Eddie to find some real accident victims. At Consolidated, Dan decides to visit Rusick of Rusick, Collins and Allen, the law firm representing most of the questionable claims. Rusick refuses to see Dan, but says he will meet him at Consolidated in a few days when he comes to pick up a settlement check. When Rusick comes for the check, Dan displays film footage of Rusick's supposedly crippled client, also known as "Dislocation Daisy," walking unaided. As Dan and Carol leave the office after working late one night, they are attacked by Carney and Moxey, two of Duke's men. When Carol screams, Sam Beldon, a detective friend of Dan, comes to the rescue. They trace the license plate of the attackers' car and discover that it belongs to Duke. At Duke's office, Chick, another of Duke's cronies, takes the cast off the broken leg of Mrs. Turner, whom they plan to use in a phoney car crash. However, they miscalculate and the woman is killed, so that Duke must appoint himself the guardian of her young son in order to get the claim. Meanwhile, Dan has gone to visit Eddie, who has quit the racket to marry Tonia, the receptionist at Duke's salon. Duke arrives, then asks Eddie to stop by the salon for his wedding present. When Eddie comes for his present the next day, they murder him. Posing as a decorator, Carol enters the salon and Duke instantly suspects her. Duke offers her work and gives her her first assignment: to visit a customer with Carney. On the road, they come upon another car and Carol tries to slow down, but Carney steps on the accelerator, causing the car to run over Eddie's body in the road. Carney then spills liquor all over Carol so that the police think she is drunk. In jail, Carol tells her story to Dan, who promises to defend her. Dan and Sam discover that the cuts in Eddie's body contain lint from Duke's salon. They ask Tonia to lead them to Duke's salon, where they find Eddie's bloodstains and some lint on the floor. Tonia phones Duke and demands to know where Eddie is, while Dan and Sam hide. Duke arrives at the salon and admits that he killed Eddie. They arrest him, but just as they telephone headquarters, Carney enters. Dan places a box of matches under the receiver to prop it up so that headquarters will hear everything and send help. Tonia fires a gun she has hidden in her purse and hits Duke's arm, and when he drops his gun, Dan grabs it. Sam, Moxey and Chick arrive simultaneously, and when Sam orders Duke to put his hands up, Duke pulls the light switch. There is a scramble and Duke and his men make a run for it, but the police have the salon surrounded, and the gang is arrested. Finally, in Harrison's office, Curtis and Harrison fight over who will win Dan's services, but Dan decides to go back to crime fighting as soon as he returns from his honeymoon with Carol.

Insurance con-man Eddie Adams is sent to trial, but his brother, Dan Adams, who is working for District Attorney Harrison, botches the prosecution and forces the judge to let Eddie go free. Without explaining himself, Dan resigns and goes to work for Richard Curtis, president of Consolidated Insurance, saying that he wants to make up for throwing the case by bringing Eddie to justice. When Curtis introduces Dan to employee Carol Carter, she is at first suspicious of him, but later apologizes for being rude. Meanwhile, at Duke Trotti's interior decorator's salon, Eddie tells Duke that he wishes to quit the liability claims racket, but Duke ignores him and tells Eddie to find some real accident victims. At Consolidated, Dan decides to visit Rusick of Rusick, Collins and Allen, the law firm representing most of the questionable claims. Rusick refuses to see Dan, but says he will meet him at Consolidated in a few days when he comes to pick up a settlement check. When Rusick comes for the check, Dan displays film footage of Rusick's supposedly crippled client, also known as "Dislocation Daisy," walking unaided. As Dan and Carol leave the office after working late one night, they are attacked by Carney and Moxey, two of Duke's men. When Carol screams, Sam Beldon, a detective friend of Dan, comes to the rescue. They trace the license plate of the attackers' car and discover that it belongs to Duke. At Duke's office, Chick, another of Duke's cronies, takes the cast off the broken leg of Mrs. Turner, whom they plan to use in a phoney car crash. However, they miscalculate and the woman is killed, so that Duke must appoint himself the guardian of her young son in order to get the claim. Meanwhile, Dan has gone to visit Eddie, who has quit the racket to marry Tonia, the receptionist at Duke's salon. Duke arrives, then asks Eddie to stop by the salon for his wedding present. When Eddie comes for his present the next day, they murder him. Posing as a decorator, Carol enters the salon and Duke instantly suspects her. Duke offers her work and gives her her first assignment: to visit a customer with Carney. On the road, they come upon another car and Carol tries to slow down, but Carney steps on the accelerator, causing the car to run over Eddie's body in the road. Carney then spills liquor all over Carol so that the police think she is drunk. In jail, Carol tells her story to Dan, who promises to defend her. Dan and Sam discover that the cuts in Eddie's body contain lint from Duke's salon. They ask Tonia to lead them to Duke's salon, where they find Eddie's bloodstains and some lint on the floor. Tonia phones Duke and demands to know where Eddie is, while Dan and Sam hide. Duke arrives at the salon and admits that he killed Eddie. They arrest him, but just as they telephone headquarters, Carney enters. Dan places a box of matches under the receiver to prop it up so that headquarters will hear everything and send help. Tonia fires a gun she has hidden in her purse and hits Duke's arm, and when he drops his gun, Dan grabs it. Sam, Moxey and Chick arrive simultaneously, and when Sam orders Duke to put his hands up, Duke pulls the light switch. There is a scramble and Duke and his men make a run for it, but the police have the salon surrounded, and the gang is arrested. Finally, in Harrison's office, Curtis and Harrison fight over who will win Dan's services, but Dan decides to go back to crime fighting as soon as he returns from his honeymoon with Carol.

Published Time: 2022-12-05 17:17:48