A silent melodrama starring Bela Lugosi as a womanizing millionaire who is a patron of the opera.
Nicholas Harmon’s (Bela Lugosi) lead soprano Nina is getting past it. Her voice is cracking and Harmon’s partner wants her fired. Back at his place Harmon tells her he wants to send her to Boston. She has a temper tantrum. Just as she’s about to smash his late wife’s picture his son Don comes in. She smashes the picture.
Don and Harmon exchange punches. Don tosses some money on the floor and says he’ll never take any more from him and walks out. That doesn’t sit well with his gold digging fiancee Natalie and her mother. They’re not giving up a shot at the Harmon money.
Don moves to Greenwich Village and gets a job as an orchestra leader at a cafe he used to frequent. One day he looks out his window and sees a violinist captivating a crowd. He tosses a coin out to him. Neighborhood tough guy Nifty Louis puts his foot on it.
Don rushes out and knocks Louis around and forces him to leave. Nifty says he’ll get him. The violinist is a music teacher from Russia who is now a refugee. With him is Anna a student of his and a singer. Don gets her a gig at the cafe.
Through his partner, Harmon hears about ‘The Midnight Girl’. She’s just the beauty he’s looking for. It’s Anna. One night at the cafe Natalie and her mother show up. A bit later here comes Harmon. Up in the window with a gun is Louis. He fires and wounds Don.
All of a sudden Harmon is concerned with Don’s health. His real motive is to win the charms of Anna. One night Natalie asks Anna is she’ll sing at their next musicale. She says that’s when her engagemet to Don will be announced. It’s a lie but Anna falls for it. She writes a note to Harmon that she’ll come over to see him.
It all leads to the expected finish with Anna trying to fight off Harmon while Don rushes to the rescue. There’s more to it than that as the ending packs it all in.
Vintage45's Blog 