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Wealthy New York banker Daniel Van Dyke summons
his wild family to announce that he is ill and plans to plead guilty to
charges of income tax evasion in order to go to prison and get a rest from
their antics. His cellmate is the notorious bootlegger Spot Ricardi,
who regards himself as a businessman not unlike Van Dyke. The two become
close friends, and Ricardi urges Van Dyke to take a stern hand in
disciplining his family. As Van Dyke dies, he appoints Ricardi trustee
of his estate, muttering "sucker" with his last breath.
Upon his release, Ricardi changes his name to
Joe Ricard and refuses to rejoin Tex and his former buddies of the
underworld. To satisfy the family's curiosity about Ricardi, Van
Dyke's daughter Carol poses as a reporter and visits him in Central Park,
but he realizes her identity and dunks her in the lake. Ricardi then
informs the family that he is taking charge, and orders Carol to end her
engagement to Alan Bartlett, a pompous actor. Carol ignores his orders
and sponsors a Coney Island party for her fianceé, at which she shows off
Ricardi's former gangland car that she has bought.
The angry Ricardi drives Carol and the car into
the country, then sends the automobile over an embankment, which causes some
suspicious farmers to take them prisoner. Ricardi falls in love with
Carol and, although the feeling is not returned, he frightens Alan out of
marrying her. In reply, Carol contacts Tex and suggests that Ricardi's
former gang kidnap her to extort a ransom payment from Ricardi. When
the police follow Ricardi with the ransom, Tex believes that he has been
betrayed. Tex then shoots fellow gangster Fingers Boston after Boston
tells Carol that Tex plans to kill her. Ricardi finds Finger's body
with a note attached to it indicating the location of the mansion where
Carol is being held. The police arrest Ricardi, but he escapes and
leads them to the mansion, where the gang is captured. Tex is about to kill
Ricardi, but Ricardi shoots him, then finds Carol in the cellar beating
another gangster senseless. Safe from danger, Ricardi and Carol
embrace, and finally admit their true feelings for each other. |
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