The Big Shakedown (Warner Bros.) (1934)

Page Two nN EW SCREEN SWEETH EARTS! You’re giving ’em Charles Farrell’s first Warner film and they want to hear all about it! Let ’em know there’s plenty of just the kind of romance they like in the new Farrell—Davis love team. ACTION—DRAMA—ROMANCE! An up-to-the -second story crowded with wallop from first flash to fadeout with a triple human appeal! FIVE MARQUEE NAM ES! There’s a big box-office angle for you in every one of the stars: Bette Davis and Charles Farrell for romance — Ricardo Cortez for drama — Glenda Farrell and Allen Jenkins for comedy. Bill them all! LOADS OF FEM APP EAL ! ““You’ve Killed Your Own Baby!” A dramatic angle that shoots straight at your woman patronage. Jimmy Morrell, a pharmacist, runs a drug store with the aid of Norma, whom he plans to marry as soon as he can save enough money. But business is poor and a chain store threatens to put him out of business altogether. He is at a loss what to do, when Barnes, a_ beer racketeer, who has been foreed out of business, owing to the legalizing of beer, enters with his gang. Not having the brand of headache powder Barnes asks for, Jimmy makes up the same thing. Barnes asks Jimmy why a product with a name costs so much when Jimmy can make it up for so much less. Jimmy explains that millions of dollars are spent in advertising besides the tremendous profit that is made. This gives Barnes an idea. Ye persuades Jimmy to enter into a scheme with him whereby they manufacture toothpaste and _ ecosmetics in exact imitation of certain widely advertised brands. Barnes’ gunmen terrorize the druggists with bombs and force them to buy their product. Then they fake a noted antiseptic. The company that manufactures the original is facing bankruptey because of Barnes’ strong arm sales methods. Barnes makes the mistake of deserting his girl, Lil, and taking up with another girl. Lil, who knows his secrets, goes to the antiseptic firm and tells them who is putting out the substitute. They take it up with the district attorney and bring suit. Barnes has friends in the district attorney’s office and isn’t afraid of being molested, but he does not want a suit. He hag one of his henchmen watch the distriet attorney’s office and learns that Lil has squealed. A gunman is hired to kill her, and Jimmy taken along on a pretext, sees the murder. Jimmy has disliked the business all along but he now. swears he will quit. Barnes’ gang beat him up and threaten to do the same to Norma, whom Jimmy has married. She is about to have a ehild so Jimmy consents to go on. One of the drugs they insist Jimmy make is digitalis, a heart stimulant. Jimmy refuses at first, saying he cannot make it, but they threaten him again and he makes up a substitute that is totally ineffective. Norma is taken to the hospital. She needs digitalis and Jimmy is horrified, knowing they will give her the substitute which is worthless. He rushes back to the store to get the real digitalis, but the child is born in the meantime. Norma is saved but the child dies for lack of the stimulant. Crazed with grief, Jimmy sets out to kill Barnes. He enters the room in time to see a man shoot Barnes. He recognizes Sheffner, the manufacturer of the antiseptic they had imitated, who has been ruined. Jimmy hurls Barnes’ body into a chemical vat that dissolves it. He and Norma then start over again with an honest drug store. ae ee eae Charles Farrell Aca g 5 22 eet ee Sat AE GOs Poe os Ly at ee a 2 ee eee a Norma are eg i i ee ee ee em Ricardo Cortez : Ar Ae ae Ste Pe eeaey Te AY cine ee ae aan Pmeebab ae, Vel el, ely Re Se ne ol ee eee ee. Aen Jenmiis oheynen Gon Rea oe seers 5h andy DE eames As: Henry O'Neill SNR AEE costs 1 Sees get RS a a oon ie ie le Phillip Faversham |G | tee eaten eae i ee De ANIC PMA RE ieee 2 Robert Emmet O’Connor CAR CHG a ee ne eee Sa eS ee John Wray ype Nee eee Seba ee tl ete UB SNS: Iva ls George Pat Collins 1 0a © peg eiBN OO Sieh ie AOS Se pe ie esis ee ee is an Adrian Morris ra) ge ea IN Le ree a Seale Wem Ee, eakss ake § _.Dewey Robinson ly i) 1 Reena RL SE RNDACe coats Reels ae teenie ae 12 aay AE RAR Ben Hendricks PUCOT IY 2s give re Pee raat eee Mes eine Snes 2 _... George Cooper First National Pictures, Ine. & The Vitaphone Corp. 25% presents CHARLES FARRELL and BETTE DAVIS 15% in “THE BIG SHAKEDOWN’”’ 100% with Rieardo Cortez 75% Glenda Farrell—Allen Jenkins 60% Directed by John Francis Dillon 20% A First National and Vitaphone Picture 40% f RU-THAT COUNTS ———— se