Robert Armstrong is a recently paroled masseuse who is employed by stock market tycoon John Dudley Masterson (Frank Morgan) after he assists Masterson and his alcoholic daughter Doris (Constance Cummings) following a car accident. Fingers soon makes his own fortune from listening in on Masterson's business dealings with other stock market big wigs.
I must correct another reviewer's error in that Warren Hymer is *not* the character who falls in love with Masterson's daughter Doris. Frank Albertson as Fingers's kid brother "Babe" is the one who falls in love with Doris, creating a rift between his brother and a rift between the daughter and her father. Warren Hymer plays Fingers's ex-con pal "Kid" McGurn who fails in his return to the ring after being released from prison. Armstrong's frequent co-star and real life pal James Gleason is also along for the ride as Fingers's kleptomaniac pal Ratsy.
When Fingers's brother begins a romantic relationship with Doris, Masterson lets Fingers listen in on a fake stock tip so Fingers will invest and lose all of his money, which does happen. Newspaper reporter Albert Griswold (Irving Pichel in one of his few "good guy" roles!) attempts to get Fingers to testify before a Senate committee to bring down the corrupt businessmen. But not before Masterson hires gangster Carter Moore (Sidney Toler) to prevent Fingers from testifying.
This film used to be a staple of repeated late night movie airings from the early 1960s to the late 1970s and has unfortunately disappeared from television screens and so far hasn't been made available on any retail home media. This film's theme was very timely for the early 1930s but in today's climate of business and government corruption that often goes unpunished, this one could use a rediscovery.
I must correct another reviewer's error in that Warren Hymer is *not* the character who falls in love with Masterson's daughter Doris. Frank Albertson as Fingers's kid brother "Babe" is the one who falls in love with Doris, creating a rift between his brother and a rift between the daughter and her father. Warren Hymer plays Fingers's ex-con pal "Kid" McGurn who fails in his return to the ring after being released from prison. Armstrong's frequent co-star and real life pal James Gleason is also along for the ride as Fingers's kleptomaniac pal Ratsy.
When Fingers's brother begins a romantic relationship with Doris, Masterson lets Fingers listen in on a fake stock tip so Fingers will invest and lose all of his money, which does happen. Newspaper reporter Albert Griswold (Irving Pichel in one of his few "good guy" roles!) attempts to get Fingers to testify before a Senate committee to bring down the corrupt businessmen. But not before Masterson hires gangster Carter Moore (Sidney Toler) to prevent Fingers from testifying.
This film used to be a staple of repeated late night movie airings from the early 1960s to the late 1970s and has unfortunately disappeared from television screens and so far hasn't been made available on any retail home media. This film's theme was very timely for the early 1930s but in today's climate of business and government corruption that often goes unpunished, this one could use a rediscovery.