Sorrowful Jones

Plot summary

Sorrowful Jones is a New York bookie who keeps his operation hidden behind a trap door in a Broadway barber shop. He suffers from a financial setback when a horse named Dreamy Joe, owned by gangster Big Steve Holloway, unexpectedly wins a race. Jones has to pay all the many customers betting on the horse to win, which empties his pockets completely.

When visiting a night club, Jones learns that the race was fixed by Big Steve, who tells him about giving the horse a "speedball." It turns out Big Steve has informed all the bookies in his circle of friends about the fixed race, and demands a sum of $1,000 from each one of them in exchange for this information.

Before the next race, Jones gets information that Dreamy Joe will lose, but still takes bets on the horse from his customers. He even takes bets with payment in markers from gambler Orville Smith, who also leaves his daughter Martha Jane, four years old, as collateral for the bet.

Things get even more complicated when Orville is killed by one of Big Steve's goons, Once Over Sam. The reason is that Orville overhears a phone call involving Big Steve, where he reveals that the race is fixed. Because of Orville's demise, Jones is forced to take care of Martha Jane and brings her home with him. The next day Jones gets help from his ex-girlfriend, burlesque performer Gladys O'Neill, to take care of the little girl.

Big Steve visits Jones and tells him he is quitting the race-fixing business, since he is being investigated by the racing commission. Big Steve plans to make one final race before he gets out of the game, where he is fixing the race so that Dreamy Joe will win. He also transfers the ownership of the horse to Martha Jane, unaware that the girl is Orville's daughter. After the race, Big Steve will kill the horse by giving it a too high dose of "speedball".

Jones tries to find Martha Jane's mother, but finds out that she is dead. Gladys suggests that Jones give all of Dreamy Joe's winnings to Martha Jane to help her survive, or she will contact the police and tell them about Jones' operation. She has no knowledge of Big Steve's plan to fix the race.

Big Steve finds out that Martha Jane is Orville's daughter, so Jones must hide her to protect her from getting killed. When hiding on a fire escape's landing, Martha Jane falls down and is seriously injured. While in a coma, the little girl calls out for Dreamy Joe.

In order to save Martha Jane and wake her up, Jones and hjs partner Regret steal the horse from Big Steve at the race track. They take it into the hospital room where Martha Jane lies. Martha Jane wakes up and the police find out that Big Steve is responsible for Orville's murder.

After Big Steve is arrested, Jones proposes to Gladys. The police wants Martha Jane to be placed in an orphanage, but Jones and Gladys, who have married, decide to adopt the girl. They go away on their honeymoon together with their newly adopted daughter.

Cast