Broken Laws on AllMovie

Dorothy Davenport, the star of this drama, dedicated the film to "the mothers of America, as a protest against the lawlessness devastating our land, and a reminder that the foundation of all law and order lies in that greatest of American institutions -- the home." Davenport felt the necessity to take the high road when it came to moral standards after her husband Wallace Reid died tragically of drug addiction in 1923. Joan Allen (Davenport) has a young son, Bobby (Pat Moore), who runs wild. Bobby's friend, Patsy (Jane Wray), has a jazz-mad mother (Jackie Saunders). The two children grow up to be out-of-control teens (played by Arthur Rankin and Virginia Lee Corbin). While on a joy ride with Patsy, Bobby hits and kills a woman. He is tried and convicted for murder, and Joan pleads to serve her son's term in his place. Then she wakes up and realizes it was all a dream. As a result, she resolves to be a firm disciplinarian to her little boy.