AllMovie

This colorful drama of the Bowery of the 1890s was directed by Herbert Brenon. Diamond Mike (Riley Hatch) runs a Bowery saloon where, in a back room, men disguise themselves as cripples so they can beg for money. Their leader is Easy Money Charlie (Percy Marmont), who pretends to have only one arm. His enemy is a pseudo blind man, Bridgeport White-Eye (John Harrington). When street woman Portland Fancy (Juliet Brenon) dies, she convinces Charlie to take care of her four-year-old daughter. Charlie takes surprisingly good care of the girl, Mary, making sure she is raised properly and receives a good education. When she grows up (to be played by Mary Brian), a young lawyer, Philip Peyton (Neil Hamilton), falls in love with her. Mary, however, is in love with Charlie, who she believes to be a successful businessman. Charlie realizes that he's nothing but a sham and a scammer, so he confesses the truth about his line of work to Peyton and disappears. After he is reported drowned, Peyton and Mary become engaged. White-Eye sees a chance to blackmail the young couple, but Charlie reappears and really blinds his adversary in a fight. The last we see of Charlie, he is in his beggar's rags, watching Mary's wedding from outside the church. Although she does not receive billing, this was the screen debut of Louise Brooks, who played a gun moll.