Denton Vane

A beautiful and ambitious young woman leaves her boyfriend for a famous sculptor, and later--after she models for his statue "Miss Ambition"--marries an old but wealthy art collector. However, things don't turn out quite the way she planned.

Sir Philip Randall, a prominent judge, is fed up with the antics of James, his scapegrace son, and tosses him out of the house. The conflict between father and son leaves Mrs. Randall heartbroken, and when she dies, she makes her husband swear to help James if he ever needs it. When Joe Merrion, a bookmaker, is found dead, circumstantial evidence points to Squire William Rufford. Although Randall can't believe he committed the crime, he is forced to convict him and sentence him to prison. But later, when James, whose wild ways have left him penniless, comes to his father for help, Randall discovers that he was the killer.

After Mary Allen drops a blood-stained knife, Judge Robert Craigin's dead body lies next to her. Mary secures a secretarial position with Judge Bruce Craigin, the dead man's younger brother. Professor Galt, a criminal psychologist, and Detective Hooker believe that Mary committed the crime. Craigin and Mary fall in love and are married. Galt persuades Craigin to let Mary furnish their new home because a clue to the solving of the murder is the artistic furnishings of the room in which the murder victim was found. The similarity between the decor of the house and the crime room convinces Craigin that Mary murdered his brother, but Thomas Gray confesses to the crime. He had been in the room waiting to avenge his wife's wrongs on Craigin. When Craigin attacked Mary, she lifted her paper-knife and fainted, and Gray killed Craigin, leaving the murder weapon in Mary's hand. Mary and Bruce find happiness together.

Luke, running a chili parlor, inherits a million dollars and joins high society.

Bobbie Walters, a cab driver in a Midwest city who is trying to save enough money to marry his sweetheart, Dorothy Wright, an attendant at the cigar and newspaper counter of a large hotel, is able to amass $15,000. He acts like a millionaire and soon is fleeced of the money by two Wall Street swindlers. Broke, Bobbie is forced to work as a bellboy at Dorothy's hotel. After a series of struggles and adventures, Bobby wins a fortune in the oil fields of Louisiana, despite the efforts of his rivals, who dynamite his oil derricks.

Glamorous and wealthy French woman Jacqueline Cartaret considers marrying Ernest Augarde, the harmless bookworm who adores her, but finally selects a dashing count, Andre De Juvigny. Lucia De Morfontaine, a beautiful widow who had an affair with Andre before his marriage, still loves the handsome count and pursues him so ardently that Jacqueline soon becomes convinced of her husband's unfaithfulness.

Young Hugh Jordan, the nephew of the man who robbed the Winthrop children, is earning his living out west when he comes into the millions of his thieving old uncle. Hugh goes east and settles down to a life of ease and enjoyment. He is entertaining a stag party at his home when the butler announces the arrival of the Misses Winthrop.

Donald Wallace is a self-centered scientist who believes only in science and ignores the love of his cousin, Truth Eldridge, choosing instead to pursue Paula Roberts. Wallace and others take care of a lost little girl named Peggy, but he stubbornly tells her that God does not exist. James Dale, an assistant who secretly admires Truth and tries to poison Wallace, accidentally kills Peggy instead. Following her death, Truth returns to Wallace in spirit form to prove to him that God and an afterlife are real.

Dick Mentor's wife is killed in an auto accident while deserting her husband for another man. Soon after, their child dies, which leaves Dick a confirmed woman hater. Betty, an attractive flirt, learns that Dick is coming to visit and bets Hugh, an admirer, a kiss against a horse that she can win the misogynist's love. By masquerading as a charming twelve-year-old, Betty captivates Dick, but in the process, falls in love with him and is afraid to admit the hoax.

After Henry Dawson and Robert Harwell quarrel at Elaine Huntington's garden party, Henry disappears and Robert is accused of murder. Although Robert is found guilty and sentenced to death, Elaine, who loves him, believes he is innocent and does everything in her power to help him.

Businessman John Lawson is seriously injured in an accident, his wife Ruth travels from their New England village to New York to find a job that will support them both. Ruth works in a sweatshop at first, but then makes it big on Broadway.

A Russian peasant girl becomes a member of the Imperial Ballet.

Deserted by his wife Arline, who absconds with their baby daughter Ruth as well, Robert Travers loses all faith in women. Years later, Travers, now known as the man without a soul, is the owner of a chain of department stores in which young Ruth Carroll is employed as a ribbon clerk. Finding himself strangely attracted to the girl, he takes a fatherly interest in her and offers Ruth a position in his office. Laura Wilson, who wants Travers for herself becomes jealous and tries to lure the girl away but Travers comes to realize she is his own daughter.

When she is orphaned Lily Upjohn, from the London slums, becomes a chorus girl at the Pandora Theatre. During a performance a scene painter drops some paint near Lily and her screams prompt the show's composer to create a hit song "Mind the Paint Girl," which Lily makes an overnight sensation. She is courted by young officer Nicholas Jeyes and by Lord Francombe. Driving both men to near ruin she promises marriage to both but in the end choses neither.

Robert Lovell falls in love with his father’s secretary Dorothy Arden and marries her in secret despite his father and his business partner Daniel Casselis’s attempts to arrange a match for him with Daniel’s daughter, also named Dorothy. When circumstances lead to the three young people ending up stranded on a lonely island in the Pacific, complications ensue, especially when Bob suffers a blow which temporarily wipes out his memory and he cannot remember which Dorothy is his wife! All ends happily, however.

Innocent Kaly Dial comes to New York from the Cumberland Mountains and gets employment at a fashionable dress shop owned by a friend of her deceased mother. Peter Vernon, the brother of the owner, falls in love with her, but Kaly becomes attracted to suave John Crispen, not knowing of his reputation as a Lothario and his shady business deals. Crispen scoffs at conventional marriage and rearing children, preferring "comradeship," while Vernon offers marriage. Kaly finds herself attracted to Crispen's unconventionality and, believing that he loves her, goes with him to a hotel, but soon realizes that his love is not right and asks to be taken back. Crispen complies even though he knows he will face imprisonment when he returns. Vernon takes Crispen's case and after finding out that Crispen is already married, gets him off with the promise that he will never see Kaly again. After a year, Kaly falls in love with Vernon and they are married.

At a reception given for the vacationing Prince Zarl of Zorania, secretly the emissary of Zorania set on negotiating a treaty with the United States, Geoffrey Wynne, apparently a society dandy, but in reality a secret service agent, meets the prince. During the reception, Wynne is summoned to Washington where he learns that the treaty has been stolen and is being held for $15,000,000 ransom. Discovering that one of the thieves is an Italian named Farnelli, Wynne enlists the aid of his fiancée, Irene Mitchell, in apprehending the thief. Irene meets the Italian who offers to accompany her to New York. En route, Wynne overtakes them, chloroforms Farnelli and rips off his disguise to reveal Prince Zarl. Zarl then admits that he has stolen the treaty in order to cover his gambling debts.

Prosperous architect David Hunter, lives with his wife Evelyn, who loves gambling and admiration, as well as his small daughter Dora, and his sister-in-law Ruth. When Evelyn tells her husband she owes $10,000 in bridge losses, she promises not to gamble or see her lover, Stephen Dabney, again if he will pay the debt. Stephen's friend, Moira Lamson, however, entices her to the country club for one last game. David and Ruth, worried by her prolonged absence, go to the club where they find her in Stephen's arms. Evelyn accuses her sister of spying on her and demands a divorce from her husband. Ruth, weary of her sister's frailties, moves out of the household and takes up nursing. Evelyn's health suffers from the strain, and now with David and Ruth gone, she is ill and alone. David and Ruth take pity on her and return. A smarter Evelyn is reunited with David.

While waiting on a New York park bench for the return of her friends, country girl Jeanne Sterling meets Forrest Chenoweth, a rich young wastrel who, while drunk, registered for a marriage license with fortune-hunting Helen Dorr. Enchanted with Jeanne's innocence, Forrest proposes to Jeanne, and they are married by an alderman friend of Forrest's with the license that Forrest had taken out with Helen. That night Forrest drinks too much, falls in his room and kills himself. The scandal appears in the papers, forcing Jeanne to confess the marriage to her sweetheart Robert Pitcairn. However, Helen, in an attempt to acquire the Chenoweth fortune, claims to be Forrest's widow, thus disgracing Jeanne.

Drama critic Stanley Ormsby, after giving a new play a negative review finds himself embroiled in a murder mystery involving some of the play’s troupe all occurring around Apartment 29.

Olive Muir, a haughty society girl, objects when Alice Prentice, a girl of lower station, comes to visit her family. After Alice's drunken father comes to visit the Muir home, Olive learns to her horror that she is adopted and that Prentice is her real father.

Hal Page, the weakling brother of Stephen Page, the town mayor, falls in love with Carline Shrefton, who throws over Burt Staley to entangle Hal in her self-serving schemes. Furious over her abrupt departure, Staley shows up at Carline's, and a jealous fight with Hal ensues in which Staley is shot and killed with Carline's gun. After Hal confesses to the deed, Stephen quietly sends him off to Spain. One year later, Stephen announces his engagement to Marion Hayward, the daughter of the district attorney, who is pressing charges against James Reed, a corrupt politician and Carline's new husband. To save Reed, Carline threatens Stephen with exposure, but he refuses to bend to her demands. Just days before Carline is to reveal her story about Staley, Hal appears and confesses to Hayward that Carline is the true killer.