I Promise to Pay
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
D. Ross Lederman
Chester Morris
Leo Carrillo
Helen Mack
Thomas Mitchell
Thurston Hall
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
After failing to get an advance on his paycheck, Eddie Lang, a clerk, borrows money from a loan shark in order to take his wife Mary and their two children on a vacation. When Eddie returns from his vacation, he finds that he is unable to repay the loan, as the bonus that he expected did not arrive. Although he tries to negotiate with the loan racketeers, headed by gangster Richard Farra, and offers to pay them in small weekly installments, the mob robs Eddie of his paychecks and threatens him. The gang begins to regularly accost Eddie on his way home from work and steal his paychecks, so the next time he receives his check, he mails it to his wife for safekeeping. The gang discovers Eddie's trick and sends some thugs to give him a beating and warn him not to go to the police unless he wishes to endanger his family. Desperate, Eddie steals money from his office in order to repay the gang, but his conscience later forces him to confess to the theft. Following his confession, Eddie is fired from his job, and is later forced to take a job on a WPA project. While working for the WPA, Eddie is visited by Farra's thugs, who give him such a severe beating that he must be hospitalized. Eddie's case is brought to the attention of the district attorney, and Eddie is given police protection so that he can testify in court about the gang's activities. Believing that his testimony will help others trapped in a similar predicament, Eddie offers to help the detectives find the leader of the mob. Before Eddie can testify, however, he is shot by Farra's men, who are then captured by the police. Although he is seriously wounded, Eddie is taken to the courtroom, where he gives his testimony and makes a speech asking all those who are being victimized by the mob to come forth with information. His speech proves effective, as additional testimony by others seals Farra's indictment. Following the trial, Eddie recovers from the gunshot wound, and is given a job at the district attorney's office.
Director
D. Ross Lederman
Cast
Chester Morris
Leo Carrillo
Helen Mack
Thomas Mitchell
Thurston Hall
John Gallaudet
Patsy O'connor
Wallis Clark
James Flavin
Edward Keane
Harry Woods
Henry Brandon
Marc Lawrence Whitehat
John Hamilton
Robert Emmett Keane
Harry Tyler
Corbet Morris
Philip Ahn
Boyd Irwin Sr.
Sam Flint
Wilfred Lucas
Emmett Vogan
Philip Trent
Max Hoffman Jr.
Herbert Ashley
Jack Daley
Horace Murphy
Jack Clifford
Ben Hendricks
Tom London
Bruce Mitchell
Lee Prather
Ted Oliver
Earl M. Pingree
William Gould
Herbert Heywood
Crawford Weaver
Johnny Tyrrell
Frank Marlowe
Ray Johnson
Gladden James
Richard Kipling
Edward Lesaint
Stanley Mack
Francis Sayles
Eddie Laughton
Jerry Uhlick
Chuck Hamilton
Ethan Laidlaw
James Baker
George Denormand
Nick Copeland
Clark Burroughs
Jimmy O'gatty
Wilson Benge
Harry Hollingsworth
Estelle Ettaire
Gladys Gale
Ruth Hilliard
Martha Tibbetts
Harry Bernard
Ned Norton
Leona Valde
Crew
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Loan Shark. Although an August 1936 Hollywood Reporter news item listed Howard J. Green as the film's producer, his participation in the final film has not been determined. According to the file for the film in the MPAA/PCA Collection at the AMPAS Library, the PCA received a number of complaints from loan companies regarding the proposed film. The file also indicates that Columbia agreed to add material to the film to make a clear distinction between disreputable loan operations and reputable, licensed ones.
