Voice of the City, The

Playwright/actor/director Willard Mack was a stage and screen phenomenon, parlaying his talent with the pen into a long and lucrative stage and screen career in the beginning of the 20th Century. He's also the man who discovered Ruby Stevens, soon to be dubbed "Barbara Stanwyck". The Voice of the City marks Mack's Talkie debut, in which he plays Biff, a detective solely dedicated to the apprehension of escaped con Bobby Doyle (Robert Ames). But the savvy Biff soon senses he's been fed the wrong score and that he's after the wrong guy. And the gangsters behind the stitch up got nothing on Biff when it comes to dirty tricks. Willard Mack also wrote and directed.

• drama