Hard Boiled

A musical-comedy troupe headed by prima donna Corinne Melrose is stranded in the little town of Nilesburg, Arizona, when the show's manager leaves town with all the money. When Corinne spends her last cent on a train ticket for one of the girls, she is advised by the station agent to seek assistance from a kindhearted old lady called Aunt Tiny Colvin. Aunt Tiny takes Corinne in but confesses that she, too, is in dire financial straits because the moneylender to whom she owes $200, Deacon Simpson, has demanded repayment. The deacon, a married man, becomes enamored of Corinne and makes improper advances towards her. Corinne threatens to expose his behavior to his wife and the townspeople unless he surrenders Aunt Tiny's bank notes, and to avoid the scandal, he complies. Billy Penrose, a tenor who is in love with Corinne, arrives in Nilesburg with news of vaudeville openings in New York, but she has become enchanted by the little town and convinces him to settle there with her. - From AFI

Directed by Victor Schertzinger, Hard Boiled leans on a strong ensemble — Dorothy Dalton, William Courtright, Gertrude Claire — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about comedy titles of 1919.