Man to Man

Collegiate track star Mike Bolton (Phillips Holmes) has a secret -- his father is a convicted killer! Eighteen years ago, Mike's father John (Grant Mitchell) killed his brother's murderer and went to prison. Ashamed of his convict father, Mike has hidden his heritage but when his fraternity finds out, Mike quits college in shame and returns to his hometown of Hardinsville. There he finds a job at the town bank, and fellow teller Emily (Lucille Powers) starts to take a shine to him. But Mike's father complicates things by getting an early parole while Emily's ex-boyfriend (Dwight Frye) starts to stir things up. After someone absconds with a hefty sum from Mike's bank, father and son assume the worst about each other. But this terrible assumption soon leads to some surprising ends.

MAN TO MAN refers to the relationship between father John Bolton (Grant Mitchell) and son Michael (Phillips Holmes) -- or least, to the relationship as it should be. After serving a prison sentence for homicide (established by the screenwriters as justifiable), John starts life anew as a small-town barber. When Michael learns the truth about John's past, it causes a rift in the relationship between the two men. But when Michael is accused of embezzlement, John gallantly shoulders the blame, even though he believes his son to be guilty -- while Michael, convinced that his dad stole the money, refuses to recant his confession. Only after the true culprit is exposed are father and son tearfully reunited. Dwight Frye does his patented "Renfield" overacting in a minor role.