Why Girls Leave Home (1945)

Diana Leslie is rescued from drowning by reporter Chris Williams. The latter believes it is an attempted murder rather than the suicide indicated by a note, since the girl had made an appointment to meet him at the dock. The story is told in flashback as Williams visits the people who know Diana. The parents feel responsible as, against their wishes, Diana had accompanied musician Jimmie Lobo to the Kitten Club and had gotten a job as a singer but they had not seen her following an argument when she came home that ended with her being slapped by her brother Ted. One of the Kitten Club showgirls, Flo tells Chris that when Diane came to the club for an audition, she incurred the wrath of the heavy-drinking featured singer Marianne Mason and club owner Steve Raymond delegated her to the hostess ranks of girls whose job was to steer customers to the illegal gambling. This led to a couple of suckers, Wilbur Harris and Ed Blake, losing heavily in the crooked game with Harris committing suicide and Blake being killed in the the ensuing mêlée.