Steppin' in Society

Howard "Ten Spot" Rocky, convicted of stealing an automobile, is sentenced by Judge Avery Webster to serve time in the state penitentiary. The sentence devastates Ten Spot's girlfriend "Jenny the Juke," who tells the judge that her boyfriend has reformed; he stole the car to take her to the hospital when she suffered from appendicitis. The judge refuses to accept Jenny's arguments, and she accuses him of lacking feeling and understanding. Later, Avery and his wife Penelope leave for a vacation in Hot Springs, but their plans go awry when their chauffeur George Baxter quits. Stranded halfway between their home and Hot Springs, Penelope takes over the driving and crashes the car. A thunderstorm then forces the couple to take refuge at the Jungle Club inn, which, unknown to the Websters, is a front for jailed gangster Aloysius "Cookie" Blaine's operation. The Websters sense danger and decide to leave, but are prevented from doing so by Cookie's henchmen. Later, the gangsters read about their pal Ten Spot's sentence and vow to take revenge on the judge who sentenced him, unaware that Avery was that judge. While the Websters sleep at the inn, the hoodlums steal Avery's briefcase, in which they discover a floor plan of a bank. Although the plan is evidence for a case on which Avery is working, it leads the gangsters to conclude that Avery is actually a fellow thief with a lot "on the ball." Two of the gangsters, Lola La Forest and Montana, decide to leave Cookie and work for Avery, and ask to be included in his bank heist. Realizing that he has been mistaken for a thief, the judge decides to stay at the Jungle Club long enough to show the gangsters the way to honest living. With the cooperation of the police, Avery succeeds in gaining the release of Cookie from jail, and, as a result, the gangsters put their trust in him. Convinced that Lola and Montana intend to reform after one last "job," Avery leads the gangsters to his home and allows them to rob it. Back at the Jungle Club, Jenny, who is one of Cookie's followers, recognizes Avery as the judge who put her boyfriend behind bars. The gangsters hold a mock trial and charge Avery with double-crossing them and setting them up for arrest. Avery, however, proves that he involved none of them in a single illegal act, and that he took a chance on them to prove that crime does not pay. After the gangsters forgive Avery, he confesses to Jenny that he was too harsh on Ten Spot, and promises to reopen his case. The ent