A Ship Comes In (1928)
Director:
William K. Howard
Writers:
Julien Josephson (story), John W. Krafft (titles)
Stars:
Rudolph Schildkraut, Louise Dresser, Milton Holmes
The Slovakian family of Peter Pleznik emigrates to the United States, and there, despite protests from Sokol, a radical countryman he meets in a restaurant, Peter applies for American citizenship. Five years later, assisted by kindly Judge Gresham, Peter receives his citizenship papers, and soon after, his son Eric goes to fight for America in the war. Judge Gresham, meanwhile, has sentenced a radical to ten years hard labor for treason, and Sokol is chosen by his revolutionary comrades to kill Gresham. After Sokol substitutes a time bomb for a cake Peter's wife has made for the judge, Peter unwittingly brings the box with the bomb to the judge. Gresham is seriously wounded and his secretary is killed as the bomb explodes. Peter is blamed, convicted, and jailed, but he is later freed when Sokol, as he is dying after being hit by a truck, confesses to the crime. Eric is killed in the war. Despite all this, Peter's patriotism never wavers, and he returns to his job as a janitor feeling that he has given all to his country.