Bordertown

Johnny Ramirez is a young Mexican-American who put himself through law school at night classes in Los Angeles. He loses his first case and is disbarred. He leaves the city for a border town, takes work at a casino there and rises. The boss's wife takes an interest in him. What she does to take that interest somewhere changes everything. Archie Mayo's film puts Paul Muni and Bette Davis opposite each other; it is one of Davis's most striking parts before her breakthrough. The film's Mexican-American hero is played by a white actor, and the character's attempt to rise is drawn through the eyes of the period; that is what it is most argued about today. Even so, it stands apart for taking discrimination on directly.